As old-school console genres go, the platform shooter is one of the oldest out there. A little less intense and aggressive than the run-n-gun, whether there would be some puzzle elements or more straight-forward action, they were a bit of a mainstay. New to this last generation has been roguelikes, which have helped to transform known genre styles with some combination of procedural generation, randomized weapon and skill enhancements each run, and sometimes other elements like risk and reward. Rusty Rangers is actually one of the first indies I’ve played that has combined these two together, though perhaps not to the greatest overall effect.

Starting out, and probably for the first few runs, for the most part this will feel like a traditional platform shooter while you’re trying to get a grip on things. Sure, you’ll see the procedural level generation (which honestly, within the space, is pretty subtle overall), and your character will have one enhancement applied that can have an impact, but in most regards you’ll be busy getting the hang of the different enemies you’ll face, secondary attack options, and general patterns of everything. The challenge can probably be considered to be very present as well, though depending on what you’re working with the first boss can either be miserable or possibly not so bad to get through.

Once you’ve gotten some runs under your belt you’ll begin to start seeing more signs of playing a roguelike, with meta progression options beginning to kick in, new unlockable characters that manage to change things up a little, and getting to see the variety of enhancements you’ll get on your runs. You’ll also see a pretty steep climb in overall difficulty as you pass each of the stage bosses and progress further. Roguelikes being challenging isn’t so unusual, but the climb here does feel more steep than normal. 

In the end, it makes for a gameplay experience that I liked quite a bit, but I also can’t say I loved it. The elements are in place, and I like the fact that there aren’t all that many games with this mix out there that I’ve played, but there’s just something missing for me, making me absolutely want to continue to return. While this and Neon Abyss are pretty different games, I’ve returned to it more times than I can count over the years, loving its mix of challenge, variety, and unpredictability. This has some of that energy, but for me there’s not quite enough of it to help make it feel truly diverse and surprising. It’s still good for a consistent challenge, but I wish it were a little easier to get excited about.