Death Kid

My copy was provided by the developer There are a couple of features that I think are a core element of any "arena-based" rogue-lite that are completely missing from this game, and ultimately this game feels like a DPS check, more than it offers any meaningful progression or challenge during gameplay, honestly it just feels very repetitive. Yes the animation is very nice, the timing on the abilities feels good, but most enemies don't even interact with you, and the few that do, better left ignored because they don't actually attack your cores. Now to be clear, I don't think that every rogue-lite should follow the same blueprint, but there are still some fundamentals that I think are very important to get right before you experiment with them. First very big problem, nothing is offered during the actual run, you don't build any synergy, you don't get any type of choice or any 'risk and reward' opportunities, so every run is the same. In the middle of the run you can use the hub upgrade once, which is permanent progression that is also available in the hub. The abilities that are offered in the hub are permanent power progression which is fine, although there is no progression in a sense that will add more actual variety to the run, you just get more tools. On that note, another subtle issue with the game is that using your basic combo is about as good as using most of the abilities, if not better. Personally I find that dashing and hitting enemies is more efficient than trying to recharge your energy and do special attacks, at least once you have a few damage upgrades. Another part of the game I didn't like is that the run experience felt very segmented, even though it's one continuous run, the game is essentially a DPS check, and you not going to have that DPS right away. Yes, I am aware that many rogue-lites do that thing where you are not meant to beat them right away, but in this game it was very obvious that the problem was not my effort, but I was just not doing enough damage, and it continuously felt that way, I am just 10% damage short of beating this stage, I am just 10% damage short from beating this stage. (it seems the dev reduced the difficulty a bit from the last time I played, but actually he also reduced it too much if you ask me) The game also has this weird idea that enemies can't kill you, most of them won't even fight you, and the enemies that do fight you are often better to leave alone, sometimes they help you with AOE, or just not worth the time to kill them. Basically you just fighting dummies that don't care about you, and even if they did, the best they can do is stun you. I don't know, I personally don't feel like it's a very exciting prospect. Lastly the game does not have a NG+, or difficulty modifiers, so you beat the first stale playthrough hoping it will add something else on the second run, and no, you are done with the game. [h1] Pros: [/h1] (+) The animation and the timing on the abilities was good, didn't have any big complaints with it (+) Had a few charming story beats [h1] Feedback: [/h1] [u] No choices or working toward synergy during the run [/u] - I honestly can't think of many rogue-lites that are good and don't have something happening during the run. If you look at games of someone like Anthony Case who mostly makes these arena type rogue-lites, what makes a good rogue-lite is a choice, luck factor, and risk vs reward elements, so you never know exactly what will happen, maybe you get super lucky, maybe the game forces you into a unique build, things like that. Some games will offer you something like every 20 seconds so you constantly modifying the run. In theory you could still do both, keep the HUB upgrades, but also add some temporary upgrades during the run, make sure you have at least a couple of synergy based builds and choices to upgrade, one or the other. The main problem with that is that you would have to rebalance the entire game around it. Now, if you wanted to make a Rogue-lite without building synergy or decision making, you probably should make a different type of game to begin with, something like Akane, more of an arcade experience and just focus on good mechanics, which you have in the game, you have good timing, but making a rogue-lite quarter of the way, it's just not going to work very well, at least in my opinion. [u] No NG+ [/u] - if there is a genre where people expect to play the game more than once, it's probably a rogue-lite. I assumed maybe you would add more variety during the second run, but no, it's just a linear experience that does not change. Which is fine if you maybe made a Zelda style game, a rogue-lite probably needs some replay value. [u] Run Segmentation [/u] - even though rogue-lites have that thing where they might gate you with the power creep, you don't want to feel like it's only gated by DPS. If you gave me a few damage upgrades I could finish this game on a first try, no experience needed, and that is the only thing keeping the player from beating it, not experience, not skill, just pure "you not doing enough damage when you start" And it's not a good game design. [u] Skills [/u] - I mean they look nice don't get me wrong, but honestly often not worth using. If you dash combo, it feels like you saving more time, and this game is very "priority" driven, so it's like, okay well, I have these skills, but mashing button kinda works better no? The spin-kick is a good example, that movement will lose you more clear speed than it gains because it might force you to close the distance again. It feels like I have to give the game keyboard/mouse input before it recognizes controller input, but then it works fine from that point. [b] Overall Thoughts: 5/10 [/b] Not my intent to discourage you, it's just that I am genuinely confused on why you trying to make a rogue-lite without most things that make them fun. Making sure the player is making some decisions or working toward some synergy during the run is just a basic and fundamental part of these games, if you don't have it, you better make sure you have something else that is equally fun, and frankly I am not sure what it is. You made nice animations, the movement feels good, in retrospect making a simple arcade game would have made a better game, but if you are making a rogue-lite, there is some expectation that the run itself will offer some variety, and not just bashing things. If you want to try it, you could add temporary upgrades on top of hub upgrades, and maybe rebalance the game for it, also maybe add new features with NG+ which is currently absent. Simple arena rogue-lites do work, we have seen many devs do it, but generally speaking, they offer some type of variety or choice making during the run. [code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

