It Is fun, but it gets old kind of quick due to lack of variety in terms of levels and enemies. If yo uplay through the game more than twice youll see what i mean BUT the implants keep it fresh a open up new ways for different playstyles. The hardest difficulty is nearly impossible without a select few vital upgrades and is a bit frustrating due to the changes in tankiness and movement speed of some enemies.

The weapon selection is really small in my opinion, at least for a rougelike. There are not any variants for base weapons, only upgrades.

The story is also kind of lacking and even after 100% the game I am not sure what is going on. The characters are okay, they are there mostly to chat and entertain you during the game.

TLDR if you like rougelikes and FPS games and are looking for something fresh and not too difficult I definitely recommend you check out the DEMO at least.

7/10

Very fun chaotic game. This isn't an objective review, as I found a specific way I enjoyed the game, but in general, I think the game is worth giving a try to see if it clicks with you.

Despite only having 4 levels with the same bosses, I don't feel the game gets boring and repetitive quickly because of how fast and dynamic the game feels. Of course, this also means it's not a game I could sink a lot more hours into, as I've already played the same game repeatedly and beat all the difficulties.

I actually never used the secondary weapon or bothered to break the c balls for all my playtime. The game is already fast and chaotic by nature, having to worry about ammo with the secondary and looking for c balls seemed more of a hindrance to me. This does mean I'm playing the game at half capacity since these 2 mechanics also activate your slotted implants, but at least I still get passives from them. If you think I didn't play the game properly, I wouldn't argue, as breaking the game is what I found most enjoyable.

I think this game is unbalanced when it comes to the higher difficulties, and the best way to beat them is by having a busted build as well. The last class, Juggernaut, is actually broken, and I think feels the best to play. His loadout with the shotgun that flings you back with its recoil and a rocket punch that flies you forward enables you to zoom around the arena quickly. This really fits the chaotic feel of the game and is actually viable for surviving. Most times I die with the other classes when I run out of dashes and I'm just left as a sitting duck taking a lot of shots.
His 2nd ability lets you tank damage for a short time, which can be extended with an upgrade. There's an implant in the game that makes you invulnerable for up to a few seconds. Slot this on your punch and use the tank ability to wait out your punch cd, and you're actually invincible throughout the whole run.
Hard and challenging games are fun, but I also think it's equally as fun if a game lets you be on the other side and play as an unbreakable machine. This really works for this game, as you still need to be able to build each run to attain that status.
I actually think it would be fun if the devs fully lean into this idea and have a 5th custom class that lets you mix and match the loadout of the existing classes.

As a roguelite, I don't think it does the best job, as each run still mostly feels the same. Its only saving grace is how great the game actually feels that you'd want to keep replaying the same thing anyway. There are persistent upgrades that aid you, but they don't actually mix up how you play. It's great that they don't feel necessary to beat the starting difficulty, but I also don't feel crazy about unlocking all of them.

I've seen some negative reviews comparing this game to roboquest, saying roboquest is superior. I'd argue the opposite. Roboquest still feels very slow when compared to this game. The pace of roboquest feels much more fitting for a campaign/open-world game, as I've mentioned in my review of it. Deadlink's fast pace lets you go in and out of each run pretty quickly, and that I feel is much more fitting for a roguelike. I don't get the feeling of "one more run" with roboquest because of how long each run could feel. Deadlink's chaotic nature, however, makes me hyped to go back in again and again. Of course, I know this is a subjective matter. Play which one fits your interests more.

This game would be a lot better if there were more stages to randomize your run, but I feel the length of each run is already perfect. More implants that change how you play would be a great addition too. It also has flaws, maybe the c balls should be breakable by shooting. The game already feels great to play, we just need more reason to play it.

Very nice game, but:
1. Movement is very slow
2. If you get to the second area, then die, you start from the first area
6/11