Sisyphus Paradox

Expectation: Barebones roguelike shmup Reality: Large variety of weapons and other equippables, lots of decisions on the map, cool stuff to do at shops, big variety in enemy design, challenging but not impossible levels I thought I'd check it out for a bit, I ended up playing for hours until my fingers hurt. I really appreciate it's not one of the 'punishing' bullet hells, but you can get hit a lot of times before you are in danger. A bullet maybe does 1% dmg, a collision does maybe 10%. So dying is more of a war of attrition (like Slay the Spire) rather than something that can happen at any minute (like in arcade shooters). Worth noting, there's a surprising amount of narrative (I personally skip but I appreciate it's there for players who like narrative. Highly recommended, even to players who aren't usually playing this genre. Can't wait to see what else is added while in EA.

Really fun and addictive arcade-ish space shooter with a rogue-like twist! The core gameplay has that nostalgic feel of some arcade space shooters I played when I was younger. Between the encounters, there is a "slay the spire"-esque tree navigation where you choose your fights, events, quests, merchants, etc. The rogue-like element is what makes me want to play again and again, to try out different weapon/ability combinations and manage to beat the end boss. Each time it feels like a new challenge, depending on what you get and choose to level up. I find the shooter part itself to be in a good balance between challenging but doable. The longer you play, you are able to understand the patterns and abilities of the 3 enemy factions and how to react to them, making it a satisfying play and learn cycle. One detail I personally love is that as you level up your weapons, they also gain visual/funtional changes as well at key levels (e.g +1 missile, explosion area, etc). I really like trying out different weapons each run and leveling them up, to see their different stages and manage to beat the loop with a weapon that proved overpowering while initially seemed uninteresting Extra points for... * Great and unique designs on the ships * Overarching story tying it all together (hoping to see more here!) * Many random events with their own narrative * Permanency system for player ships and option of difficulty scaling * Alternative ships that have their own unique gamestyle

I received this game on a giveaway and didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. The stages are bite sized which is great when you have to stop every now and then. There is a variety uf weapons, upgrades and special. The is also a side story which helps when you end a stage tired.

Very enjoyable space shooter with a variety of enemies, bosses, equippable items, random encounters & interesting storyline. The Chrono Crystals are a great idea: a kind of prestige system, which lets you choose permanent bonuses each time you start a new run. A definitely positive experience. Can't wait to unlock the second ship! Meanwhile, I will be doing my best to imagine him happy. :D

Do you remember back in the day, where you would boot up MAME and play your favorite side scrolling games where you would pilot a airplane or spaceship with hordes of enemies coming at you? This game recreates that nostagic feeling for me. Borrowing mechanics from roguelike games like FTL and Slay the spire, it offers a modern variation to the classic side scroller/bullet hell recipe. The music is catchy and the visuals are vibrant with very nice details on the big boss enemy ships. Gameplay-wise, as the game is in early access, I would like to see 2 improvements: - It is relatively difficult to identify that your ship has been hit, while also trying to focus on dodging the next wave of enemy fire. A visual or sound effect that "pops" out a bit more would help with this. - Auto-targetting weapons seem strictly better than forward firing. While on paper forward firing weapons have more DPS, the accuracy or "uptime" on auto-targetting weapons feels like it makes up for this and then some, increasing their overall "effective" DPS. If you like side scrollers I think the game is worth at least checking out the demo.

I've really liked the game so far. Hope the devs keep working on this. But there is enough game there already to keep me entertained for a while. It really feels retro, like old arcade games, but it is a roguelike. You don't die easily, but because you made many mistakes in a row.

Great Fast paced arcade style space combat with permanent progression elements, ship customization and Phasers. i hope i get photon torpedoes next. Also great synth-wave soundtrack I do need to get better at evading.

It is not flashy with great visuals, but it offers enough to entice you to go for a few runs. The game revolves around runs, and each run has three acts. Compared to most similar games, there’s a light story connecting everything together. Each act is random and includes numerous events such as battles, shops, and boss fights. Although there are three enemy groups, this is irrelevant because your purpose is to destroy everything that attempts to kill you. Dodging enemy bullets while holding down the fire button is the conventional way to accomplish this. The game makes this easier by allowing auto-fire, but this should be handled better. Instead of switching it on or off in the settings, now you have to toggle it when in combat. There are presently only two ships available, each with a different playstyle. The bio ship is simple because you only need to monitor your hull state. The second ship, which unlocks after you have made some progress with the first, requires a bit more work. Unlike the bio ship, which can shoot without any limitations, the second ship employs energy. Because it depletes when you take damage, you may not have enough to fire back. It recharges automatically, but each second counts. Regardless of your choice, you will progress through the run by selecting paths and events. Icons illustrate what to expect. When you complete an event, you will be rewarded with credits, fuel, and something called assets. This is simply another word for equipment. Assets can be weapons, passives, or specials. Specials are supplementary attacks. Although you can use them whenever you want, each use depletes some of your hull or energy. This can be risky if you are prone to spamming. As always, successful run depends on the right weapons. If you get lucky, you might find a perfect weapon you’ll never remove. My favorite is chain lightning that doesn’t require precise targeting and can quickly take out an entire squadron of smaller ships. A ship has two slots for each type of asset, so you have to make smart decision on what to equip. If you have enough credits, you can upgrade assets up to six times (or three in the case of epic equipment). Although extra assets can be stored in cargo for later use, space is limited with only three slots. If you truly do not need anything, you can sell it for a few resources. The Armory in the main menu displays all assets. The majority of it is locked and only becomes available after reaching a specific level or traveling a given distance. Distance accumulates, and if you go on enough runs, you will be able to obtain those items rather quickly. Fuel is something you usually don’t need to worry about. ach jump to the next event consumes some fuel, which you recover after battles. You may run out of it if you choose too many non-combat events. In this scenario, you will lose the game. You also lose if your ship is destroyed. Some of your health is restored after each combat, but you can also use fuel for repairs or fix the ship in shops. Shops, by the way, offer upgrades and items at a discount, so it’s always a good idea to wait. Battles are messy, and it is nearly difficult to come out of them uninjured. Because combat is based on progress, failing to defeat enemies quickly can be a major concern. Enemy ships fly all over the place, firing bullets in unpredictable patterns that are hard to dodge. They will shoot at your location, but some enemies fire a whole salvo that leaves no openings. Spectacle is missing. Enemies look like 2D images moving around the screen without any animation, and they blow up in an ugly mess. Fortunately, battles don’t last long so you don’t have to spend a lot of time on them. Bosses are bigger units, and most of the time you can destroy individual parts, but they aren’t memorable. Since it’s hard to beat the entire game on your first run, you can buy permanent upgrades. This can be done with two types of crystals that are rewarded after each run. The further you travel, the more crystals you get. Unfortunately, the improvements are barely noticeable. First crystal is used on general upgrades such as damage reduction and more rewards after combat. Each upgrade raises by one percent, so the difference isn’t that huge. Also, each next upgrade costs more. The second crystal is used to improve specific ships. This also raises only by one percent with each upgrade.

Excellent side-scrolling shooter with classic roguelite replay value. An infectious mix of nostalgic shoot 'em up gameplay and classic graphical style, as well as more modern, updated elements in procedural map generation, unique encounters that modify your run in significant ways, and nuanced, compelling narrative. I really look forward to seeing the developers continue to support this delightful game.

Remember those old-school sidescrollers, shooters, with aliens and pewpew and stuff? This is it, but on drugs 😎. You got weapons, upgrades, snazzy storyline and procedurally generated maps, and from a startup indie developer too. Highly recommended 👾