Into The Pit is something that gamers don’t really see every day. It is a retro-shooter that reminds more seasoned gamers of titles like Hexen and Heretic. First-person shooters may be a dime a dozen these days, but none have any that consists of merely magic. Into The Pit is a rogue-like shooter that involves blasting away enemies with elemental powers. Gamescom 2021 dropped a trailer and it showcased raw gameplay without delving into much into the story. A family of mystical lore hunters is summoned into a village that’s riddled with dark magic. A family member named Luridia went missing and the protagonists went in to discover what happened. During their investigation, they must go into the village, rescue the survivors and eliminate the demonic forces while trying to find Luridia. It’s a fairly basic story, but that is all that is needed for something of this caliber.
Even though the art design is reminiscent of the pixelated shooters of yesteryear, like Doom and Duke Nukem, the action is blistering fast. Into The Pit runs at 60 fps without missing a beat. According to the gameplay shown at Gamescom, everything seems to run silky smooth. There are quite a few details to know about Into The Pit and there are some layers to the combat. Players will be encouraged to experiment with the vast array of magical powers that are unlocked throughout the playthrough. There will be a number of dungeons to overcome that will be fundamentally short in duration, but dense with danger.
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That’s a Kind of Magic
The core gameplay aspect of Into The Pit is growing the magical powers of the main character. By completing dungeons, players will be saving the survivors of the village, which in turn opens different shops. Of course, these shops will provide permanent upgrades to the mage that will spice up combat prowess. Players will be able to mix runes and keys that will generate different dungeons which will provide completely different encounters. Developer Nullpointer Games want to deliver the chaotic simplicity of shooters of the ’90s and give a next-gen organic experience simultaneously. This game will provide hundreds of hours of gameplay, that only deepens with each subsequent dungeon. It appears that each dungeon will bring a completely new experience in terms of enemy types and level design.
Players will be exploring a myriad of dark and foreboding places that will fry their nerves. Places like; Fungal Hollow, Petrified Forest, Nightmare Abyss, Corroded Docks, Shadow Catacombs, and the Obsidian Forest will be on the list. All manners of demons, specters, ghouls, and undead warriors will be patrolling these territories. Each dungeon will have different versions of itself, which will evolve its objectives. Sometimes it will be centered on finding survivors, while other times it will be about finding an alter or destroying a keystone. Of course, there will also be bosses that players will need to slew in order to effectively clear a dungeon. The bruting demon boss that is seen in the trailer is only a part of what’s lined up.
The Endless Pit
Even though the spells unlocked in the playthrough of Into The Pit enhance the firepower of the player, the main reason is to prolong their dungeon exploration. The village that this game is centered around has an eerie Victorian vibe that’s reminiscent of Bloodborne. Gamers who are fans of that particular souls-like experience should keep an eye out for Into The Pit. Based on what is shown in the trailer, the gameplay is in the same vein as Doom Eternal. Players will be able to strafe, jump and obliterate enemies in gruesome fashions. This game isn’t shy with gore. There are all kinds of creatures exploding into a bloody, gooey mess by the tips of the mage’s fingers. This was to be expected given the aesthetic of the village and the ominous start of the trailer. Plus, as the players can see, the combat will be all about duel welding.
Of course, this won’t with guns, but magical powers. Both the left and right arms can be equipped with different types of spells that can be mixed up to create all flavors of destruction. According to the developers’ website, players will be able to mix and match spells to unleash ultimate powers. However, it is up to the player to discover how to do this. Playing around with all the different spells and discovering their effectiveness will be part of the fun with this title. Chances are, that certain elemental powers will yield better results for certain enemy types. The dungeons will be shifting and changing endlessly and there will be no telling what will be waiting down the corridor. PlayStation gamers had a rather well-received rouge-like game titled Returnal. The basic gameplay mechanics regarding the shifting environment with Into The Pit will remain the same as that IP. This sub-genre is growing in popularity and it is good to see that Xbox players get to try this out. Into The Pit will definitely bring back some old-school vibes that also have a modern updated engine driving the specs.
Kissing The Darkness
Despite that Into The Pit will offer copious hours of replayability, it also has a rather engrossing mystery to it. The main goal for the mage to enter this demonic pit is to find Luridia. Thus, he will need to find out why she was dabbling with such dark powers, to begin with. Nullpoint games have crafted a love letter for retro shooters with Into The Pit. Naturally, it is only fair that this game won’t be a static affair. It needs to keep up with current trends in the market. Therefore, this game being a rouge-like offering is the best move to make. Lastly, Into The Pit is rather timely since it will be releasing this Halloween season. Nothing puts people into the Halloween spirit more than pretending to be a uber-mage slaughtering dark entities in gnarled dungeons. Into The Pit will be releasing for the Xbox and PC on October 19th.
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