tedcurran

I must be on a kick for hyper action roguelike shooters rn.

I just got Sektori and it’s giving me locked-in syndrome in the best way. I can just play one run after another indefinitely. It’s so immersive and satisfying like the best Housemarque games like Resogun and Returnal.

Also playing a lot of RoboQuest. That’s another one that I can just turn on and make two hours disappear. The pacing never lets up while the huge selection of fun weapons keeps me experimenting constantly.

I’m still grinding away on Nuclear Throne too. There’s something about the game loop that feels just right to pick up a quick game. I keep getting a little further each time.

I picked back up with Cult of the Lamb. I’m playing it on extreme accessibility settings because I don’t want to hassle too much with the cult management stuff or the combat – I just want to see where the story goes.

I just got Sektori and it’s gripped my mind completely. It’s developed by a former Housemarque dev and it shows – balls to the wall action, kaleidoscopic visuals, and excellent roguelike mechanics. Lots of play modes to choose from, lots of run variety.

I also gotta plug Denshattack for those who don’t know. The concept is crazy - Tony Hawk style skateboard tricks with railway trains on roller coaster tracks across Japan - but it’s absolute frenzied fun. I can’t describe it but if you watch a video of it you’ll know if it’s for you. It’s constantly full of surprises and the mechanical fundamentals of the game are just so refined and perfect.

Both of these games make me feel like they’re tuning my nervous system, sharpening my reflexes, and challenging me to make sense of a chaotic visual field. It turns out I really like that feeling, and it’s what made Returnal my #1 favorite game of all time.

Another like this that I’m getting into is RoboQuest. Fast fun fps roguelite with lots of guns, lots of action, and great comic book inspired graphics. This one is a bit older and can usually be found on sale but it’s a lot of fun.

A quieter, slower one (for after the three above have wrung out my brain) is Klei’s phenomenal Mark of the Ninja. It’s a tactical stealth game where you’re a ninja methodically clearing rooms of bad guys. Each room is a thinky puzzle of how to use your limited tools and abilities creatively to neutralize all the enemies and progress. Excellent art style and animation. Expect to try, fail, and try again - the game will patiently wait with you as you figure out how to gracefully ascend each level.

I recently discovered Shape Of Dreams and it’s a lot of fun solo, might be fun for you in co-op. Others you might look at:

• Sulfur
• Sworn
• Abyssus

I just started Have a Nice Death and it’s so instantly appealing! I love the action, the art, the story. It stands besides the best action roguelite platformers I’ve ever played like Dead Cells, Blazblue Entropy Effect X, Rogue Prince of Persia, and Astral Ascent.

I’ve been delving back through my backlog and checking out some roguelites that I wasn’t done with — or that weren’t done with me…

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• Children of Morta
• Inscryption
• Soulstone Survivors
• Atomicrops
• Nuclear Throne
• Pathogenic
• The Land Beneath Us
• Ember Knights