Forests aren't born evil, you know. Their dislike of heroes can usually be traced back to one traumatic event. In this case, it was the arrival of an evil necromancer, who brought the forest with him courtesy of a magic crystal. Naturally, it's up to you to stop both necromancer and forest in Evil Forest, an action RPG platform game from SeethingSwarm.
Use the [arrow] keys for movement, and [A], [S], and [D] for attack, jump, and action respectively. On each level, your goal is to clear out all the monsters, at which point a portal to the next stage appears. There's loot to collect along the way, and you'll need to make sure your character is suitably powerful because in a game with permadeath, you can't risk going up against more powerful foes.
Wait, permadeath? Well, this isn't your typical action RPG, as the game borrows some key elements from roguelikes. Each of the 50 stages is randomly generated, and yes, should your character be overwhelmed by an enemy, you'll be starting the whole game again. With a boss every 10 levels, and few ways to regain health, there are plenty of ways even a wary player might find his character running low on hp. On the plus side, the short, randomized levels mean replayability is rarely a chore, and with plenty of loot to find and nods to games such as Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac throughout the game there's often something new to see on a second attempt.
While merging so many genres seems like overkill, Evil Forest comes together nicely to make for an enjoyable experience. Alone, none of the mechanics stand out as spectacular, and movement especially feels sluggish early on. But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and Evil Forest takes enough from each genre to appeal to fans without alienating players used to a different type of game. If you've ever wanted a faster paced roguelike, or hoped for an action RPG that favored skill and planning over grinding and unlimited respawns, Evil Forest is the perfect compromise.
Walkthrough Guide
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Evil Forest Strategy Guide
General Tips
Bosses appear on levels 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. The room immediately after is a treasure room with coins and chests in - but not necessarily a chance to heal, so be careful during boss battles and watch your health.
The best item to carry is the Rebirth. This is the only item that allows you to respawn if your character is killed. Like the other items, it's single use only, so you still shouldn't go rushing into battles.
Some of the later magic can attack all enemies on screen. Take this as soon as possible, as it's invaluable when your character has low health. Just hide away in a corner and fire the magic a couple of times to clear a level.
Shops appear every other 5th level (5, 15, etc). They contain three random items - but just aim to buy permanent status effects where possible, because they stack. Armor and weapons will show up frequently so don't worry about missing them if something better is on sale.
Most enemy attacks can be stopped or disabled by attacking them. If you're low on health, don't rush into a battle, just cover your back and attack as the enemies get to you.
Remember, you can equip as many companions and status effects as you like. You don't need to drop your current one to add a new one, unlike with weapons and armor.
Boss Guide
Swarm Mother
This is the most difficult boss in the game, despite being first, because of how awkward to hit it is and how little equipment you likely have.
You probably can't fly at this point, but if you do have the wings, they're a big advantage. Hover next to the nest and keep attacking.
Without the wings it's trickier. You'll need to divide your time between killing the swarms, and jumping from one of the platforms to attack the nest.
Big Spider
The biggest issue here is not being able to run. A character with high speed has a slight advantage here, but the boss isn't difficult once you understand the pattern.
This battle is a lot easier if you have the bug repellant power, because the minions will leave you alone.
Get rid of the smaller creatures when you can, but they keep respawning, so don't waste all your time on them. Minions on the outer edges of the screen on either side can be left alone entirely.
The boss will shoot at you if you're outside melee range, but if you get closer and attack he won't be able to retaliate. Jump to avoid his ranged attack.
Once you've hit the monster a few times, he'll leap in the air and land on the opposite side of the screen. Follow him across and repeat the above steps.
Louhri the Witch
Lourhi starts off as a rabbit. Attack it to see her true form.
As you fight, she will turn into various other monsters, which you'll need to beat before she returns. These are just copies of monsters you've already encountered, and are easy to deal with.
While in her true form, she can set herself on fire and divebomb you. This attack is easy to avoid, and even easier if you have any type of wings to use - she will never fly to the top of the screen.
Apep the Personification of Evil
Kill the bats first, to keep them out of your way. They won't respawn, so deal with them early to avoid costing yourself health when you need to jump.
Apep has two attacks, which are telegraphed in advance by his stance.
If he's close to the water, he'll fire a horizontal jet across the surface. You can jump or fly over this quite easily. Land by his face, or behind him, and attack.
If he's reaching up into the sky, his attack will be directed diagonally at the ground. Run or fly towards him, staying low, and you'll be able to deal plenty of damage without taking any in return.
You can attack Apep any time you get close enough to him, so when dodging his attacks, try to move forward.
Nukpana the Necromancer
As you fight, various monsters will show up to attack you. Hopefully you have magic that will deal with them all at once, but if not, they shouldn't take many hits to deal with. Better yet, by this point you may be strong enough to simply ignore the creatures he summons.
Nukpana has several lightning attacks he can use, but if you have a high defense it's better to keep attacking and not worry about where he's going to strike. If you are running low on health, most of his attacks are in a direct line horizontally or vertically, so just stay out of the way.
Don't bother attacking Nukpana himself -just attack the crystal.
Posted by: Ben
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June 20, 2012 3:48 PM