I grew up playing dungeon-crawler RPGs on every old-school console I could get my hands on, and so I like to think I have some experience with the genre. But nothing prepared me for my first foray into the dungeons of Mortal Sin. It’s more than just a hack-and-slash experience; it’s an absolute thrill-ride of a trip with vibrant colors that draw you in and refuse to let go. Let’s dive into our Mortal Sin review to find out why I couldn’t stop playing this first-person dungeon-crawling roguelike in my spare time!
Editor’s Note: The Guide Hall received a review copy of the game from the developer/publisher/PR for this review. Their generosity does not impact our overall opinion or thoughts on the game!
I’m so very confused. Following the full 1.0 launch of Mortal Sin, starting a new game deposits you in a graveyard with a myriad of choices and paths. In reality, you don’t have all that many options initially. You must venture deep into the dungeons, complete levels stage by stage, and return alive at the end of each one to bolster your power and unlock additional abilities and weapons. As you do, you’ll unlock new levels and zones to clear. There’s also additional classes to play around with, skill-based melee to learn, secret zones, randomly generated quests, and so much more.
It’s an excellent sense of progression that kept me pushing forward through dungeons that felt oddly familiar yet unique enough to keep me progressing through to the end. I didn’t feel as if I had already been somewhere, despite the aesthetic design of each zone repeating.
That said, I don’t have any gripes with the dungeon designs. The unique comic-book art style really meshes well with the over-the-top melee combat. All of the levels are pleasing to the eye, colorful and dank in equal measures, and each one treadmills you through to the end at a relatively exciting yet stable pace.
Along the way, you’ll slash, stomp, kick, and slam your way through hordes of enemies, from undead to demons to mutant eyes clinging to the walls. I absolutely love fighting the undead because they’re so damn squishy. With a massive war hammer—the weapon I favored most during my playtime—I could charge up an attack and slam the blunt end down on a wilted forehead with a satisfying splat.
As you slay your way through the hallways of a ruin or dungeon, you’ll encounter upgrades in the form of unique weapons and armor. Over time, your equipment degrades and enemies become more powerful, so you want to consider scooping up a higher-tier weapon when you find it. Furthermore, each one comes with a unique ability or secondary attack that has the opportunity to devastate your foes. More often than not, however, you’re moving too quickly to care.
You see, Mortal Sin favors speed. Your goal is to clear hordes of enemies at a lightning-quick pace, finish the dungeon, rinse and repeat. You don’t often have time to power up attacks or pop abilities or utilize tactics of any kind. It’s a hack-and-slash. You’re going to hack through one enemy, then slash another until they all fall.
Is that a problem? No, not so much. But I never felt like a weapon’s ability made any difference in how I played. I imagine that’s a personal feeling, though. Many will likely play a bit more relaxed, a little more tactically as they pop abilities to and fro. My hat’s off to you!
Key Features to Consider in Mortal Sin
- Brutal, skill-based melee with flashy, satisfying combos
- Beautiful comic-book visuals, now fully customizable
- Dozens of unique enemies that react to your every move
- Over a dozen playable classes, each with their own weapons and abilities
- A huge arsenal: greatswords, spears, guns, claws, and magic
- Hundreds of handcrafted rooms across procedurally generated maps
- Secret platforming zones with rare loot and hidden horrors
- Randomly generated quests with powerful rewards
- Multiple color palettes to match your vibe and mood
- Infinite runs and future updates to keep the chaos going
Should You Play Mortal Sin?
At the end of the day, after spending countless hours playing through Mortal Sin’s various zones and wielding its many weapons, yeah, I highly recommend the game. It’s certainly more niche than most roguelikes on the Steam store, but is that a bad thing? It’s insanely fun, offers tons of variety, and that art style, mm, it’s absolutely gorgeous and deserves praise all on its own!