Rune Raiders Review

Rune Raiders is a turn-based adventure title structured like a board game. While the gameplay mechanics are easy to pick up, don’t expect an easy ride as things get tough quickly.

At the start of Rune Raiders the player is given a token sum of money to recruit a team of up to five characters. Initially there are only three characters to pick from, but gradually more unlock until all 12 are available for selection.

Each character is worth more or less money depending on their stats so, for example, the dwarf is fairly inexpensive due to limited abilities, but the ninja costs twice as much due to a powerful sneak attack.

Each of the 15 levels are set out like a board game, with the objective being getting all the character icons from the bottom of the screen to the top.

Quite quickly the player will come across various enemies, and it’s here where the strategy comes into play. Some of your characters may be ranged fighters, some may rely on melee, while others will specialise in healing.

The player has to decide how to position everybody to launch the most efficient attack. Attacking is turn-based, so once the player’s characters have made their move the enemy will hit with a counter-attack. This back-and-forth exchange will continue until either the enemy is defeated, or the player is.

It’s a really interesting way of doing things, and while the first couple of levels are easy, from there onwards the player will really have to plan out their moves. Luckily the player can revive fallen characters, although this costs money.

There’s also a leveling system in place, with the player given the opportunity to increase their character stats in certain areas, such as armour, range, and strength.

Rune Raiders is a really addictive title. While the backgrounds suffer a bit from repetition, the challenging gameplay more than makes up for this as it’s a title that’s hard to put down. There's even a randomized survival mode to unlock, which adds longevity

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