Great adventures start somewhere, and that somewhere is here with snappy movements and gorgeous pixel art.
With 'pixel art roguelite' actually in it's title name on Steam, Everpath doesn't mince words on setting the scene before you dive in. As you pick your character, you're instantly dumped into a randomly generated map. Confusion ensues with a simple HUD adorning the outlying screen and your only option is to go--so go!
There are some great qualities about Everpath that really make it enjoyable. The personalities presented with each of the different characters and their classes is easy to drop yourself into. Think of it like a Streets of Rage or Gauntlet factor: they're simple, genderlocked and will never really deviate from their start state, yet you tend to gravitate toward one or another based solely on appearance. Each have their own unique way of playing that goes deeper than simply melee or ranged--upon choosing your hero, you can pick a starting trait that might curve your entire experience and how the character itself plays. At the high frequency that you die (we'll get to that in a second here), trying different combinations becomes encouraged, letting you have a taste of everything.
On to the dying bit! For me, Everpath was a testing game that kept me hooked, but really slapped me down constantly. Your character moves quite quickly around the screen, something that requires a bit of practise with a steep learning curve if you're not used to it. Of course, you'll eventually harness the baseline speed, but coupled with attacking and dodging, and well, you had better have some snappy fingers. It's a challenge that is indeed fun, but casually speaking, not the easiest of feats to perform. On average, I'd probably only make it in a few screens or keys before getting cornered into some sort of enemy ambush. Combat quickly turns into finding a rhythm and dodging can feel very bullet hell at times. Everything attacks differently, and for that I'll say bravo--a nice variety of difficult enemies to defeat will keep you on your toes, and really flex any skill you have.
You'll have coloured keys to open different doors, you'll have equipment to fiddle around with and perks to pick on your way. There's room for growth, but you know...
Honestly, with the amount of times I died, I'm truly not sure if Everpath is on rock hard, or I'm just a poor player. I think if you have Binding of Issac chops, then Everpath is one to keep tight on your radar. The pixel graphics are en pointe and often dazzle in the various resolutions and movement is extremely responsive and fair. There's nothing technically wrong with the way Everpath plays... but like I said: difficult.
Good luck on your journey, hero. You're going to need it.