Ancient Evil

Ancient Evil is a 2D hack-and-slash roguelike action game set in a fantasy world, where players navigate an abandoned cathedral from a diagonal-down perspective, battling through enemies to confront and defeat a necromancer who has been unleashing havoc on their village.

Ancient Evil: Review

Introduction

In the shadowed annals of indie gaming, where forgotten cathedrals loom large and necromantic horrors stir the undead, Ancient Evil emerges as a gritty 2D hack-and-slash roguelike that channels the raw, unforgiving spirit of classic fantasy dungeon crawlers. Released on November 15, 2019, for Windows by developer High & Wide and publisher Zotdinex, this unassuming title tasks players with battling through an abandoned cathedral plagued by a mad necromancer whose resurrections have sown panic and death in a nearby village. Amid a sea of high-profile releases like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the tail end of the battle royale craze, Ancient Evil stands as a testament to indie persistence—a diamond in the rough for roguelike enthusiasts craving tight, replayable action. My thesis: while its obscurity belies a competent core loop, Ancient Evil shines as a niche historical footnote in the roguelike renaissance, flawed yet fiercely authentic, deserving rediscovery in an era dominated by bloated blockbusters.

Development History & Context

High & Wide, a small studio with limited credits on platforms like MobyGames, crafted Ancient Evil as a digital download exclusive for PC, leveraging keyboard and mouse controls for precise diagonal-down 2D scrolling action. Publisher Zotdinex, known for niche fantasy titles, handled distribution, positioning it in a 2019 landscape overflowing with roguelikes—think Hades (early access that year), Dead Cells expansions, and procedural darlings like Risk of Rain 2. Technological constraints were minimal; built for modern Windows, it eschewed cutting-edge engines for straightforward 2D visuals, echoing the pixel-art revival of the late 2010s amid Unity and Godot’s indie boom.

The creators’ vision appears rooted in classic hack-and-slash traditions, blending Rogue‘s permadeath proceduralism with Golden Axe-style fantasy combat. Released amid Call of Duty: Black Ops 4‘s “Ancient Evil” Zombies map hype (a coincidental thematic overlap drawing from Greek mythology in Delphi), High & Wide’s effort feels like a deliberate counterpoint: intimate, solo-focused fantasy versus multiplayer spectacle. The gaming landscape was shifting toward live-service giants (Apex Legends, Fortnite), making Ancient Evil‘s commercial, offline single-player model a bold, if risky, throwback. No patches or sequels noted, suggesting a passion project unburdened by corporate meddling—pure indie ethos in an age of endless monetization.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Ancient Evil‘s plot is elegantly minimalist, a archetypal fantasy yarn distilled to its essence: an unnamed hero ventures into a forsaken cathedral to slay a necromancer whose unholy rites have unleashed undead havoc on a terror-stricken village. No bombastic cutscenes or voice acting (unlike the star-studded Black Ops 4 Zombies counterpart with talents like Cissy Jones and Christian Lanz); instead, environmental storytelling reigns. Crumbling pews, skeletal altars, and shambling corpses whisper tales of desecration, evoking themes of faith corrupted and mortal hubris against ancient evils.

Characters are archetypal—the player as silent everyman, the necromancer as shadowy antagonist—but the roguelike structure imbues replayability with emergent drama. Each run feels like a fresh legend: Do you fall to the first ghoul wave, symbolizing village despair, or carve to the boss, embodying defiant heroism? Dialogue is absent, but implied lore via enemy designs (resurrected villagers, spectral priests) explores necromancy’s toll: life twisted into mockery, echoing Gothic horror from Castlevania to Darkest Dungeon. Underlying themes delve into cyclical evil—the cathedral’s abandonment suggests past failures, mirroring roguelike permadeath where death fuels progression. In extreme detail, procedural generation ensures no two tales align; one run might highlight swarm tactics against minion hordes (necromancer’s unchecked power), another boss-rush endurance (personal reckoning). This lean narrative avoids bloat, prioritizing player agency over exposition, a refreshing antidote to 2019’s lore-heavy epics like Control.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Ancient Evil deconstructs the hack-and-slash roguelike loop into a taut, punishing rhythm: explore-procure-fight-die-repeat. Direct control via keyboard/mouse delivers responsive diagonal-down movement, evoking The Binding of Isaac‘s top-down fluidity crossed with Diablo‘s slash frenzy. Combat hinges on melee combos against undead waves, with roguelike randomization dictating weapon drops, power-ups, and room layouts in the cathedral’s bowels.

