Info about HyperRogue:

Official game description:
You are a lone adventurer in a strange, non-Euclidean world. Gather as much treasure as you can before the nasty monsters get you. Explore about 60 different lands, each with its own unique treasures, enemies, and terrain obstacles. Your quest is to find the legendary treasure, the Orbs of Yendor. Collect one of them to win! Or just ignore your quest and collect smaller treasures.
The twist is the unique, unusual geometry of the world: it is one of just few games which takes place on the hyperbolic plane. Witness a grid composed of hexagons and heptagons, straight lines which seem to be parallel, but then they diverge and never cross, triangles whose angles add up to less than 180 degrees, how extremely unlikely is it to reach the same place twice due to practically infinite size of the world (centillions of locations in just 700 steps from the starting point), and how the world seems to be rotated when you do return. All this matters for the gameplay. The game is inspired by the roguelike genre (focusing on puzzle-roguelike positioning tactics rather than RPG elements), works of M. C. Escher, and by puzzle games such as Deadly Rooms of Death.
HyperRogue is often updated! Other than the original 2D hyperbolic puzzle roguelike, HyperRogue includes experimental modes, allowing one to change many aspects of the game for your non-Euclidean experimentation, such as racing mode, real-time "shmup" mode, 3D geometries including Thurston geometries, SteamVR virtual reality. If you want to play HyperRogue as a non-Euclidean first person shooter, it is possible too!

Release date: Jan 16, 2015

Categories: Roguelike, Puzzle Solving, Exploration, Procedural Generation, Turn-based Combat, Educational Simulation, Non-Euclidean Geometry, Tactical


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $8.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game to be of high value and worth its full price due to its uniqueness, variety, and amount of content. The game is also considered a great deal even when not on sale, indicating that the community perceives the base price as fair and reasonable. The positive sentiment around the game's value and the lack of complaints about the price further support this range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 50.0h
  - Story completion: 30.0h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: 200.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that players spend a significant amount of time playing the game, with mentions of 32 hours, 33 hours, and even up to 400 hours. The game is described as having high replay value and a vast amount of content to explore, which supports the idea of extensive playtime for both game completion and endgame content. The typical session length is harder to pinpoint, but mentions of playing for a few minutes to hours straight indicate variability. The story completion time is less clear, but given the overall high playtime, it is likely substantial.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is enjoyable from the start due to its unique geometry and gameplay mechanics, with the tutorial being helpful but not necessary. Unlocking new worlds and achievements drives long-term engagement.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Lack of initial tutorial; Complexity of geometry
  - Unlock drivers: Unique geometry; Gameplay mechanics; Unlocking new worlds and achievements
  - Conditions: Playing through the tutorial; Appreciating novel gameplay mechanics; Enjoying complex geometry
- Player Archetypes:
  - Mastery Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastery of game mechanics and challenges.
    - Playstyle: Long-term, dedicated play focused on mastering all aspects of the game.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: hardcore player; completionist
    - Reference games: Rogue; Deadly Rooms of Death
  - Exploration Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploration and discovery of unique game worlds.
    - Playstyle: Exploratory and curious, focusing on uncovering the game's unique features and mechanics.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: explorer; discovery fan
    - Reference games: Spelunky; FTL
  - Casual Challenger (sale)
    - Motivation: Balanced gameplay that is easy to pick up but offers depth and challenge.
    - Playstyle: Casual play with occasional deep dives into more challenging content.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; challenge seeker
    - Reference games: DUNGREED; FTL
  - Math Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Intellectual challenge and the application of mathematical concepts.
    - Playstyle: Focused on understanding and leveraging the game's mathematical and geometric mechanics.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: math enthusiast; geometry fan
    - Reference games: Rogue


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Educational and innovative (weight 0.88): The game is praised for its educational value, particularly in teaching hyperbolic geometry. It is also noted for its genuine innovation and unique concept.
- Unique hyperbolic geometry gameplay (weight 0.85): The game features hyperbolic geometry as a core mechanic, offering a unique and educational experience. Players enjoy the complexity and challenges presented by non-Euclidean spaces, which are integral to the gameplay.
- Variety of lands and biomes (weight 0.8): The game offers a variety of lands and biomes, each with unique mechanics, challenges, and rules. This diversity adds to the exploration and enjoyment of the game.
- Enjoyable and challenging game (weight 0.64): The game is described as very enjoyable and fun, with challenging gameplay that keeps players engaged. It is praised for its difficulty and roguelike elements.
- Simple yet deep gameplay (weight 0.44): The game has simple rules and controls but offers deep and strategic gameplay. It is easy to learn but hard to master, providing a satisfying challenge.
- Active development and updates (weight 0.41): The developers are actively involved in the game's development, providing regular updates and engaging with the community. The game is also open source and well-polished.
- Minimalist tactical roguelike (weight 0.27): The game is a minimalist tactical roguelike with simple yet challenging gameplay. It offers a unique take on the classic roguelike genre.
- Addictive and engaging (weight 0.26): The game is described as addictive and engaging, with deep and intriguing gameplay that keeps players coming back for more.
- Satisfying sense of accomplishment (weight 0.17): Players report a rewarding sense of accomplishment and mastery as they progress through the game. The achievements are satisfying and add to the overall enjoyment.
- Accessible to non-math experts (weight 0.12): The game is designed to be accessible to people without a deep understanding of geometry, making it enjoyable for a wider audience.
- Fair difficulty curve (weight 0.11): The game features a fair and challenging difficulty curve, providing a balanced experience for players of different skill levels.

