When I first saw Lynked: Banner of the Spark on the Nintendo Direct, I was immediately pulled in by the fact that it was a roguelike. No surprises there. While I was intrigued by the base-building aspects of the game, I know myself well enough to know that isn’t what’s going to keep me playing.
Fortunately, after some time with the game, I can confidently say that, much like the Eagles’ offense, while some things can be cleaned up, it still gets the job done.
LYNKED WASTES NO TIME GETTING YOU INTO THE FLOW
The game features both online and offline modes, which I’ll discuss later. But once you make your choice, you’re taken into the character creator. And I have to say, it’s pretty good.
I was able to create a fairly realistic version of myself to bring into the game. It was cool. The game’s art style gives off just enough of that whimsical, cartoon-like quality to ease up some of the a** whippings you’ll take later.
The story is that humans have significantly regressed in the wake of a rise of technology and AI (funny). You play as one of the last humans on the planet. And it’s time to try to rebuild.
Things then pick up with your character stuck in some underground prison where he meets Buddy. A robot who can attach himself to your arm at will. And almost immediately does so to help you escape.
It’s here that you are introduced to the game’s combat mechanics as you make your escape. You can press the ZR button to grab and pick up objects and some enemies with the hook he creates. You’ll also get a sword that you can use in battle and upgrade with various mods.
There are more weapons to discover, and I’ve got a couple of favorites. The combat takes some time to get used to, even at the lowest threat level for areas. Once you get a handle on the dodge mechanics and the sword itself, you can work yourself into a good rhythm.
Do you want visitors?
Lynked: Banner of the Spark is interesting in that it’s got some roguelike elements, but it’s also part-Animal Crossing. In between missions, you can return to your town and rebuild using resources gathered in your runs as well as characters you saved during specific missions.
The online portion of things allows you to get together with friends and visit each other’s towns. You can also play the game offline, and for now, at least, that seems to be the way to play.
The reason for that is that the load times in online mode are pretty long. And I’m playing the Nintendo Switch 2 version. One of the key things about roguelike play is that you’re expected to die, and therefore, you should be able to get right back at it fairly quickly.
However, when I die and my load time is around 15 seconds to get back to my town or just to the mission, it gets old after a while. But offline? Perfectly fine.
When you go into missions, you can change the threat level (difficulty) of each one. There’s also a pretty cool in-game touch. The higher the threat level, the different the areas look. At the highest, all of the environmental traps you can use to your advantage are destroyed.
It’s just you and your weapon. You can even use the mouse controls, and I was surprised at how well they worked. As a bonus, you can switch in real time: just hit the options menu and select it.
Lynked is a pretty good time
Overall, Lynked: Banner of the Spark is an excellent game and an interesting combination of two genres. The city building aspects are cool and, of course, better with other people. But the moment-to-moment gameplay is the thing that will keep you around.
It doesn’t always play like a straight-up roguelike, at times feeling more like a dungeon crawler. But it’s an engaging gameplay loop that presents its own challenges.
Verdict: highly recommended
Lynked: Banner of the Spark is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.
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