There are plenty of bullet hells out there, but none that you can team up with friends for a 1-4 roguelite battle against foes as a Capybara…until now! Extremely Powerful Capybaras is a frantic roguelite that was great for a few entertaining gaming sessions with friends, but did become a bit worn after a while, with a difficulty curve that seems to hit a few walls along the way. There are some intriguing combos of abilities that are able to be used to take down foes in droves, and the capybaras themselves are a highlight of the experience.
Cooperative Capys
You (and optionally your co-op buddies) can choose freely between playing as 4 classes, including Warrior, Bard, Druid, Assassin, and two additional classes that are unlocked after completing the first two levels a couple times. Each class has its own starting “weapon” ability that constantly fires off projectiles to take down enemies. I liked the variety of playstyles that are available with these classes, and each can be upgraded to enhance their inherent styles. Throughout each run of a level, you’re able to defeat enemies to level up and pick a projectile or passive ability at each level. You can then upgrade or add to that list of damaging abilities that are used to take out the growing number of creatures constantly emerging from the walls of the level, with a sole focus on slowly ambling towards your characters to inflict damage on you if they get close enough to attack. The abilities vary from shooting out boomerangs, fists, snakes, and other things from your body at an increasing rate and size, to passive boosts to your health, speed, and other stats. Strategically deciding which ones to choose, including some which depend on you choosing other specific abilities to pair with them, is a big part of if you succeed in surviving a run and getting to the boss at the end.
Each run starts as a timed run, in which at least one of your capybaras must survive until time runs out. You’re able to revive your partner capys by standing near them and defeating enemies, which is exciting and adds to the strategy. Sometimes you have to decide where to be when you’re on the brink of death, so that your buddies have a better chance to revive you. There are also enhancements that pop up around the level as you play and add to the need for traversing through the hordes of enemies. These moments of cooperative destruction on a path to the pickups, including experience orbs and health melons, was exhilarating, and a big part of what made the multiplayer feature of the game fun. We also enjoyed testing out different weapons and abilities, and we each decided on what we felt was the most advantageous for the group. You earn “Capy-coins” as you finish runs and grab pickups, which you can then use to permanently upgrade the abilities you can choose from, which provides an ever-increasing damage output from your player. I haven’t played a ton of cooperative bullet hell roguelites, but I can tell you I wish there were more.
Catching Your Eye
There are four levels in total, each with their own set of enemies and level design. It’s not like the levels were terribly complex in form, but they did each provide a nice change of pace in regards to how we had to navigate the various projectives and hazards each enemy set that emerged presented. The creatures had their own sprites and animations, most of them not too wild or mind-blowing, but they fit into the art style well. Sometimes I would lose track of which capybara I was during the wild and furious final minutes of a level, but overall we were all able to keep track of what was going on and what we should watch out for. The outfits each capybara is able to wear are fetching, and built on the class designations. However, each of these outfits costs a ton of capy-coins which are also used to upgrade pickups and abilities, so expect to look the same for a long time.
Can You Hear Me Now?
With bullet hells, it’s hard to judge sound too harshly, as there’s an expectation for absolute chaos in your ears. It’s no different here. The main thing you gain from listening to the sound effects is that yes, you still need to be running because things are coming for you. I do wish there was a more obvious sound that paired with when collectibles appeared around the map, as our group of players ended up having to rely solely on the visual indicators in the corners of the screen. The music is passable and I can’t complain about anything that was filling up that sense of hearing all games must account for.
In Conclusion
So what do you get with Extremely Powerful Capybaras? A nice little game that is easily enjoyable with friends, and features fully functioning remote play through Steam, so only one person needs to own the game for anyone else to join up. I always appreciate the inclusion of this feature. At only $5.99, it’s hard to complain too much, as long as there’s a functioning game here. There is, and it’s a fun time. It’s not going to revolutionize the gaming landscape, but it’s a good night with friends at least once or twice.
Extremely Powerful Capybaras is available on Steam. Thank you developers for a review code.
