Though it was made for this year’s 7-Day Roguelike Challenge, there’s very little roguelike DNA in DragonXVI’s Skyrogue, and that’s fine, because it’s a satisfying turn-based sneaking game instead. Across five (seemingly handmade) levels, you have to relieve a moving airship of its many glittering gems and gold nuggets, avoiding guards and their blasted sight lines as you go.
The fundamentals will be familiar to you: the enemy moves when you do, if you enter their sight lines they’ll begin to chase you, and if they reach you, well I presume you’re chucked in the brig, but the level restarts. You can hop around corners to lose them, or tactically manoeuvre them around, in this colourful and fluidly animated stealth game that feels like a puzzler thanks to its turn-based nature.
Where Skyrogue differs from most stealth games is the addition of a blink move—yep, like the one in Dishonored. Special green gems allow you to jump several steps in a direction, bypassing gaps or merely dodging the ever-present guards. There are some good levels here, but not really enough to make full use of the interesting blinking mechanic. Meanwhile, level 2 might have you quitting the game entirely, as it’s surprisingly difficult. My tip for that is to ignore the treasure, and focus on the key.
Still, there’s a lot to like about this chunky stealth game, from the novel airship setting (where it’s possible to sneak your way off the edge), to the enjoyable blink move that threatens to turn the game into a two-dimensional Dishonored.
For more great free experiences, check out our roundup of the best free PC games.