Common complaints:
- Game difficulty issues (weight 0.41): Many players find the game excessively difficult, with a steep learning curve and unforgiving mechanics. This includes harsh punishments for small mistakes and challenging gameplay that can feel unbalanced.
- Confusing and unclear UI (weight 0.28): The user interface is often criticized for being confusing and hard to navigate. Settings and menus are described as clunky and unclear, making it difficult for players to find and adjust options.
- Frustrating gameplay experience (weight 0.27): Players often describe the gameplay as frustrating and punishing. The game can feel shallow and unbalanced, with a lack of guidance and unclear objectives.
- Poor music quality (weight 0.26): The music in the game is frequently described as cheap, unremarkable, and simple. Additionally, there are issues with the music resetting settings even when turned off.
- Lack of guidance and documentation (weight 0.26): There is a lack of in-game guidance and documentation, making it difficult for players to understand the game mechanics and objectives. Players often need to reference external sources like wikis.
- Unbalanced and tedious challenges (weight 0.26): Some challenges and areas in the game are described as unbalanced, tedious, and extremely long. This can make the game feel like a slog and reduce the overall enjoyment.
- Bugs and technical issues (weight 0.23): The game is reported to be very buggy, with special modes having issues and major updates often introducing new bugs. There are also full-screen scaling issues and other technical problems.
- Motion sickness and VR issues (weight 0.22): The VR component of the game is criticized for being janky and disorienting, often causing motion sickness. The default VR view is also reported to be too close to the face, adding to the discomfort.
- Lack of save features (weight 0.19): There is a notable absence of save features, with sparse save-game opportunities and no ability to save and quit except at certain points. This can make the game frustrating and time-consuming.
- High cost and time investment (weight 0.17): Unlocking new areas and preparing for them can be very time-consuming and costly. This can make the game feel grindy and less enjoyable.
- Subpar graphics (weight 0.13): The graphics are considered lackluster and not impressive. Players feel that the visuals do not meet expectations and are generally poor.
- Limited language support (weight 0.07): There is a lack of support for certain languages, such as Korean, which can limit the accessibility of the game for some players.
- Niche appeal (weight 0.07): The game is noted to have an extremely niche appeal, which may limit its broader popularity and enjoyment among a wider audience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Hyperbolic geometry central to gameplay (weight 0.73): The game heavily features hyperbolic geometry, affecting navigation, combat, and exploration. Players learn about hyperbolic space through gameplay mechanics and puzzles.
- Exploration of unique worlds (weight 0.61): Players explore different worlds, each with unique enemies, challenges, and mechanics. The game emphasizes exploration and survival in strange and varied environments.
- Puzzle-like combat mechanics (weight 0.48): Combat in the game is puzzle-like, requiring strategic thinking and planning. It includes environmental puzzles and chess-like combat mechanics.
- Multiple diverse game modes (weight 0.35): The game offers a variety of modes, including standard, pure tactics, cheat, random pattern, Euclidean, shmup, heptagonal, and chaos modes. These modes provide different gameplay experiences.
- Turn-based movement and tactics (weight 0.26): The game uses turn-based movement and tactics, requiring players to think carefully about their moves and strategies.
- Large, procedurally generated world (weight 0.26): The game features a large, infinite world that is procedurally generated, offering a vast and varied environment for players to explore.
- Collecting treasures and items (weight 0.25): A key gameplay element involves collecting treasures, orbs, and other items, which contribute to progression and unlocking new areas.
- Unlocking lands through treasure collection (weight 0.17): Players collect treasures to unlock new lands, adding a progression system that encourages exploration and discovery.
- Simple combat and rules (weight 0.12): The game has a simple combat system and rules, making it accessible while still offering depth in strategy and gameplay.
- Roguelike elements (weight 0.12): The game incorporates roguelike mechanics, providing a challenging and replayable experience with permadeath and randomized elements.
- High score and powerup mechanics (weight 0.11): The game includes high score mechanics and powerups, adding a competitive element and enhancing gameplay.
- VR gameplay support (weight 0.11): The game supports VR gameplay mechanics, offering an immersive 3D experience in virtual reality.
- Holy Grail and Orb of Yendor (weight 0.1): The game features the Holy Grail and the Orb of Yendor as key gameplay elements, adding to the game's lore and objectives.

