Nyheter
Backpack Hero makes inventory management a blissful delight
D
David Silbert
Backpack Hero challenges that preconceived notion. Inspired by deck-builders like Slay the Spire, this indie roguelike makes encumbrance exciting, despite all odds. And it does this by pitching a simple premise: What if, instead of adding cards to an ever-growing deck, you add items to a magically expanding backpack?
The game takes place in a labyrinthine dungeon. As one of five characters, you’re tasked with spelunking in search of gold, relics, and other treasures to bring back to the nearby town of Haversack Hill. With a trusty map in hand, you move from one dungeon node to the next, each with the possibility of an enemy encounter, a friendly face, or a chance event.
Battles play out in turn-based fashion. As with Slay the Spire, upcoming actions are displayed above each enemy’s head, giving you time to prepare attacks or defensive maneuvers. Instead of cards, however, any actions you take tie back to belongings in your knapsack. Click on your starter sword, and you’ll swing it at an enemy. Tap the shield, and you’ll brace for impact. You can use any combination of items—that is, until you run out of energy for the turn.
Alone, these mechanics may seem more like a clever reskin than a novel concept, but Backpack Hero has an ace in its deep pockets. Each time you win a battle or stumble upon a chest, you’re prompted to pick a few items from the spoils to add to your inventory. However, you can only take items that fit in your bag. To make room, you must channel your inner Marie Kondo, rotating items and piecing them together a la Resident Evil 4.
There’s a real benefit to tidying up, too. Many items have conditional effects, either positive or negative, based on their positioning. One spear may deal area-of-effect damage, but only when it’s not adjacent to another weapon. A helm may grant you a defensive bonus, but must sit at the top of your pack. Some items sink; others float. Balancing these needs—often in the heat of battle—is a huge part of the game’s challenge and charm.
Thankfully, there’s no right way to win in Backpack Hero. You constantly expand your bag by leveling up, and with more than 800 unique items, the permutations are near-endless. Add in multiple playable characters and modes—including Story Mode, in which you use resources from runs to build up the town of Haversack Hill—and you’re guaranteed a different experience each time you play.
Great deck-builders are everywhere nowadays, but Backpack Hero is proof that even crowded genres can yield fresh fruit. Sometimes, all you need is a kernel of an idea—and a really intense hoarding mentality.
Backpack Hero is available now on the Epic Games Store.