Jared Nelson of TouchArcade said that the game's concept was 'anything but boring', expressing his wish that the game was released on mobile platforms in the future. She stated that each playable character reinvented the game by drastically modifying the gameplay, saying that the game was 'richer and more engaging than plenty of full games' even before its city-building aspect had been added.

She criticized the game's actual combat as 'bland and repetitive', but also noted that 'it may feature the best inventory management system ever', making each pickup feel like a puzzle. Sorrel Kerr-Jung of Destructoid praised the game, calling it 'one of the most inventive deckbuilders' she had ever played. He noted his desire for backpacks in video games 'to be visible again'. He called the gameplay initially 'a bit awkward', but having a great deal of tactical opportunity once the player learned more about it. Robert Purchese of Eurogamer said he was 'impressed' by Backpack Hero, calling it 'very charming' with 'friendly pixelated characters'. It was initially created as a game jam game, but when its popularity drastically increased, he quit some of his jobs in order to work on it full-time. He cited the original Deus Ex and its grid-based inventory as an additional inspiration. Main developer Jasper Cole stated that the game drew inspiration from Slay the Spire, Into the Breach and XCOM. The game was funded on Kickstarter for US$223,893, out of a US$20,000 goal. Resources gathered in dungeons can be spent in a town on the overworld in order to upgrade buildings and unlock new characters.

The game features five different playable characters, each with different gameplay. Critics called the game satisfying even in its incomplete state.īackpack Hero's ' face of the game' and first playable hero is Purse, a rat. Ports for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, is in development.ĭescribed as an 'inventory management roguelike', its gameplay revolves around how well the player organizes their bag, which is based on a grid system in a similar manner as the briefcase from Resident Evil 4. The full version of the game was released in November 2023 for Steam and Nintendo Switch. Initially funded on Kickstarter, it was released for early access on August 15, 2022, for Windows, MacOS and SteamOS. Backpack Hero is a roguelike video game developed by Jaspel and published by Jaspel, IndieArk, and Different Tales.

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