Performance notes:
- Buggy special modes (weight 0.08): Players have reported issues and bugs in the special modes of the game, affecting gameplay and user experience.

Recommendations:
- High value for money (weight 0.41): The game is considered worth its full price due to its uniqueness, variety, and extensive content. Many players highlight its high replay value and unique concept as key factors.
- Try the free demo (weight 0.19): Players recommend trying the free demo before purchasing. This allows potential buyers to experience the game's unique mechanics and concept firsthand.
- Support the developers (weight 0.19): The game is recommended not just for its quality but also to support the developers. Players appreciate the continuous updates and bug fixes provided by the developers.
- Unique mechanics and development (weight 0.14): The game is praised for its unique mechanics and the fact that it is actively being developed. This ongoing development adds value and interest for players.
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.13): Many players highly recommend the game without specifying particular reasons, indicating a general satisfaction and enjoyment of the game.
- Recommended for roguelike fans (weight 0.13): The game is specifically recommended to fans of classic roguelikes, indicating that it captures elements beloved by this genre's enthusiasts.
- Initial goals recommendation (weight 0.07): Players recommend setting initial goals such as finding the orb of Yendor, the holy grail, and rescuing the princess, which are likely key objectives in the game.
- Recommended for math enthusiasts (weight 0.07): The game is particularly recommended for math or puzzle enthusiasts, indicating that it includes elements that appeal to those interested in these areas.
- Explores new design frontiers (weight 0.07): The game is recommended for anyone interested in games that explore new frontiers in design space, suggesting innovative and unique gameplay mechanics.
- Check developer's YouTube channel (weight 0.07): Players suggest checking out the developer's YouTube channel, possibly for additional content, tutorials, or updates related to the game.
- Familiarize with hyperbolic geometry (weight 0.07): It is recommended to familiarize oneself with hyperbolic geometry, suggesting that understanding this concept enhances the gameplay experience.
- Check out the guided tour (weight 0.07): Players recommend checking out the guided tour, which likely provides a helpful introduction or overview of the game's features and mechanics.
- Recommended for non-math lovers (weight 0.07): Interestingly, the game is also recommended for anyone who doesn't like math, indicating that it has broad appeal beyond just those interested in mathematical concepts.
- Use mouse for better control (weight 0.07): Players recommend using a mouse for better control, suggesting that the game's controls are more effectively managed with a mouse.

Other player notes:
- Simple graphics (weight 0.08): The game features basic and straightforward visual elements.

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players enjoy the game's unique mechanics, strategic depth, and variety of content. The addictive nature, customization options, and educational aspects also contribute to the overall enjoyment.
- Frustration (weight 0.14): The game's high difficulty, punishing mechanics, and lack of guidance cause frustration. Additionally, the VR experience is described as janky, and the game is seen as buggy and unpolished.
- Excitement (weight 0.14): The game's unique mechanics, varied gameplay, and high replay value generate excitement. The engaging concept and amount of content also contribute to this feeling.
- Admiration (weight 0.08): Players admire the game's revolutionary use of hyperbolic space and creative geometry. The developer's dedication to updates and the game's genius design are also highly regarded.
- Impressed (weight 0.07): The game's unique geometry, strategic depth, and educational value impress players. The complexity of puzzle scenarios and the depth of content are also notable.
- Positive (weight 0.05): Players enjoy the game's unique mechanics, tactical depth, and atmospheric gameplay. The challenge and simplicity of the game are also appreciated.
- Addiction (weight 0.03): The gameplay mechanics and the urge to master the game make it very addictive for players.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Players feel a sense of mastery and appreciate the fair balance and simple controls.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): The richness and variety of the game, along with its unique experience, surprise players.
- Disappointment (weight 0.02): Players are disappointed by the lack of endgame options and getting stuck in early worlds after death.
- Satisfied (weight 0.02): The game's depth and variety of content, along with the enjoyment of collecting badges and exploring, leave players satisfied.
- Fascinated (weight 0.02): The unique geometry and deep gameplay fascinate players.
- Enthusiastic (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's unique mechanics, lands, and community.
- Appreciative (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the developer's dedication to updates, polish, and active involvement, as well as the game's indie charm.
- Fascination (weight 0.02): The unique non-Euclidean geometry and mind-bending aspects of the game fascinate players.
- Hooked (weight 0.01): The game's interesting mechanics and variety keep players hooked.
- Intrigue (weight 0.01): The game's unique puzzle and geometry mechanics intrigue players.
- Love-hate relationship (weight 0.01): Players have a love-hate relationship with the game due to its addictive nature and challenging aspects.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's creativity and design.}