The Capybara Craze
It seems now, more than ever, capybaras have taken over popular culture. What was once a relatively obscure creature, now conjures up plenty of admiration for their cuteness. Like with any popular fad, a game adaptation was bound to come sooner rather than later, thankfully in the form of something actually playable for this scenario, titled Extremely Powerful Capybaras.
The title is no word of a lie, you will see many extremely powerful capybaras throughout your time with this game, yet what does it actually entail?
Extremely Powerful Capybaras Review falls into the genre of a roguelite or, more specifically, a bullet hell game; these are occupied by waves of enemies progressively increasing in not only quantity, but difficulty too. Your goal? Simply survive. This is achieved through a range of mechanics, yet not all equal in their aid.
Classes and Combat
The most beneficial of all could most reasonably be attributed to the four different classes; The Warrior, battle hardened, strong and bulky; The Assassin, speedy and attacks like the wind; The Druid, wields the power of nature; and The Bard, a harmonic capybara who uses music to defeat foes. They all certainly have a place within the capybara mythos, yet in my eyes there are certainly some that fall shorter than others.
Specifically, I noticed The Assassin and The Bard both suffered from pathetic primary attacks firing in certain directions, meaning you have to perform geometry to calculate a way to attack enemies (something not easily done in tense scenarios). As a result of this, I mostly opted for The Warrior; wielding a spear, attacks locked on and provided a sense of stability only furthered by upgrades.
Synergies and Surprises
Talking of upgrades, now is a great time to introduce the main gimmick of Extremely Powerful Capybaras Review to you. As you level up you are given a choice between four upgrades to add to your roster; these are between active, typically an attack such as two fists that appear in front of you, and passive, typically buffs to stats. There is definitely a limit to the uniqueness of each, yet more than enough to allow for some amount of replayability. If this wasn’t enough, you’re also blessed with three re-rolls per run to customise each build to your liking. How do you go about obtaining these?
It’s simple. You choose an arena to be dumped into, armed with nothing but the built-in weapon of your chosen class, defeating the endlessly spawning foes to obtain XP points. As your bar progresses, and eventually reaches the end, it will reset, in turn offering you an upgrade. These runs last for fifteen minutes – granted you can survive that long – resolved through a final boss battle.
Along the way, you’ll encounter pots encompassed by a circle that gradually progress as you stand in them. These reward you with an upgrade to your classes’ attack along with Capy-Coins to purchase permanent upgrades to abilities outside of runs. After these boss battles, a higher form of currency, Capy-Tokens will be awarded, allowing for class upgrades to become obtainable during gameplay.
The final, and arguably most substantial mechanic, is synergies. Once a corresponding ability is max level and you’ve broken all pots in the arena (five for both) you can unlock a synergy, completely changing your build, class and making you one behemoth of power. It’s clear that thought and depth have been placed behind the upgrade system of Extremely Powerful Capybaras, leaving room for mechanics that elevate and entertain, to flourish in the nature filled environments, with a few slip ups along the way.
The Flaw of Map Design
Speaking of these nature filled environments, one last aspect to ponder in quality, is the map design. Unfortunately, it’s an aspect I can’t sing much in the way of praises for, contributed to by a variety of reasons. Much like how maps are titled in-game as arenas, in a cruel twist of fate they end up playing like arenas too. This results in vast open spaces occupied more often than not by nothing, no sense of interaction with the environments leaving each arena just feeling like a reskin of one another, and finally, a killing of any replay value due to maps.
I understand a balance with elements contained in each map had to be found, due to the bullet hell nature of the game needing hundreds of foes on screen at once, yet I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the designs residing in Extremely Powerful Capybaras.
A Satisfying Shooter with Adorable Ambition
Thankfully, this isn’t one to shy away from rewards and collectibles. Using your currency and the fantastic in-game achievement system, items such as costumes, new perks and so much more are obtainable, leaving a real desire to collect the side content. Add to this a distinct, and downright adorable art style, and the cons are outweighed by what the title does offer.
Extremely Powerful Capybaras is not only a fun thing to say, but a fantastically fun thing to play too; a combat, and corresponding upgrade system, full to the brim with possibilities, merge with the sheer love poured into the title to create an experience, not without its flaws, yet so satisfyingly enjoyable.
Important Links
Zombies and Fish-Head Bipeds Stand No Chance – Extremely Powerful Capybaras is OUT NOW! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/zombies-and-fish-head-bipeds-stand-no-chance-extremely-powerful-capybaras-is-out-now/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/extremely-powerful-capybaras/9nmd5kjqk58m
