The Spartan story unfolds through the course of 12 maps filled with winding paths and roaming monsters. It is possible to head straight for the objective – usually a boss – and complete the stage, but each map holds numerous items for use in battle, beasts for your repertoire, and additional experience points for clearing everything. The latter reward is oddly self-defeating. By the time I reached the second map, my beasts outclassed every opponent by at least five levels. By the fourth map, the disparity reached eight levels with no signs of stopping. I had learned the intricacies of combat, to the point of one-shotting opponents, and was coasting on auto-pilot.

The unlockable mode, Challenger’s Door, pits one of your beasts against waves of opponents. It also suffers the consequences of Idle Twisting, but provides more evenly matched skirmishes, which is exactly what Gyromancer needed from the outset. Gyromancer has its heart in the right place. The unique abilities of beasts add an enjoyable twist to a familiar game, but efforts to innovate are nearly thwarted by a single mechanic that is often more punishing than challenging.