Cogmind is a very finely tuned dungeon crawler constructed with modern design sense on top of traditional elements of the genre.
It does an excellent job of maintaining a clear and consistent pace of gameplay throughout each individual run, largely due to its strict adherence to a carefully planned out design philosophy. There are very few extraneous features, keeping all of the mechanics learned by the player relevant to the gameplay. In terms of other comparable titles in the genre, Cogmind provides a medium-length experience with an emphasis on not spending the player's time on menial tasks. It also presents a distinct visual style with detailed ASCII artwork and animations (or, depending on the user configuration, sci-fi tiles). The plot of Cogmind is interesting, mainly distinct in the unique mechanisms players interact with it as they progress through the game; it takes a modular format where the player's overall gameplay choices result in different consequences towards the end of the game. The story requires active engagement from the player, and can be entirely avoided in a straightforward playthrough of the game. Some of most notable creative concepts introduced by Cogmind are a non-regenerating health ("corruption") system instead of a food clock, deterrents from clearing entire dungeon levels, and encompassing most of the character development within the item system (No "experience").
Overall, Cogmind stands out as the most expertly tuned and enjoyable dungeon-crawling roguelike title currently available.
(Most gameplay hours obtained outside of Steam)
Edit: After 4 years I finally beat this game.
It does an excellent job of maintaining a clear and consistent pace of gameplay throughout each individual run, largely due to its strict adherence to a carefully planned out design philosophy. There are very few extraneous features, keeping all of the mechanics learned by the player relevant to the gameplay. In terms of other comparable titles in the genre, Cogmind provides a medium-length experience with an emphasis on not spending the player's time on menial tasks. It also presents a distinct visual style with detailed ASCII artwork and animations (or, depending on the user configuration, sci-fi tiles). The plot of Cogmind is interesting, mainly distinct in the unique mechanisms players interact with it as they progress through the game; it takes a modular format where the player's overall gameplay choices result in different consequences towards the end of the game. The story requires active engagement from the player, and can be entirely avoided in a straightforward playthrough of the game. Some of most notable creative concepts introduced by Cogmind are a non-regenerating health ("corruption") system instead of a food clock, deterrents from clearing entire dungeon levels, and encompassing most of the character development within the item system (No "experience").
Overall, Cogmind stands out as the most expertly tuned and enjoyable dungeon-crawling roguelike title currently available.
(Most gameplay hours obtained outside of Steam)
Edit: After 4 years I finally beat this game.