Summonsters is a roguelike auto-battler game where you buy summons and combine artifacts to survive against oncoming enemies. Utilize summons that fight on your behalf to defeat bosses and elites. To ensure survival, strategically combine artifacts to forge powerful legendary artifacts.
The game introduces a novel twist on the auto-battler genre, casting players in the role of a summoner rather than a direct commander of units. Instead of controlling your units in combat, you purchase and combine various summons to create powerful teams that fight on your behalf. This innovative approach allows you to focus on strategic decision-making, making for an engaging and accessible experience.
At the core of the gameplay is the ability to combine summons of the same type to upgrade them to higher star ratings. These upgraded summons unlock unique special effects, which you must leverage to craft effective strategic combinations. With 21 distinct summon types, each with their own special abilities, the game offers a significant amount of depth and replayability as you experiment with different synergies.
In addition to summons, you can acquire and combine artifacts to create more powerful legendary artifacts. This artifact crafting system adds an extra layer of depth, as you must carefully consider the recipes and item combinations to maximize their effectiveness. With over 107 artifacts and 44 recipes to discover, the customization options are extensive, allowing you to tailor your loadouts to the challenges you face.
The game is designed as a roguelike, meaning that each run starts from the beginning, but you can carry over certain progression elements, such as unlocked summons and artifacts. This structure encourages experimentation and replayability, as you strive to overcome the various bosses and elites that appear throughout the game.
The difficulty ramps up gradually, requiring you to strategically manage your resources and summon combinations to survive against increasingly powerful enemies. Defeating bosses and elites can yield significant rewards in the form of gold and artifacts, further incentivizing you to engage with the game's challenging encounters.
Despite some initial criticisms, the vast majority of player reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Players praise the game's depth, replayability, and the satisfying feeling of crafting and optimizing their summon and artifact combinations. The developer's responsiveness to feedback and willingness to implement player suggestions has also been highlighted as a strength.