When it comes to turn-based RPGs, the market is packed with options. Apocalypse Run! attempts to make its mark by incorporating humour within the dialogue, characters and scenarios. Unlike other games belonging to this particular genre, it won’t take you hundreds of hours to complete. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of content to enjoy. Although Apocalypse Run! is still in Early Access, there are three chapters to work through which all have an element of replayability. Actually, we recommend replaying the first Chapter a handful of times to unlock more upgrades. Most importantly, this title focuses on fun, feeling reminiscent of the classic Oregon Trail, with satisfying vehicle combat, crafting, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Note: This review is based on Chapter 1 of Apocalypse Run!
Before embarking on your holiday of a lifetime, you need to create a party of four members. After two-weeks in layover hell, these characters find themselves in an abandoned Atlanta airport, oblivious that an Apocalypse has taken over America. Portland is the only safe zone left in the country, so that’s where you’re heading.
Welcome to the US of A
You begin by filling out a U.S Department of Forms and Surveys document and we all know how taxing government documents can be. As you create your characters, you’ll get to name them, choose the colour of their hair, clothing, skin and accessories. Options are limited, but more will become available as you unlock achievements. Also, each character will be questioned on their work history. Essentially, these are perks and in the beginning, you must assign each character two out of five perks. Each perk allows you to draw one or more card during certain challenges, apart from Mall Security which will see you deal 25% more melee damage. Once you’ve made it through even more admin, you can choose a basic car for your crew to travel in.
Once you exit the airport, you’ll be met by the Motorlord Dysentery, the new boss of the American highways. While the villain is threatening the lives of my characters, all they can think about is why on Earth he is wearing socks with sandals. As mentioned before, humour is present throughout and it’s done in a clever, quirky way that genuinely made me laugh. There’s plenty of dad jokes sprinkled in for good measure, plus a memorable joke about how a pair of aliens want to place a probe inside you, but we’ll leave that to the imagination.
Hitting the highway
When the game truly begins, you’re presented with a map of America, excluding Florida. As the story begins in Atlanta, it makes sense to leave Florida behind (or maybe the Florida man memes are still a thing in the apocalyptic era, so it’s best to avoid the state completely.) The UI is simple, showing your vehicles, characters and what resources you have. From here, you can also repair your vehicle when it gets damaged in combat, add to your perk collection as you progress and equip weapons.
The Motorlord Dysentery is hot on your heels as begins just six turns behind you. The only way is forward and as you move through various towns, you’ll be met with a range of events. Skill-checks are based on Poker and the harder the task, the harder the hand you’ll have to beat. When I made my first move, I was met with an abandoned firework stand and I chose to pay it a visit. Seemingly, I played Poker against a rattle snake to get an ammo crate and although I won the hand, ammo wasn’t any use to me since you don’t start the game with a weapon. This mechanic is certainly unique, but it means a large portion of your run is based on luck. More on that later.
The maps are randomly generated with events and battles. However, many events repeat in a single game. One example consists of a cat who has climbed to the top of a sign and another fellow feline is trying to get them down. I encountered this particular event three times in a single map and received the same items each time. The events you stumble across are witty and entertaining, but the novelty soon wears off when you’ve played through the same scenario a few times.
Battling in fours
On your travels, your party will face four enemy factions which are Aliens, Road Pirates, Punk Cops and Super Intelligent Pets. Little Rock, Arkansas is where I engaged in my first battle and it was against the Punk Cops. Before you begin, you’re shown how many resources are required and what Poker hand you need to beat in order to take on your foes.
By choosing to fight, your car will spawn in on the highway. Hit points appear above each vehicle and the vehicle with the most health takes the first turn. I like how you can move your vehicle in any direction and using your cursor on the grid shows you how many moves it’ll take to get to your desired part of the road. The grid layout is basic, but effective as you can see the precise moves you’re making. Since I still had no weapons at this point, my only option was to ram the Punk Cops off the road.
When I did get my hands on a weapon, my favourite option early on was the Flare Gun due to the amount of damage it dealt upon impact. That’s not all, as the fire left behind continues to knock some hit points off your opponents into the next turn. Other weapons include a Mounted Spike attached to the front of your vehicle, Spud Guns, Flaming Guitars, and over 60 more options to add to your arsenal.
The combat feels polished overall and the AI respond well to your attacks. Simply put, it works like a Tetris battle as you need to weave in and out of various vehicles and take them out to claim the highway. Strategy is important here, especially since you don’t have to keep all four of your party members alive to make it to Portland. Therefore, you may opt to divide the group into separate vehicles and have a different weapon tied to each one.
The music accompanies the satisfying combat well, increasing the feeling of intensity during a battle. In the early game, the battles scattered across your roadtrip won’t be too difficult, but the most challenging task is avoiding the Motorlord Dysentery. Soon enough, the Motorlord Dysentery’s colossal vehicle caught up to me and I had no way to defend myself. I find that the boss catches up to you way too quickly and resources are scarce, so if you lose a Poker hand against him, death is guaranteed. I hope a tuning patch will roll out to address this, as I found myself caught by the Motorlord Dysentery all too often, even while playing on “Casual” difficulty.
Returning like nothing happened
When my party got obliterated to pieces by Motorlord Dysentery, we began back at the airport, but this time, the airport credits accumulated during the first playthrough were available to use. I purchased a fresh vehicle and made sure I locked in vehicle care to start my next run off with at least some resources on hand.
This is where I discovered crafting and once again, you need Lady Luck on your side. When two items can be combined, a hammer icon will appear on them in your inventory. Then, these items can be dragged and dropped together, but a roll of a dice will determine if you’re successful. The dice mini game is won by rolling a number that is under 50. I was unlucky in Poker, so I wasn’t expecting that to change going into a dice roll. Alas, I was correct, and I lost more dice rolls than I won, resulting in one of the two items I was trying to combine to be destroyed and removed from my inventory.
Finally, when I reached the safety of Portland, my crew (or at least what was left of it) was greeted by a scientist. From here, you can begin Chapter 2, but again, Chapter 1 should be played a few more times to bank yourself extra credits in order to make impactful upgrades.
Weirdly, I didn’t realise that turn-based vehicular combat with aliens and cats, outrageous outfits, along with an element of U.S geography, was the recipe for a fun and captivating Roguelite. As expected with these types of games, I died more times than I care to admit, but I certainly enjoyed doing so and learning each run.
Apocalypse Run!: Apocalypse Run! puts a clever spin on turn-based combat, incorporating humour and a huge amount of replayability. Although scenarios are entertaining and unique, they tend to be repetitive which is the game's biggest drawback. – Lauren Sayles
While you’re here, consider taking a look at more reviews:
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