A trend mostly associated with the indie section of gaming it might be, every once in a while the roguelite craze finds itself migrating across the pond to that of more AAA frontiers. Be it an off-shoot, an additional mode, an add-on that follows the original release later down the line, on some occasions, the main focus of the game itself. In the latter case especially, ending up being one of the best exclusives of its respective platform that year. Most times you may chalk a roguelite inclusion to a game, at worst, a novel bit of side content, but at best, something so surprising the resulting question is why this wasn’t there to begin with.
It may have taken Ubisoft more than four years to grapple with the idea that maybe a roguelite spin on their still-active looter-shooterThe Division 2could prove a sufficient fit and though support for the game is now entering its fifth year, as that old saying goes: better late than never. Because as far from the most ground-breaking, original, or even left-field of turns from what players have come to expect from Ubisoft’s mix of cover-shooting and loot-grinding, Descent Mode as it’s been dubbed here, is a highly-moreish take on the series' well-worn and well-established template. While the idea of a roguelite having that incessant “one more go” pull may not sound all that surprising on the surface, the difference here is in how this new procedural, run-based mode shifts your focus away from simply brute-forcing one’s way to success. To rely solely on the numbers and nothing else – to have stats as high as possible for high as possible’s sake. Stripped of all your gear, your tools, your medical supplies and gadgets running on a cool-down alike, Descent Mode puts the focus back on those quick, tactile moves. Selected rooms serving less as mere shooting galleries and more like subtle, but deadly mazes to navigate.
The starting point for all this is relatively familiar to any and all who’ve even slightly dabbled in a roguelite effort or two. With nothing more than a pistol, the aim is to continuously clear as many rooms as possible – filling a meter as you do which upon reaching 100%, initiates a final encounter with a beefed-up foe dubbed the Nemesis. Players start with nothing more than a pistol and one of three randomly-chosen weapons, but after each room’s completion are granted not just currency – with which to spend on such things as additional inventory/perk slots or crucially refilling one’s ammo – but the ability to add a perk based on the base game’s three main defining attributes: attack, defense and skill. Die and everything you’ve obtained up to that point is lost; in many ways, Descendant Mode is more roguelike than roguelite in that unlocks are temporary and the danger of losing everything you’ve built up on that solitary run is never too far away.
Admittedly the pitch sounds sub-standard and you’d be excused for thinking Descent is little more than a Level 1 player, default stats and all, pitted against enemies pitched several levels higher. And yes, Descent Mode comes with foes of varying factions already equipped with their own tools and gadgets to further complicate matters. Made more perilous when you choose a room with a High Value Target in to take down – said enemies not only fully armor-equipped but ready to employ the exact same manic, dodge-rolling antics so as to get out of the way of your bullets. Providing of course you still have bullets to spare by that point.
But this is where Descent finds its ability to draw you in. Beyond just a reliance on the game’s primary shooting mechanics and RPG-like management of abilities on the side. Regardless of whether you like how the base game has handled this or not. The more emergent nature running through Descent Mode means things like cover-to-cover movement and more specifically, flanking one’s targets, become a greater focus. But as it’s been from the game’s original release in 2019, one of the highlights of The Division 2 was in its AI and how hostile forces would go about cleverly attempting to get an advantage over you. From as simple as pressing you and suppressing your position, to even taking higher ground and flanking the player themselves, enemies in The Division 2 – bullet-sponge they may seemed – weren’t simply standing around waiting to get shot. The moment-to-moment puzzle-like deduction of that ideal route forward is perhaps why Descent Mode manages to check both pivotal boxes when it comes to that ideal, fabled roguelite: not only is it tense and grueling in its seemingly-insurmountable task to attain victory, but it places emphasis back on having to use one’s wits, rather than simply brute-forcing it.
A personal highlight during a moment of frantic eye-shifting back and forth over how much ammo one had left in reserve. All while a handful of grunts and that deadly High Value Target prowled the area. There was as much time spent outside of combat, if not more, than there was in it. Making desperate sprints up and around an enemy’s position, getting the brief jump on an unsuspecting target, to then set off sprinting again – knowing full well an all-too-greedy attempt to incur more damage could mean death. And in a game that can often find players shrugging off incoming damage, Descent Mode flips those comforts on their head. Especially when you’re going in alone without the aid of co-op partners – the notion of flanking may have seemed secondary and optional before, but here it’s paramount. And this is without mentioning that upon later loops, environmental hazards like fire and toxic gas serve to block off parts of a room and accompanying routes alike. Putting players into an even tighter bottleneck of split-second decisions all while standing one’s ground.
Even the way Descent handles the idea of upgrades and perks to equip provides an interesting-enough switch-up. Something which starts even before a combat encounter is initiated, as you’re deciding which room to tackle. In Descent, challenges are divided based on difficulty: Easy, Medium or Hard. While there’s nothing stopping you from theoretically picking the lower-difficulty choice right away, what keeps things tempting is the fact the possible rewards – namely perks you can slot into your present build – are never properly revealed. Instead only ever telling you what category of perk is available, alongside the amount of currency offered and varying percentile increase to the Nemesis meter. The conundrum then becomes less about the difficulty employed and more often than not a trade-off between the class of perks potentially on offer. An easier room that only provides defense-class choices thereafter, or a harder one with attack, defense and utility perks all covered.
As someone having been absent from anything and everything Division-related for the good part of three-plus years, the newest addition in the form of Descent is not only a well-integrated roguelite spin on the well-worn gameplay loop, it’s a surprisingly-effective one at that. Not in the sense that what’s provided here is in anyway groundbreaking – the trappings of any competent loop-based, repeat-run session are all here. Rather, The Division 2’s Descent Mode puts aside the loot-grind and an emphasis on pure gunplay, instead pushing the importance of movement, patience but above all else, knowing full well that a new area of cover isn’t so much an option, but an inevitability one will have to utilize if they’re to survive. Even after ample basic mistakes and failed attempts, Descent Mode has me hooked; approaching its fifth year of support, The Division 2’s simple-yet-smart diving into the realm of roguelite behavior might be its most exciting new addition yet.
