🔥 HOT: Id/MondayTuesdayFriday/recommended/ - Collection

An amazing game from an amazing genre by an amazing developer, Cogmind really has it all. I started playing Cogmind back in Alpha 12, and over the course of about a year the game has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. There are just so many things Cogmind does right that it's hard to name them all in one place, but I'll do my best to touch on some of the best aspects of the game:

UI:
Cogmind has the best UI of any roguelike in existence. It's entirely mouse friendly (though can be played with only a keyboard as well), displays TONS of data transparently (so much that many people are overwhelmed at the sheer amount, though this can be turned off), and has popups for everything (if you have any questions about a UI element, simply hover your mouse over it and a popup will tell you all about it). The UI is so fantastic and innovative that it's hard to play other roguelikes after playing Cogmind.

Art Style / Animation:
10/10. Whether you play in ASCII or Tiles you will not be disappointed with the look of the game. Cogmind makes excellent use of colors to help the player clearly identify friend from foe, and even distinguish difficult enemies from easy ones. The animations are also out of this world... pick up any explosive launcher and fire it to see a spectacular explosion of vibrant color, making large scale battles really amazing to see. Some animations even affect the UI, which I think looks absolutely awesome.

Sound Effects:
10/10. No other roguelike comes close to matching the quality of sound in Cogmind. Every weapon has a unique sound, most explosions have unique sounds, there are unique ambient sounds throught the levels... even the stationary machines make sounds! The sound effects really bring the game world alive, and add a level of immersion that I didn't realize I was missing with traditional roguelikes.

Story:
10/10. I really don't want to say much here (as cogmind is very spoilery and I'd hate to ruin that for anyone), but *wow* is the story good. There are secrets *everywhere*, so much lore to find, and all kinds of things that make you rethink what you think you know about the game. There's even a *huge* twist that most people will never know about... Only the truly dedicated will figure out who's pulling all the strings ;) I've already said too much, so please do yourself a favor and discover this stuff yourself.

Gameplay:
The last category, but also the most important category, is gameplay... and Cogmind excels here as well. There are so many different ways to play through Cogmind, mostly differentiated (but not entirely) by the different propulsion available to you throughout the game. Flight often means stealth (real stealth, btw, no fake mechanics... you stealth by actively avoiding enemies and staying out of their sight), whereas legs or treads often mean combat (guns and explosions, hurray!) Due to Cogmind's extensive use of item destruction, you are not stuck to any type of build throughout the game... rather, you'll find that your builds will evolve as you find things / lose parts. Item attrition is a major component of whether a run will be succesful or not, so it very important to plan carefully. "Do I enter a midgame branch and risk my current parts for the possibility of reward, or do I quickly run through main levels and risk becoming underpowered?" These are the types of questions you will ask yourself as you play. Without giving too much away, I can assure you that the game is exactly as challenging as you want it to be; play it safe and a normal Access win shouldn't be too difficult, but take on some branches / extended and the difficulty will ramp up fast.

I also want to mention that one of my favorite aspects of Cogmind is the ability to "comeback". Since you're characters power is largely determined by the items equipped, should you lose all those items it may seem like all hope is lost... but it's not! Cogmind can very easily run from most situations and rebuild from parts found around the complex, leading to some really spectacular comebacks. Just earlier on stream today I lost all of my flight propulsion to EM traps, and managed to rebuild just a bit later w/ some hover units I found, saving the day! This mechanic really makes for some dramatic and tense moments, which I find exhilarating.

Overall:
11/10. Cogmind is a Masterpiece. If all of that isn't enough to convince you to buy the game, then the final thing I will say is this... Kyzrati, the Developer, is an amazing person who has done wondeful things for the Roguelike community. Check out his blog (http://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/) or the subreddit's he moderates (roguelikes.reddit.com and roguelikedev.reddit.com) to see just how much of an impact he makes. The gaming industry needs more dev's like him, and that alone is worth supporting this amazing game in my book.

BUY THIS GAME. You will not regret it.

