OIL AND WATER

NOITA offers destructive sorcery action in a fun, albeit messy roguelike package.

- Luke Winkie

During one Noita run, I purchased a spell modifier I didn’t fully understand. One of the core ideas in this roguelike is that you can alter your magic wands, becoming a true arcane master with clever min-maxing. But there’s no safety net if your experimentation goes awry, or if you’re not paying attention. When I next pointed my wand at a wall and clicked, a giant razorblade shot out, cranked a U-turn and ploughed into my wizard. Dead.

After doing my research, I believe the modifier I attached to that wand was called ‘boomerang’, and according to the greater Noita community, it’s pretty much useless unless paired with various healing spells. That’s the thing with Noita: even the power-ups are conspiring to kill you.