Benggo

I still remember the first time I booted up Fortune Gems Jili, expecting just another casual gaming experience. What I discovered instead was a meticulously crafted roguelike that immediately reminded me why I fell in love with the genre through games like Hades. The setup is strikingly similar - you fight through four distinct zones in a single run, each culminating in an epic boss battle that will test everything you've learned up to that point. What makes Fortune Gems Jili stand out, in my opinion, is how it takes this proven formula and injects its own unique personality through the experimental buff system and progression mechanics.

After spending approximately 45 hours with the game across multiple playthroughs, I've come to appreciate the brilliant design of its randomly generated battle arenas. Each zone presents you with these beautifully chaotic combat spaces that feel fresh every time you enter them. The real strategic depth emerges after you clear a room, when you're presented with those three doors offering different rewards. I've developed my own preferences here - I typically prioritize experiments (their term for buffs) over currencies during the early stages of a run, especially those health upgrades that can make or survive longer runs. There's something incredibly satisfying about watching your character evolve from a relatively weak starting state into an absolute powerhouse through smart experiment selection.

The experiments themselves showcase some truly creative game design. One might add elemental damage to your primary weapon, while another could completely transform how your firearm functions. I'm particularly fond of the dodge augmentations that add damage-dealing effects - there's nothing quite like turning your defensive maneuvers into offensive opportunities. What's brilliant is how these buffs can be leveled up depending on which doors you choose, creating this beautiful risk-reward calculation that changes with every decision. I've noticed that my most successful runs typically involve stacking 5-6 complementary experiments and focusing on upgrading them rather than collecting too many different ones.

The progression system deserves special mention because it perfectly addresses one of my biggest complaints about roguelikes - the feeling that failed runs are wasted time. Fortune Gems Jili ensures that even unsuccessful attempts contribute to your overall progress through the currency system. I've calculated that even a run that only reaches the second zone typically yields around 120-150 gems that can be used to unlock permanent upgrades. This creates this wonderful psychological hook that keeps you coming back - "just one more run" becomes a legitimate strategy rather than mere procrastination.

What truly sets Fortune Gems Jili apart from similar games, in my view, is how it balances accessibility with depth. New players can enjoy the basic combat and progression while more experienced gamers can dive into the complex experiment combinations and strategic door selections. I've found that the sweet spot for really understanding the game's systems comes around the 15-hour mark, which might seem substantial but feels completely justified given the depth on offer. The boss designs deserve particular praise - each of the four zone guardians presents unique mechanics that force you to adapt your build and playstyle.

The visual and audio design complements the gameplay beautifully, though I do wish there was more environmental variety within each zone. After 30+ runs, the fourth zone's aesthetic started feeling somewhat repetitive to me. That minor complaint aside, the overall presentation is polished and immersive, with particle effects and sound design that make combat feel impactful and satisfying. The way experiments visually manifest on your character provides immediate feedback about your growing power, which is a subtle but crucial detail that many similar games overlook.

Having played through the game multiple times with different experiment combinations, I'm convinced that Fortune Gems Jili represents a significant evolution of the Hades formula rather than merely copying it. The developers have taken inspiration from what works and added their own innovations, particularly in how experiments interact and scale. My personal favorite build involves stacking movement-based damage effects with health regeneration - it turns you into this unstoppable whirlwind of destruction that feels incredibly empowering to play.

For anyone who enjoys action roguelikes, Fortune Gems Jili offers exactly what you're looking for - challenging combat, meaningful progression, and nearly infinite replayability. It respects your time while providing enough depth to keep you engaged for dozens of hours. The experiment system creates emergent gameplay moments that feel unique to each run, and the permanent progression ensures you're always moving forward even when individual runs end prematurely. After my extensive time with the game, I can confidently say it's transformed my expectations for what the genre can achieve on both mechanical and emotional levels.