(PS: Want to talk with me, other Cogmind players, or Kyzrati himself? Come join us at the /r/roguelikes Discord server (the official Cogmind Discord server)! Here's a link: https://discord.gg/vJqpzbr

An amazing game from an amazing genre by an amazing developer, Cogmind really has it all. I started playing Cogmind back in Alpha 12, and over the course of about a year the game has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. There are just so many things Cogmind does right that it's hard to name them all in one place, but I'll do my best to touch on some of the best aspects of the game: UI: Cogmind has the best UI of any roguelike in existence. It's entirely mouse friendly (though can be played with only a keyboard as well), displays TONS of data transparently (so much that many people are overwhelmed at the sheer amount, though this can be turned off), and has popups for everything (if you have any questions about a UI element, simply hover your mouse over it and a popup will tell you all about it). The UI is so fantastic and innovative that it's hard to play other roguelikes after playing Cogmind. Art Style / Animation: 10/10. Whether you play in ASCII or Tiles you will not be disappointed with the look of the game. Cogmind makes excellent use of colors to help the player clearly identify friend from foe, and even distinguish difficult enemies from easy ones. The animations are also out of this world... pick up any explosive launcher and fire it to see a spectacular explosion of vibrant color, making large scale battles really amazing to see. Some animations even affect the UI, which I think looks absolutely awesome. Sound Effects: 10/10. No other roguelike comes close to matching the quality of sound in Cogmind. Every weapon has a unique sound, most explosions have unique sounds, there are unique ambient sounds throught the levels... even the stationary machines make sounds! The sound effects really bring the game world alive, and add a level of immersion that I didn't realize I was missing with traditional roguelikes. Story: 10/10. I really don't want to say much here (as cogmind is very spoilery and I'd hate to ruin that for anyone), but *wow* is the story good. There are secrets *everywhere*, so much lore to find, and all kinds of things that make you rethink what you think you know about the game. There's even a *huge* twist that most people will never know about... Only the truly dedicated will figure out who's pulling all the strings ;) I've already said too much, so please do yourself a favor and discover this stuff yourself. Gameplay: The last category, but also the most important category, is gameplay... and Cogmind excels here as well. There are so many different ways to play through Cogmind, mostly differentiated (but not entirely) by the different propulsion available to you throughout the game. Flight often means stealth (real stealth, btw, no fake mechanics... you stealth by actively avoiding enemies and staying out of their sight), whereas legs or treads often mean combat (guns and explosions, hurray!) Due to Cogmind's extensive use of item destruction, you are not stuck to any type of build throughout the game... rather, you'll find that your builds will evolve as you find things / lose parts. Item attrition is a major component of whether a run will be succesful or not, so it very important to plan carefully. "Do I enter a midgame branch and risk my current parts for the possibility of reward, or do I quickly run through main levels and risk becoming underpowered?" These are the types of questions you will ask yourself as you play. Without giving too much away, I can assure you that the game is exactly as challenging as you want it to be; play it safe and a normal Access win shouldn't be too difficult, but take on some branches / extended and the difficulty will ramp up fast. I also want to mention that one of my favorite aspects of Cogmind is the ability to "comeback". Since you're characters power is largely determined by the items equipped, should you lose all those items it may seem like all hope is lost... but it's not! Cogmind can very easily run from most situations and rebuild from parts found around the complex, leading to some really spectacular comebacks. Just earlier on stream today I lost all of my flight propulsion to EM traps, and managed to rebuild just a bit later w/ some hover units I found, saving the day! This mechanic really makes for some dramatic and tense moments, which I find exhilarating. Overall: 11/10. Cogmind is a Masterpiece. If all of that isn't enough to convince you to buy the game, then the final thing I will say is this... Kyzrati, the Developer, is an amazing person who has done wondeful things for the Roguelike community. Check out his blog (http://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/) or the subreddit's he moderates (roguelikes.reddit.com and roguelikedev.reddit.com) to see just how much of an impact he makes. The gaming industry needs more dev's like him, and that alone is worth supporting this amazing game in my book. BUY THIS GAME. You will not regret it. (PS: Want to talk with me, other Cogmind players, or Kyzrati himself? Come join us at the /r/roguelikes Discord server (the official Cogmind Discord server)! Here's a link: https://discord.gg/vJqpzbr