Bound to the powerful Netherworld Lantern and granted the power to bridge worlds, players in this roguelike adventure venture into procedurally generated dungeon halls. They challenge former comrades to rid the land of demonic incursion, slaying, dying, and living again as they grow ever stronger with each attempt.
Netherworld Covenant is perhaps the closest thing to a true soulslike roguelike game I’ve seen so far. While the progression system is strictly roguelike, Netherworld Covenant captures the feeling of a Dark Souls game in both its grim worldbuilding and presentation, as well as its fast-paced, reflex-demanding combat mechanics. The game can easily make you feel punished or supremely powerful based on your build, playstyle, and mastery of its mechanics.
A plentiful array of movement mechanics compensates for Netherworld Covenant‘s lack of a block or parry system. Players can dodge, using a stamina system thankfully not drained by regular attacks. This lets you essentially save stamina for avoiding damage without worrying about your ability to deal damage. In addition, two other powers allow quick traversal of the field: your ghost summons and lantern ability.
Your lantern ability is essentially a dedicated second weapon, varying from bow to sword depending on your loadout. While it generally does less damage than your main weapon, enemies become vulnerable during certain attacks, prompting you to strike with your lantern ability. Depending on the ability, this can often dash you to an enemy and always significantly increases their stagger bar if used within the proper window. Your ghost summons are a pair of abilities executed by ghost companions, which leave a node on the map upon completion. You can quickly teleport back to this node. Though it took me a moment to grasp this mechanic, mastering your Ghost Step is critical for dodging powerful boss attacks, especially as the game ventures further into bullet hell territory later on.
Something you have to give Netherworld Covenant credit for is just how quickly the game moves. This is because the roguelike does not fall into the familiar genre trap of using inflated health bars to pad out fights. Your character deals just as much damage as anyone else, and generally dies just as quickly, too. This means combat moves very fast from room to room, but still requires a strategic approach to avoid being utterly crushed by demonic foes.
I quickly found myself growing attached to my greatsword in Netherworld Covenant, a weapon that deals extra damage and staggers harder on hit than its counterparts. I was thankful that other weapon drops, while having their own useful effects, generally stuck to the same playstyle as the starter versions. This allows you to upgrade your play without outright changing it over the course of the game. However, the overall weapon selection feels rather light in the game’s current early access state. You’re really only given a series of one-handed swords, with the main difference in their skillsets being their attack speed. Netherworld Covenant has the potential to create an incredibly diverse tree of weapons, each with its own unique playstyles and benefits. Until they do, however, I’ll stick with my delightfully weighty greatsword.
Very familiar to Dark Souls is how the game handles storytelling, gradually drip-feeding you bits and pieces about the world and its characters without ever giving too much at once. There’s an incredibly unique feeling in Netherworld Covenant that I only feel in FromSoft games: this nebulousness, like you don’t quite know where you are or what’s ahead, but that’s ok. It’s a fantastic feeling of loneliness that deepens the exploration and makes progress toward your faintly understood goal feel more impactful; it feels as if you only truly become aware of your quest as you complete it.
My biggest critique for Netherworld Covenant concerns the powerups found in each room. I feel each powerup does too much and nothing at the same time. They over-combine two effects to create a pickup that should be powerful in theory, but the effects often have very specific requirements to trigger an otherwise rather mediocre powerup. While the buffs can feel good, it often feels like you’re building the final pieces of your build first, something that can make early game exploration feel rather dull. The occasional incredibly useful powerup, such as a flat reduction to damage or an increase to health, can make you feel suddenly really strong. Otherwise, the experience of assembling your build in each run feels rather lackluster.
Netherworld Covenant is a game full of promise. Its compelling combat, evocative worldbuilding, and cleverly designed movement systems show a clear understanding of what makes both Soulslikes and roguelikes compelling. Though its weapon variety and power-up balance still need fleshing out, this early access title already has the bones of something truly special. With continued support and expansion, it could grow into a genre-defining experience.
Netherworld Covenant Pros:
- Fast-paced combat that rewards skill and build mastery
- Impressive worldbuilding reminiscent of Dark Souls
- Excellent pacing with no bloated health bars
- A strong thematic atmosphere and a sense of mystery
Netherworld Covenant Cons:
- Limited weapon variety in early access
- Power-ups often feel unimpactful or confusing
- Build crafting can feel backward or underwhelming
Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC Early Access review of Netherworld Covenant. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page!
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