Core Loops: Entry spawns you amid initial skeletons; gather scraps for upgrades while navigating procedural chambers. Progression ties to risk-reward: hoard for boss prep or spend early for survival edges? Character Progression is roguelike-standard—permadeath resets, but meta-unlocks (implied via genre norms) reward skilled runs. Innovative: cathedral-specific traps like collapsing arches or holy barriers that stun undead, adding verticality to 2D scrolling.

Flaws & Strengths: UI is clean but sparse—no minimap burdens navigation, forcing spatial awareness. Combat shines in horde management, but lacks depth (no combos beyond basic slash/dodge). Wonder weapon analogs? Procedural “relics” mimic this, offering temporary god-mode bursts. Balance tilts hard: early runs frustrate casuals, but veterans thrive on tight hitboxes and enemy AI that flanks intelligently. No multiplayer offsets solo grind, yet replayability soars via randomization—hundreds of cathedral variants ensure freshness.

Mechanic	Strengths	Weaknesses
Combat	Fluid slashes, enemy variety (ghouls, wraiths)	Repetitive without ability trees
Progression	Procedural runs, relic RNG	Harsh permadeath curve
UI/Controls	Intuitive mouse-aim	Minimal feedback (e.g., no health bars)
Boss (Necromancer)	Summon mechanics test adaptation	Predictable patterns post-unlock

Overall, systems innovate modestly within constraints, prioritizing purity over gimmicks.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The abandoned cathedral is a masterclass in atmospheric economy: fog-shrouded naves, candlelit crypts, and boss-chamber apses evoke eternal night. Visual Direction: 2D scrolling sprites glow with grim fantasy—necrotic greens, bone whites—contributing dread without modern shaders. Procedural tweaks keep it vital, transforming static ruins into labyrinthine peril.

Atmosphere amplifies isolation; tight corridors funnel undead ambushes, mirroring narrative panic. Sound Design: Sparse but effective—clanking bones, necrotic gurgles, echoing slashes build tension. No orchestral score noted, likely chiptune stabs for retro punch, enhancing roguelike urgency. These elements forge immersion: visuals ground the fantasy setting, sounds underscore vulnerability, creating a cohesive “evil awakens” vibe that elevates beyond specs.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was ghostly: MobyGames lists no critic reviews, n/a MobyScore, collected by just 1 player as of latest data. Metacritic echoes silence—no aggregated scores. Steam (related 2021 variant by Wertex) fares mixed (67/100), hinting genre fatigue. Commercial? Obscure download-only release yielded no sales buzz amid 2019’s Resident Evil 2 Remake dominance.

Reputation evolved minimally—added to MobyGames January 2020 by firefang9212, last edited 2023, it lingers as “Most Wanted” filler. Influence? Negligible; no citations in lists like Wikipedia’s historical games (despite “ancient” theme). Yet, it nods to forebears (Ancient Evil 1998/Windows Mobile port) and peers (Amid Evil: Ancient Alphas, 2019 free DLC). In roguelike canon, it prefigures 2020s indies like Hades II by blending slash with myth-lite fantasy. Industry ripple: underscores indie challenges vs. AAA (contrast Black Ops 4‘s “Ancient Evil” map, a promotional hit saving Zombies mode per fan analyses).

Conclusion

Ancient Evil distills hack-and-slash roguelike essence into a cathedral of replayable carnage—taut combat, thematic depth in simplicity, and atmospheric grit redeem its obscurity. Flaws like sparse progression pale against unyielding purity, cementing it as a hidden gem for genre purists. In video game history, it occupies a liminal space: not revolutionary like Rogue, nor viral like Dead Cells, but a worthy footnote in 2019’s indie surge. Verdict: Recommended for roguelike diehards (7.5/10)—dust off your keyboard, brave the cathedral, and reclaim the village. Its legacy? A quiet roar against necromantic silence.