Blog | Review
A good roguelike has to do something unique to stand out these days, and thankfully, Panta Rhei delivers by letting you control time. At first, it plays like a familiar action roguelike, with upgrades to core abilities and modifiers that add buffs or debuffs. Well – technically – it begins with a gorgeous cutscene that sets the stage for why you’re alone in the world.
In Panta Rhei, you play as Phi, a young guardian of time who’s found themself stranded in the Garden of Past after what’s essentially the end of the world. Though content to spend their days gardening, neglecting their true duty has thrown time into chaos, forcing Phi to venture out and try to save it.
That means taking on enemies and solving puzzles. While things begin familiarly, you soon unlock the power to manipulate time, and that changes everything. Some foes, for instance, can only be hurt while time is moving in reverse, pushing you to set up combos that land just as you start rewinding. It adds a clever twist to combat, forcing you to think both ahead and backwards if you want to come out on top.
The world shifts constantly as you explore, and every battle is life or death – Phi isn’t built to withstand much damage, and dragging out a fight too long will see your timeline drained away. It’s a harsh lesson at first, but once it clicks, Panta Rhei becomes a blast to play, with enough depth to keep you coming back for more, even if you keep dying.
Jason Coles
Jason likes to focus on roguelikes and co-op games; in a dream world he’d make a living writing about Dark Souls. As well as being a writer he also does personal training and accounting and can occasionally be seen on other people’s streams. Being a big fan of fluffy things means he has two cats, both of whom refuse to let him sleep, but at least they are cute.
