Being the baddie has always been more fun than the hero, whether it’s Dungeon Keeper, Overlord or Prototype. We can’t be the only ones to play Star Wars: Force Unleashed and be a tad disappointed when we couldn’t keep playing as Darth Vader, after acing the tutorial. Rack N Ruin knows this and has built an action-RPG where you play the coming apocalypse: a demonic wizard called Rack who is intent on enslaving everyone and everything. Rack N Ruin is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
The idea of a pocket-Diablo where heroes line up to take you down and you effectively play as the game’s boss, is a great one. Rack N Ruin is also trying a different approach in its combat, as Rack is not a melee fighter: he’s a specialist in telekinesis and magic, so you’re going to be playing Rack N Ruin as a sort-of bullet-hell shoot-em up, which side-steps our previous Diablo comparisons.
The combat seems hectic and deep, more than you’d expect from the admittedly crisp but simple graphics. There are 24 spells, items and contraptions to switch between, and 4 core elemental weapons to level up and master. 30 different enemies (read as ‘innocent heroes’) stand in the way of your utter domination, and there’s the expected roster of titanic bosses.
Your telekinesis also applies to the game world, as there’s a chunk of puzzles to get through in your adventures, and you’ll be sliding switches and moving blocks with your mind. 100 secrets can be found in the world of Galia, as Rack N Ruin likes to tuck treasures into the tiniest of nooks.
What impresses the most is how the environment changes based on your actions. As you conquer, the lovely, twee fairy-tale world becomes ruined and twisted. You can ransack and then ruin castles, or explore dungeons and then obliterate them. Even the people you find can have the souls sucked out of them. Noice.
Features include:
- Burn through hordes of foes with an arsenal of over 28 different spells, items, and abilities.
- Weave through complex bullet patterns while smiting titanic bosses and over 30 unique enemies.
- Explore an enchanted benevolent world, and then transform it into a nightmarish image of its former self.
- Ransack castles, pillage dungeons, escape eternal prisons, navigate gloomy caves, and awaken ancient evils.
- Meet a charming cast of townsfolk, and collect their souls to upgrade your weapons.
- Unravel devious puzzles, and scour the land for over 100 secrets.
- And of course, destroy the world.
It may not look spectacular, but Rack N Ruin has a lot of ideas and depth behind it, so it could pull a surprise or two. Find out in our review soon.
Rack N Ruin is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £10.74 from the Xbox Store. It’s also out on PS4, PS5, Switch and PC through Steam.
Game Description:
Join Rack on an epic adventure across a world filled with magic and wonder. Then watch in astonishment as Rack befouls, corrupts, slaughters, and brings about a general air of misfortune to everything and everyone he confronts. Chaos reigns in this top-down action adventure rpg that’s infused with the intensity of a classic shoot ’em up.