Warlocks vs Shadows

An awesome little bit of 4p co-op action that's reminiscent of Risk of Rain... only slightly shorter. When I bought this, I completely neglected PvP except for some menial tasks. It's a solid choice for some fun, FAST PACED story co-op though. It'll definitely scratch that itch. DO NOT attempt to play this solo since it's nowhere near as fun without the additional chaos. The large variety of characters all very pronounced strengths/weaknesses and have flashy moves. Lastly, the soundtrack is solid, though limited. I suggest buying this one on sale seeing as it's no longer supported.

Description
Warlocks vs Shadows is an action RPG/brawler game set in a fantasy world invaded by shadow monsters. Playing as an incredibly powerful Warlock and, by using magic skills and weapons, you fight through hordes of enemies. The game places great focus on co-op and versus play between players, where you can fight in 1-4 player DeathMatch or in teams of 1v1 or 2v2.
Review
It's different with Risk of Rain. This game has a faster pace while Risk of Rain is more tactical (and cruel). Currently, it's has short story, some annoying bugs, and some unbalanced characters but there is potential ofc.
Pros (+)
# Beautiful art and animation
# Ten characters with his/her own playstyle
# Levelling System
# Fast-paced gameplay
# Online Coop and Local Versus
# Cool boss battles
Cons (-)
# Still buggy
# No Online versus mode
# Unbalanced characters (some are too OP and some are under-powered)
# Unbalanced level design
# Short?
# No difficulty

When I first saw the game, I thought: "This looks awesome. What's the catch?"
When I first played the game, I thought: "I need to stop wasting my money."
Two minutes later, I thought: "This is even more awesome than it looked. I'm so happy I supported this game. I can't wait to see where it goes."
My only complaints are about usability.
1. You shouldn't have to choose a profile before being able to exit.
2. Please allow for gamepad customization.
Aside from the charmingly unconventional controls, this game has a very comfortable and innate feel. The videos and screenshots do it justice, but you really have to play it to believe it. It's not that expensive, so why not support cool indie developers?

As a playable character in this game, I only wish it had more levels because I had a lot of fun with it. I'm talking at least twice or three times as many levels, perhaps at the expense of less waves per level or something of the sort. And it is because I honestly think the game is awesome!
Thank you OML! Looking forward to see more of what you do!

Early Access Review
Well done! Very excited to see what the dev does with this game. 9/10 first look score.
Pros:
Ice Witch (character played) Seems well balanced! Hard to come by these days. Games that seem fairly balanced at least.
Enemies are very creative and are distinct. Enjoyed learning their traits and how to fight them.
Item upgrading is progressive and well paced.
Abilities were fun to level and combined nicely with each other AND with item ability procs.
Cons:
Being a grinder, I felt I should be able to return to previously visited levels. Not the case (yet?).
Certain elements of levels seemed unneccesary. I was able to sit in a corner if I felt like it, game didn't really force me to use/dodge elements of the environment.
Ability tooltips are a must.
Suggestions for the developer:
Interactive items on levels (explosive barrels, buttons that activate level things when YOU hit them, etc.)
Items that grant set bonuses
Jump height being a stat, make high jump accessible only areas
Secret cubbies on levels with chest/loot/health/etc.
Through this dev phase can we please new game+ toons or something >:O
There's always more things to suggest, but that's all I've got for now. I am glad I pre-purchased into this game, If you're on the fence on it and you can afford the $14, my vote would be to do it.
TL:DR - Worth donating to the cause, games got it goin' on.

Like risk of rain but seemingly more fast paced.
Pro's
Cool boss battles
Skills become stronger as you level them (and gain different effects/graphics)
Fast paced
Multiple characters , all with different skill mechanics
Con's (Early access!)
No tooltips, if you start with the pyromancer thats the tutorial you get, swap warlocks mid game you get NO tooltips for abilities and are on your own figuring it out
Only one healer in roster so far (Shaman)
Melee characters have it kinda rough
Few minor bugs (Early access, expected)

This retro hybrid of action RPG, brawler and platformer is definitely something of a surprising treat.
The premise seems almost too simple: Pick one of 10 (5 initial, 5 unloackable) Warlocks and fight through the various stages of each world, each featuring waves of increasingly numerous and diverse shadow enemies, with a boss on the final stage. Then repeat. Yet between the large number of playable Warlocks, ability advancement through leveling, and gear, this game offers a surprising complexity for such a simple concept, with a large variety of possible playstyles. And the co-op and deathmatch modes let you do it all with friends.
The game is not without flaws. Although the 16-bit style graphics are mostly well executed, some of the Warlock sprites are smaller and less distinct than others. The game also starts slowly, with meaty platforming mechanics only showing up in the 2nd world. Still, this is a hidden gem for fans of the genre(s) and definitely worth a look - or a listen, as the soundtrack is incredibly catchy too.
For more thoughts on this game, check out my full review at DecryptedGaming .