Not every roguelite must shine because of a unique mechanic, an unexpected genre blend, or a never-seen-before theme. Sometimes a roguelite shines just because it is masterfully designed. I’m not saying that the other ones aren’t designed well; but this one... this one serves an experience like no other.

You choose one of several mutants and travel through different worlds in search of the legendary Nuclear Throne. You will face lots of enemies, encounter LOTS of different weapons and strategically choose mutations (upgrades to the character.) The combination of these variables creates unique runs and an overall challenge that will make you scream with anger and excitement each time you get killed.

It took me more than 90 hours on this game to beat the last form of the final boss yet. And you know what? In the hours following to that I managed to beat it once or twice more. I think that shows great design: the game invites you in a journey to reach true mastery, and once you lost enough and made its controls part of your muscle memory, everything starts to click.

I wrote this review eight years ago. Since then A LOT of roguelites have appeared. Nowadays I've seen people say Nuclear Throne is a bit vanilla, in lacking some sort of unique hook. I'd say the hook used to be the sheer number of weapons; but today that has become almost a staple of the genre. It's OK: even in a sea of roguelites, Nuclear Throne keeps offering a thrilling experience that's utterly enjoyable for the people who like ruthless fast-paced games where you'll die a lot before you manage to understand its flow.
The deeper you get, the more solemn it all becomes. And when you finally reach the throne, it has a great ominous vibe, like the calm before a storm. What a rush of adrenaline, truly.


Moreover, the music is just wonderful. The main theme is a thing of beauty: awesome raw desert vibes.

"Our lives are hard
Still we try"

nuclaer hrone

Nuclear Throne's the best entry I ever seen in the twin-stick roguelite shooter genre, and any time I spend a-jawin' further on it is time we could both be spending on playing it.