OVIS LOOP Review Summary

Polished gameplay, satisfying combat, and beautiful pixel art shine, yet thin content, harsh boss spikes, and frequent crashes hold it back.

Game is fun and polished: Players consistently praise the game's overall quality, fun factor, and solid foundation. The game is described as enjoyable, pleasant, and dynamic, with a good atmosphere and game feel.

Gameplay is engaging and satisfying: The gameplay loop is highly praised for being addictive, smooth, and rewarding. Players find the game engaging and satisfying, with responsive controls and a fun action experience.

Combat is satisfying and fluid: Combat is a standout feature, with players loving the satisfying combos, smooth responsiveness, and exhilarating fast-paced action. The combat system is polished and fun to engage with.

Pixel art is beautiful: The pixel art style is widely appreciated for its beauty, smoothness, and impressive details. Players find the pixel art animation excellent and visually appealing.

Weapon variety is excellent: Players enjoy the wide array of weapons, each with distinct characteristics and strong impact. The variety of weapons and skills adds depth and entertainment to the gameplay.

Insufficient content volume: Players consistently report that the game has too little content, with many noting it can be completed in under 10 hours. This is a common complaint across multiple clusters, indicating a widespread issue with the game's current size.

Boss difficulty spikes: Several bosses, especially the final boss and the Wolf Doctor, are considered disproportionately difficult compared to the rest of the game. Players cite high stats, fast attacks, and unclear readability as major issues.

Price not justified: Many players feel the content does not match the full price, describing the game as too raw or expensive for what it offers. This sentiment is closely tied to the lack of content and early access status.

Talent tree regressed: The new talent tree update is widely criticized as worse than the previous version, being confusing, too simple, and unable to be fully upgraded. Players also note that it only offers numerical bonuses without functional rewards.

Game needs polish: Players report that the game is unpolished and in need of more refinement, with various bugs and technical issues. This is a common early access complaint that impacts the overall experience.

Roguelike action game: The game is consistently described as a fast-paced 2D side-scrolling action roguelike with hack and slash elements, featuring random events and build variety.

Weapons and skills variety: The game offers a wide range of weapons, skills, combos, passives, and modules, allowing for diverse builds and playstyles.

Boss fights with difficulty: The game includes numerous boss and miniboss encounters with steep difficulty curves, heavy damage, and varied attack patterns, often at stage ends.

Skill tree system: Players can enhance their character through a skill tree, including passive skills and an out-of-run talent tree, with top-level skills requiring completion of both paths.

Meta progression system: The game includes permanent progression elements, such as out-of-run upgrades and purchasable enhancements, that persist across runs.

Frequent game crashes: Multiple players report the game crashing often, including crashes to desktop, during updates, and multiple times within a few hours. This is the most common issue, affecting stability significantly.

Positive performance reports: Some players report stable 200 fps, no bugs, flawless performance on Steam Deck, and comfortable play on low-spec PCs. These positive experiences contrast with the crash reports, suggesting variability across systems.

Player falls out of map: Attacking at the edge of certain levels can cause the player to fall out of the map, a level geometry bug that breaks gameplay and requires reloading.

Lacks framerate limit option: The game lacks a framerate limit option alongside V-Sync, which may cause screen tearing or excessive GPU usage for players with high refresh rate monitors.

Crash bug quickly fixed: One player noted a crashing bug that was fixed within a day, indicating the developers are responsive to stability issues.

Recommended for action roguelike fans: Multiple reviewers strongly recommend this game to fans of action roguelikes, emphasizing its dynamic combat and roguelike elements. The game is praised for its exhilarating action and combo-based gameplay.

Similar to Dead Cells: Reviewers who enjoy Dead Cells and similar games like Have a Nice Death, Skul the Hero Slayer, and BlazBlue Entropy Effect will likely enjoy this title. The comparison highlights the game's fast-paced side-scrolling action and roguelike progression.

Worth the price: Many reviewers find the game worth its price, especially for fans of the genre. Some note it is better at a lower price point, while others say it is worth buying without hesitation.

Try demo before buying: Several reviewers suggest trying the available demo to get a feel for the game before purchasing. This is recommended to ensure the game matches player expectations and to help decide on the purchase.

Difficulty may be too high: Some reviewers caution that the game is difficult, especially for players not skilled at action games. They recommend starting on the lowest difficulty and note that the game may not be suitable for those seeking a smooth experience.

Community fair range: $12.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 5.0h.

Session length: 0.8h.

The game is fun and addictive from the start, but late-game grind and resource scarcity cause enjoyment to decline over time.

Action Roguelike Veteran: Aggressive, build-focused, seeks challenge and synergies. Motivation: Satisfying combat and build variety. Stance: buy.

Difficulty Balance Critic: Cautious, attempts to overcome bosses but frustrated by design, may use lowest difficulty. Motivation: Fair challenge and balanced difficulty. Stance: no buy.

Casual Enthusiast: Casual, not optimizing, enjoys the game despite difficulty. Motivation: Fun and accessibility. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The game suffers from frequent crashes, freezes, and black screens on Steam Deck, along with progression-blocking bugs that force replays. While the controller experience is praised when the game works, the overall stability is poor, making it currently broken for many users.

Game is in early access: The game is currently in early access, with many reviewers noting it is not yet fully released and still in beta or test version. This status affects content completeness and expectations for future updates.

Comparisons to Dead Cells: The game is frequently compared to Dead Cells, with reviewers noting similarities in controls, action, and visual style. Some find this game more satisfying, describing it as 'Dead Cells on steroids'.

Comparisons to Skul: The Hero Slayer: Many reviewers compare the game to Skul: The Hero Slayer, noting similarities in gameplay and random events. Some see it as a promising competitor that could potentially surpass Skul.

Game receives frequent updates: Reviewers note that the game is continuously updated with new features and improvements. This is seen as a positive aspect, indicating active development and ongoing support.

Comparisons to Slay the Spire: The game's map and event structure are compared to Slay the Spire, particularly in terms of road map layout and deck-building-like systems. This comparison highlights strategic elements.