P.A.M.E.L.A. Gameplay Preview – Brutally difficult survival rogue lite

P.A.M.E.L.A. is a brutally difficult survival, dungeon crawler rogue lite. The game really emphasizes the survival aspect as you have to maintain hydration and hunger meters despite the fact that food and drink are incredibly scarce. Not only that, every combat encounter is a threat as you may not do enough damage to survive even a single fight the first couple times you play the game.

The reality of almost everything being a threat really establishes an atmosphere where survival becomes the first priority. One hastily made mistake may cost you everything. It creates the feeling of desperation as you scrounge through the levels for resources you need to survive while trying your best to avoid the infected.

The game is set in a dystopian city where a seemingly perfect society has been infected with a terrible disease that basically turns them into zombies. The game does a fantastic job of creating a sense of tension and suspense with the level designs and the use of sound.

The game is brutally difficult and many of your first few hours of the game will be spent dying over and over again. Being a rogue lite, you do gain experiences points to carry over into a passive skill tree which will make the game slightly more easier. The key to succeed in this game is to memorize the locations of all the key places to progress the story, as well as all of the item spawning containers along the way so you can move along quickly to avoid draining out your hydration and hunger meters.

Some of the voice acting and written dialogue are mediocre while some of the flavor text for items are incredibly witty and charming. It wasn’t to the point where it would detract from the game but it did slightly lessen the sense of immersion in the game, personally speaking. The game also seems to run well most of the time but does seem to stutter in performance on lower end machines.

Overall, P.A.M.E.L.A. is a refreshingly brutal survival rogue lite that doesn’t hold your hand and is willing to let you die over and over again. This game probably isn’t for everyone due to the high learning curve and lack of direction for the player, but if you are up for a challenge, this game is definitely for you.