Rack N Ruin Review

Rack N Ruin tells the story of Rack, a maniacal demon wizard with a gleeful appetite for destruction, who will embark on a grand adventure across a world he aims to transform into a hellish nightmare. As the darkness takes over, Rack’s power will grow, and the champions of good will rise to face him

Rack N Ruin feels a bit like an homage to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past with a focus on shooting rather than swordplay. It is a top-down action adventure role-playing game (RPG) where players will need to explore various areas, attack enemies, find chests and unlock new spells and items.

Our little hero can either shoot from his wand or use his mighty sword to take down enemies. You can also target enemies to make things a bit easier because, at times, the screen can be overwhelmed with enemies, especially those little blobs that reproduce when you kill them. There’s also a decent variety of sub-weapons such as bombs and a floating eye that shoots pellets at enemies.

Killing enemies and smashing some boxes and pots will drop Souls. Souls are the game’s currency which has multiple purposes. The first one is obviously procuring items at the game’s various shops but also used to corrupt areas on your way to spread the darkness. Souls can also be used to purchase items from certain NPCs or upgrade your spells.

The first issue here is the map; as it is completely useless. Unless it’s for fast traveling to specific spots, if it’s to help you navigate through the various areas, it doesn’t help at all. The other nuisance here is that for example, if you are using bombs and run out, they will remain as the active item instead of automatically switching to the next sub-weapon available. It’s a bit frustrating as it can leave you open to damage if you try to use them and realize too late that you’re out.

The game also features some of the most annoying enemies such as disappearing magicians and rabbits. Yes rabbits, because they latch onto you and are tough to remove. Combat also feels a bit wonky and loose; especially long-range attacks. The first 30 minutes to an hour or so are quite frustrating due to the lack of clear guidance as to where to go and what to do.

The game looks great as a whole with a comic book-like aesthetic. The difference between the dark and light world is very much black and white and has unique color palettes. Character design is unique as a whole, although some enemies do look a bit like protagonist Rack for some reason. NPC villagers are stuff made from nightmares. Seriously. Dungeons are also very reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past’s dungeons. The soundtrack is a mystic soothing score that fits the atmosphere, but is also quite forgettable and sounds like a stock soundtrack.

If you’re looking to fill a The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past-like void for Xbox consoles, Rack N Ruin is the closest you’ll ever get right down similar-looking dungeons. However, don’t expect a near-perfect experience; a useless map and wonky long-range combat keep it from being an addictive experience. But don’t let that deter you. It’s a mildly enjoyable action RPG that will consume roughly 6 hours of your time.