Before I write anything else, know that it would be a better investment of your time to just buy, install and start this one
the game.
Dear reader, know right now that I am someone who usually despises "fast shooters", except for a couple of exceptions (Doom). However, this game also belongs to my absolute favorite genre: the roguelike, and it is in that bush that the proverbial rabbit lies.
I'm mostly painfully average in shooters. I don't have enough dexterity, and the carpal tunnel is starting to roar
after 30 minutes. Deadzone, however, was worth the pain, because each run would reward me with a permanent upgrade system that would make each upcoming run a little easier.
The amount of upgrades, weapons and enemies is incredible, especially when you consider that the game is still not finished with new content and updates. Unlike similar larger or smaller projects, careful selection of upgrades can lead you to that "demi-god" status in several ways, where you start grinding through opponents like a flaming knife through paper.
There is as much room for "replayablity" as you want thanks to the roguelike element, and if you are average in FPS games like me, you can get an easy 30 hours of pure fun out of this game for a measly 20 euros. Gun-play is fluid and fun, enemies are not irritating "bullet-sponges", and the music and visuals are up to par. I would have liked a little more variety in the music itself, but what you can already hear is not bad at all. Not to mention, in my 7 hours of playing I didn't encounter a single bug, literally none.
All in all, this is a fantastic foundation for something long-lasting, and the game quickly rose to the top of my "unexpected surprises" list. The only thing left for us now is to hope that the studio will maintain continuity, because in the past they used to abruptly abandon projects that did not go well. And while that's clearly not the case with Deadzone at least not yet, it's worth noting because developers are getting greedier and lazier at the same time. We're watching you. Don't even think of abandoning this project.
This does not mean that there are no problems. Enemy AI is far from optimal at this point, enemies are
very bad at tracking your movements. The irony is that your character's movement is fantastic and they can be easily fooled
or take advantage of.
The game also has some pretty obvious AI art, which I sincerely hope they remove as soon as possible.
Between noticing AI music and art in absolutely everything, AI "filler" is becoming more and more prevalent in video games, and I honestly get annoyed at the slightest trace of it, even if the developers left a disclaimer that traces of AI exist.
I understand, this is not a big studio, some corners have to be cut, but if your colleagues 15-20 years ago could find a better solution, so can you. Amen. Well, let me shorten it too. Deadzone: Rogue is a great game, well worth your time and money, and a great opportunity for a smaller studio to make a serious mark in the industry and make a name for itself. Everything depends solely on how persistent they will be with this project and future ones.
And for goodness sake, just go to Fiverr and pay a real artist to make you good art. It's not expensive, not even close, and you're morally clean when your project goes public. Although the current moral consensus has apparently become: "Who cares".
Deadzone: Rogue is 11.08.2025. is officially out of early access and is available on Steam.
A copy of the game was provided by the development studio Prophecy Games for review purposes
