Nullscape is a platformer roguelite on Roblox. It involves collecting gifts and dodging various enemies in order to progress through the Nullscape, an eternal prison for the unfortunate immortal souls trapped within. It features some of the best platforming mechanics and enemy design I've personally seen on Roblox.

Gameplay

Nullscape is the kind of game that is hard to learn but easy to play. I'll give you a basic rundown.

Before you start a game, you first pick a class. Different classes offer unique platforming styles, like the default Diver which allows you to dive over a long distance, or the Charger that can charge through flame and fire. The game progresses through an endless amount of levels, and it gets harder to play as you get new enemies, debuffs and gear.

A level goes like this: you use your class' ability alongside movement gear to navigate around a labyrinth of pathways suspended over The Void, which kills anyone unlucky enough to slip off the path. You must collect all of the gifts, which are present shaped collectibles scattered across the landscape, in order to activate the beacon, a beam of light in the center of the map which serves as the exit of the level.

After the beacon is activated, all gifts will convert into Golden Gifts, the main currency in this game, and the level will begin to fragment and shatter until everything or everyone is gone. If at least one person goes into the light, everyone will be able to ascend into the next level; on the other hand, if everyone is dead, even if the beacon is open, the run is lost and the lobby is reset back to Level 1.

The enemies are the main highlight of the game. All enemies except one have the ability to instantly kill you, so you must pay lots of attention to them whilst traversing the broken landscape. On the way, you will also pick up curses which make the game harder by improving the lethality of enemies, adding extra hazards and obstacles and tweaking certain aspects of the game. Greater curses appear every 10 levels passed and cannot be rerolled. They offer much more deadly and serious harmful effects than the usual curse.

Along the way, you will also encounter shops which offer gear in exchange for the golden gifts you've collected. These gear have a variety of benefits, ranging from boosting golden gift gain to adding upon movement speed and jump height, to even allowing you to cheat death itself. Enemies, curses and upgrades are all gathered in the intermissions inbetween levels.

In addition to the neverending struggle of progressing through the Nullscape, in the later rounds, if you collect pylons - giant crystals suspended mid air that are activated by the presence of a player, you will slowly work your way towards meeting someone special: the Celestial. The Celestial is a flower shaped beast who lays dormant in the Nullscape until you awaken and anger them with your stubborn desire to continue persisting. If you somehow make it to Level 50, they will fight you whilst you collect gifts and attempt to prove your worthlessness. They are the current only (real) boss in game, and are extremely difficult to both encounter/unlock and defeat. Only the top players of this game have been able to have been able to conquer their trial.

Why I Like this Game

"Okay... but why should I care? I've seen thousands of roguelikes on Steam! What's so special about this one?"

First of all, Nullscape is hosted on Roblox, a platform notorious for hosting "low-quality" games. The fact that a game of this quality is Roblox proves that Roblox isn't a bad platform - rather, it's a platform with underdeveloped potential and a platform that's susceptible to abuse by both the corporation and the games industry.

But enough ranting: why is this game so amazing in the first place? Well, I believe that two things give this game the spice that I think all games need: smooth gameplay and meticulous sound design.

The platforming aspect of this game is executed incredibly well. Each class and upgrade offer a unique playstyle and experience that never gets old. The sheer velocity which you can travel in the later levels is invigorating! It also helps that the enemies stimulate your brain in the sense that you feel the urgency of collecting gifts and gingerly flying through the shattered landscape. However, the design of some enemies is quite questionable.

Meanwhile, an aspect of this game that is often overlooked is its sound design. It really breathes life into the deadly enemies and phenomena you encounter in the game. It provides either a sense of mystique and mysteriousness to some enemies or a sense of dread and menace to other more volatile ones. The sound cues of different are also very obvious and stand out from one another, whcih helps when your screen is filled to the brim with entities actively trying to murder you. Last but not least, the soundtrack is incredible and really gives you the motivation to keep going, especially in the later more fatigue-inducing rounds.

Most of Nullscape's soundtrack and sound design are done by Digital Descendant. Be sure to support them and their work!

My Favourite Enemies

Voidbreaker

"hey innocent Nullscaper, have you ever played the hit game DELTARUNE™ before?" -Fishmetal

Voidbreaker is an iconic late game enemy, known for it's extreme lethality. It takes the form of a menacing knight in black armor with violet, magenta and rose trim, holding a glowing sword. Every minute or so, it materializes and bounds itself to every player, hovering alongside them. It then summons a ring of swords around the player and fires the blades at them. The blades kill upon contact and cannot be dodged by going above or below. In order to dodge its swords, you must be moving away from the direction of the swords.

Cadence

Cadence is a late game enemy and is usually picked last. She is a massive, thundering clock which houses a dark, looming entity inside of it. Although she is not nearly as active as her peers, she is perhaps the deadliest enemy in the roster. When a level begins, she will spawn in the middle of the map and lay dormant. She slowly progresses through 4 distinct stages until she enrages. She will occassionally spawn instruments, which must be collected to push back its enragement and keep her at bay. If she ever enrages, the clock shatters as the entity within begins to chase and hunt down players until either an instrument is collected or everyone has died. Attempting to run from Cadence is infeasible.

Kolóna

Kolóna is a mid game enemy, which takes the form of a flame with a wreath and pillar behind it. Every minute or so, Kolóna will appear on the player's screen and show a number, usually between 8-15. It will then count up from 1 to that number. When that number gets counted, the player must use their ability. Otherwise, the player will die.

Oblivion

Oblivion is a greater curse and not an enemy, but I still want to talk about it. Every 2 minutes or so, the Convergence will begin. Purple haze surrounds the landscape, roaring wind breaks free and heavy rain rises from beneath. A bar on the left hand side of the screen is present during the Convergence which fills up with time spent directly above the void. If a player spends too much time without a platform beneath them and the bar fills all the way up, they will be obliterated.