Relic Hunters Legends Preview

I got the chance to play Relic Hunters Legend before its official release. Currently in Early Access on Steam, the game is a top-down looter shooter developed by Brazilian indie studio Rogue Snail and published by Gearbox Publishing. Play as the titular Relic Hunters as they try to uncover the truth behind the evil empire and seek relics that can alter space and time. Not only does it feature a 25-hour single-player campaign but also co-op multiplayer to have your friends join in on the destruction.

You (initially) play as Seven, an amnesiac time traveller who ends up in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on their back and a giant capsule right next to them. Soon enough, they'll end up joining the Relic Hunters: rebels that defy the evil Ducan empire by collecting relics to remind the galaxy of its past. It's up to Seven and the other Relic Hunters to stop the empire's evil plans and find out what's going on with the main character because apparently they were somehow involved with the End of Time, and only powerful relics can fix it. Straight from presentation alone, Relic Hunters Legends looks, sounds, and feels like a kids cartoon show or a children's book with a lot more guns and bullets thrown into the mix. You'll be travelling across the galaxy, visiting different locales full of enemies to defeat and loot to collect.

You can choose between five playable characters (Seven, Pinkyy, Raff, Ace, and Jimmy) who each have their own abilities and skill trees that make them unique, although everyone but Seven will need to be unlocked through the story. I was instantly reminded of Borderlands with how it deals with loot and skills, with various items and guns having special traits, and the higher the rarity, the more powerful it will be. You also can enhance items to make them more powerful in exchange for crafting materials found throughout the level at various resource nodes or by recycling unwanted items.

As for the gunplay itself, it has depth despite its seemingly simple nature. It's very fast-paced, with large numbers of enemies thrown your way with every mission, and you'll be going to different objectives depending on the map. Ranging from protecting payloads, capturing locations, or simply exploring large levels to find special relics and loot. However, charging in guns-blazing won't win every fight, especially later down the line, where you need to think about not only the skills you have but also your arsenal of weapons. Every gun deals different types of damage, which are effective on different types of health. For example, yellow Armour is vulnerable to the Nature element, while blue Shields can easily be taken care of with Magnetic weapons.

Now, this is all good and gun. However, be warned: Relic Hunters Legends requires a constant internet connection to play. The game is built for co-op, and going at it alone doesn't provide the full experience. The Early Access version only had two server regions (USA East and Asia), but the connection was pretty good with barely any lag; we'll wait and see when the game officially releases.

Still, I enjoyed my time with Relic Hunters Legends, and I look forward to the 1.0 release. The game is available now on PC via Steam Early Access.