Video: https://youtu.be/dD9cAy106zk Pretty fun arcade beat 'em up of sorts with rather fantastic pixel art. The gameplay loop is pretty simple. You'll keep fighting through rooms(layers of hell basically) as you try to get things back to normal so things can die again. You gain experience, which can then be used for upgrades to your stats and skills. And, that's really the gist. The story is pretty light, but it's nicely done. You'll have a few story moments during your first few runs, and then a few more as time goes on while it leads up to the final story beat. But the combat is definitely where the game stands out. It gets better as you play with the upgrades and unlocks. This also brings my only real complaint. It's a bit of a grind. You never quite learn as much experience as you think you ought to, and that experience is required to gain the skills/stat upgrades you're going to need in order to really progress. Basically, there are times things don't go too well and it'll feel like you just spent anywhere from 2-10 minutes getting nowhere. But, I think that's the kind of thing you'd probably expect in a roguelike at this point in time. Do stuff, gain experience, get better. Some times things go well, sometimes less so. Overall it's a fun title that takes a couple of hours to get from the beginning to the end. I think it is time well spent.

Just beat the game Great game. Does what it says it do. Combat is good and very replay-able. Unexpectedly good narrative components for a roguelite. Very entertaining. minor gripes: - The roguelite reset is a bit one dimensional, but not bad. - The AOE combo that is (left click + left click + pause + left click) feels pretty rough and needs some getting used to. I feel like there could be an easier way to do it.

I like the game, especially its aesthetics - the pixel art and animations feel great. The music and narration add to the experience. I was eager to complete each new level. Amazing work for a first game.

Playthrough here: https://youtu.be/rTfUU2DT93M Game is a ton of fun combat feels great, it's challenging enough to keep you engaged in the game while being fair with power ups etc. The stories a nice addition and I love how the game rewards you with progressing further to make your runs faster instead of becoming a slog when you have to restart. Definitely worth playing.

Liking BDSM is one thing, but the amount of slaps I took during the tutorial alone should probably be discussed with a psychiatrist. God, I was crying while playing—not out of emotion, but because the cursor controls felt like I was taking a driving test… which, mind you, I’ve never passed for a reason. It’s fun… in theory. But every time I try to dash, I end up crashing like a flipped car. The graphics? Gorgeous. The music? A vibe. I’ll definitely come back to this game… once I stop having nightmares about the animation of entering the first floor.

Got the game a gift from a friend of the dev, not the dev himself. It truly is a polished experience. Looks and plays really good. Played on easy and had a blast for an hour and a half. If it seems like something up your alley you shouldn't hesitate just because there aren't many reviews.

[h1]SCORE: 7/10 (GREAT)[/h1] [b]Click here for a full in-depth review:[/b] [url=https://indiecritical.com/death-kid-review/]Written Review[/url] https://youtu.be/rz2-7zYblPA?si=w4plMVIR3MRRLlei [h2]Verdict[/h2] Death Kid may be short and stressful… but it’s a whole lot of fun! There’s no padding or fluff. When you lose, it’s on you. When you win, you know you earned it. There’s no pause. No breaks. Just you, your instincts, and three souls to protect! If that challenge speaks to you, I would highly recommend you to play the demo, and see for yourself. What the game sets out to do, it does perfectly! It’s still only a solo-developer effort (apart from music and sound effects), but with more work and budget, Death Kid definitely has the potential to be a big success! [hr][/hr] [h2]Positives[/h2] ✅ A fast, reactive roguelike where scond-to-second decisions matter. ✅ Core gameplay loop is brutally effective and endlessly replayable. ✅ Knockback system adds constant tactical control. ✅ Rage, stun, and energy mechanics bring great risk-reward tension. ✅ Smart albeit limited meta-progression that never overcomplicates the main game loop. ✅ Highly polished: responsive, slick animation, great music variety and amazing sound effects. ✅ Strong sense of clarity and fairness in the middle of chaos. [h2]Negatives[/h2] ❌ Content is really limited… only a few floors, enemies, and powerups. ❌ Could use more enemy variety and actual build diversity. ❌ No real long-term meta hook beyond a handful of unlocks. ❌ Short game length may limit appeal for long-term players.

Short but cool game. Very nice graphics and juicy music. When we see a game of this type, we usually prepare for a strong commitment - in this case one or two evenings are enough to finish. Unusual gameplay goal and fight system is good refreshment. Game is worth of try. Bombardino coccodrillo would play.

One of the most enjoyable arcade indie games of recent years. A solid and satisfying combat system with tons of combos and techniques. Quite difficult at first, but gets easier later in the game. You feel like you're getting stronger with each upgrade. Top pixel art and music. Cute main adversary and micro story. Good job Poland! : - ) One con - too easy in the late game, getting top 3% achievments felt like cheating after some of the upgrades. Much easier than mid game when you try to beat the game for the first time.