Brotato spent ten months in early access before its full 1.0 release last month, during which time it steadily rose to become one of the highest-rated roguelikes of all time on Steam.
You can think of Brotato as a cross between Vampire Survivors and The Binding of Isaac, with the main character being one of the most powerful potatoes in gaming. The premise is simple: in a top-down shooter, you play as the titular potato brother, whose spaceship falls into a magical planet.
The roguelike elements add to the game’s freeform character creation and modification. You can dramatically alter your playstyle thanks to the game’s several playable potato varieties and countless randomised products. Oh, and despite his lack of limbs, our potato sibling is able to carry no fewer than six weapons at any given moment. These range from traditional favourites like shotguns and wrenches to more out-there options like potato throwers and cactus clubs.
The learning curve for Brotato is steep, but runs rarely take more than 30 minutes and there are several availability options to help you along the way. Everyone should be able to get their hands on Brotato since the game’s auto-shooting toggle makes it play a lot like 2015’s breakout roguelike, Vampire Survivors.
Roguelike aficionados appear to have been won over by Brotato’s mash, fry, and simplify approach to enemies, as the game currently has an Overwhelming Positive rating based on more than 38,000 user reviews on Steam. However, developer Blobfish just added 5 new elites, 6 new characters, 7 new weapons, and 12 new difficulties to celebrate the game’s full release out of early access, indicating that the game still has sights set on improving upon its predecessor.
Where do I begin? When compared to the cost of a sack of potatoes, Brotato’s $3.99 (or equivalent in other currencies) price on Steam is a steal. As part of Steam’s summer sale, it’s currently discounted by 20%. Later this year, the game will also arrive on the Nintendo Switch, so alien-slaying potato enthusiasts should keep an eye out for a release date.
Check out some of the other 2023 and later indie games coming out for more.
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