Doomsday Hunters >> Game Review

A roguelite on steroids++

When you think roguelite/roguelike you might think, ’lots of things to unlock, maybe 50 to 100 and I am a happy gamer’. Doomsday Hunters (also on Nintendo Switch) takes this idea and runs with it, and runs with it and then runs with it again. 50+ hours into the game and I am still unlocking items, characters and game modes, with no end in sight. Playing it, grinding to unlock is not a chore and it has been a lot of fun the entire time.

Similar to a lot of other roguelite games, each level is divided into different islands (basically rooms similar to games like Binding of Isaac). When you reach an island you have to kill all the enemies on the island before you can progress to the next. Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland setting, the graphics are pixelated, cartoon-style and kid-friendly with no graphic, realistic violence. That said, the game is difficult, (very difficult if you are planning on getting through all the various unlocks) and I don’t think it would be suitable for anyone younger than a teenager as the various systems and interactions between the different weapons and powerups are quite complex and may be a bit too difficult for many younger kids to understand.

The complexity of the game makes it a lot of fun for more experienced gamers as juggling the various options to upgrade weapons with mods and character abilities with alien technologies, mutations, relics, mushrooms and other things you find along the way makes every playthrough quite different. The one flaw, in my opinion, is that the variety of the biomes (level terrain environments) could be increased and randomised a bit more, as they do get slightly repetitive 40+ hours into the game. That said, I am still finding new things to unlock and am still enjoying it 50+ hours later, so not a big issue. If you like roguelike/roguelite games then this is one of the most underrated, hidden gem games of the last ten years and definitely worth checking out, it’s pretty cheap as well.

Get it on Steam

Get it on Nintendo Store

THE GOOD…

• Many hours of gameplay at a low price
• Too many unlocks to list, incredibly unique
• Kid friendly, cartoon graphics
• Multiple characters & difficulty levels
• Replayable, unique, pixel roguelite everyone should play

THE NOT SO GOOD…

• Complex, difficult to get started
• Controls are complicated & require learning
• More level variety would be good
• Not much else really - it is quite good

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