KLETKA

KLETKA was among the longlist of online multiplayer horror videogames I have bought recently in an attempt to pry myself away from The Outlast Trials (as of this moment, I have 130 hours logged with my wife on that game).

I know I am not alone on this, but I am a picky guy when it comes to my online videogames, in the sense that I would much rather not be playing an online game. It’s a sad fact that the days of frequent local co-op experiences being released is in the rearview, which is why my wife and I have two 75 inch TVs side-by-side with each other so we can recapture the charms of the begotten era (and, frankly, it was one of the best ideas we ever had).

Thing is though, although it’s infinitely better being able to play everything with the missus, I still don’t really mesh with a lot of the current trends for horror multiplayers. I tried the Friday the 13th game and I really, really wanted to like Dead by Daylight, but, the reality is, I simply don’t like them at all. It sucks because I see Dead by Daylight and I become so envious of all the different horror characters that are involved. It’s so cool, but it isn’t for me.

What I am looking for, frankly, is a videogame I can play with my wife and tell the rest of the world to go touch grass (which is something I may need to do, given the six times I’ve seen the end credits of The Outlast Trials).

In a desperate attempting at finding what else is out there, my wife and I bought a lot of multiplayer horror games that I plan to review on Readers Digested shortly – Pacify, Underward, Phasmophobia, and KLETKA were the first of the batch. If it tells you anything, Kletka is the last one of the bunch I played and is also the one I’ve logged the most hours in, the one I’ve actually completed a full run of, and the first I will be talking to you about.

Let’s start off straightaway by saying that KLETKA is a bizarre videogame with charms that I feel won’t be able to be adequately done justice in the confines of a review.

In the game, you play as a convicted criminal sentenced to traverse an enormous tower aptly referred to as the Gigastructure. Although the videogame accurately calls itself a survival game, it is also, when it boils down to it, a rogue-like. You (and up to five other players) must band together and descend down the tower with each floor having a randomly generated map, filled with resources and tools to help you on your journey, as well as hazardous obstacles and nefarious foes who seek to stop you.

The gameplay loop is straightforward and satisfying. You step into an elevator, aptly named Kletka, a man-eating elevator that requires sustenance, be it from meat, fuel, or a jar of beer if you are in a pinch. As you step out of the elevator, each map is a little different. On a basic floor, your job is to search the area, looking for fuel cans, beer bottles, or anything else that may help you. Sometimes the floors will have unique characteristics, however. You have to monitor your terrain, being for certain not step on tripwires, mines, or other obstacles that will nickel and dime your health. You also have to strategize and apply resource management skills, deciding if a potential risk is worth the potential reward.

For example, the beer bottles you collect are used as a form of currency. The beer bottles can be used at shops or at vending machines that dispense large jars of alcohol. The cost of buying these jars of alcohol will increase the more times you buy them and they are a very helpful commodity in the game because they restore your health. However, if you don’t have the fuel to feed the elevator, you can feed KLETKA the beer to potentially bring yourself back from the brink.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic Soviet Russia, and the areas you find you find yourself traversing are dark, dilapidated, and varying, with KLETKA’s gameplay able to juggle actual intensity and an eerie mystery, while never forgetting to be outlandish and silly. The art style is minimalist and, what many would describe as low-budget or a retro art style, but it’s chalk full of personality, feeling like you found Minecraft’s creepy vodka-drinking cousin.

I ended up logging about 15 hours before I completed my first run of KLETKA (a feat that requires you to reach Level 100 on the Gigastructure), with the run lasting an hour and thirty minutes of gametime in itself. By the end, it’s a tricky videogame to recommend, but one that I absolutely do. After having played for fifteen hours, I don’t feel like my experience with the game is finished (I could see myself logging at least a few more playthroughs – experimenting with the different game modes and trying out the harder difficulties), but I can confidently say it is definitely one for the highlight reels for roguelikes that do something a little different.