Either I am completely missing something or this is the hardest dungeon crawl of all time...
I agree. I've been playing roguelike games for 20 years, and whilst I'm addicted to Pixel Dungeons, Im getting really weary by just how mercilessly brutal the difficulty is. Im very grateful to the author for making it free though, my comment is more about improving the game balance rather than a criticism.
I have played nearly 100 times, and only 3 times have I made it to the Goo.
Mine wasn't quite that bad. I'd estimate I've played around 100 games too, got to the goo 5 times, and only today did I get past the goo.
My gripe is that getting past the goo requires an enormous amount of luck, with very little skill element coming into play. You need a wand of fire, or buffed armor and a decent weapon, and in 90% of runs the game simply doesn't give them to you, so goo death is inevitable.
All I can say is, run away from the goo when it looks like its going to explode. Also stand in water if you can, since if the goo does explode over you, I've heard it washes it off so you take smaller damage.
Once in a while you will find a room with a single use medicine chest in the center.
You should save this until you are starving and low on health, as it fixes appetite too (even if it means going down a level or two and coming back to visit it), although food is rarely the reason I die, its usually because the monsters have become too tough and I dont have good enough equipment
*Potions are basically useless since you have to drink them to find out what they do and I almost never see a second one of the same color.
*Scrolls are a little better since they are generally useful when you try them out.
They're worth drinking simply to identify them, and if you get a potion of strength or even a level up potion, then woopy doo.
Another tip for identifying potions is to always remember which potions you've picked up on the current level.
If you see a wooden blockade on that level, then you know one of the potions on this level is a fire potion (you need to throw the potion at it in order to progress).
For scrolls, make sure you are near water, so at least if its a scroll of fire you can douse it all before it burns the rest of your scrolls.
Dont read a scroll until you have at least one item which is unidentified. That way if its a scroll of identify you haven't wasted it.
I agree the first 4 levels are way too difficult though. The author seriously needs to give the player a break once in a while, even if it was once in 20 games you got a kickass weapon (and enough strength potions to actually use it), or an amulet of resurrection, it would keep things more interesting.
My advice is to stick with it. When you eventually get past the goo, you'll like the game a bit more as it starts to involve at least a bit of skill instead of 90% luck.
My one and only time I got past the goo tonight, I managed to get to level 10.
I went back to see the shopkeeper to get some food, and there was a thief running around the level.
He stole my heavily improved weapon, so I chased him into the shop and killed him, at which point he dropped my weapon in the shop.
When I tried to pick it up, it was considered a shopkeeper item, and the shopkeeper wanted 3200 gold for it :~(
After that it was all downhill
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