Serenade of the Sirens is a mermaid themed roguelite ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I am not entirely sure why I bought it, I guess I just wanted to be a part of that world. Since I did not read the store description, I was surprised to find roguelite mechanics in a swimming game. It has permadeath, procedurally generated levels, and randomized stores with 3 items. Aside from having all the basic elements of this genre, the game does not do anything new to stand out. That being said, the game is just barely decent enough for me not to refund it. At the very least I was able to remap my f310 controller, even though it did not work with the default set up.

There are 4 different areas for a total of 16 somewhat repetitive stages. Each area ends with a relatively easy boss fight. It's definitely not a hard game because I was able to beat it under 2 hours, so I would like to see some achievements. Based on the Early Access information, there will be one more area and more items. Unfortunately, the stage design is very generic. While the game keeps introducing new enemies, it does not have any stage mechanics to make the levels unique. When it comes to upgrades, it has enough for one playthrough, which is not exactly impressive. I like its simple pixel art and primitive soundtrack, although I would argue that it could be a lot better.


+ you can rebind controls
+ fair difficulty
+ randomized upgrades


- repetitive stages
- short game / could use achievements
- you have to buy the item to know what it does

Early Access State: (updated 25/Oct/2018)

I think this roguelite is slightly below average, even though I did not encounter any significant problems. Nevertheless, this game has all the basic features that I want to see in this genre, which is more than I can say for a few bigger titles. Serenade of the Sirens just barely dodged a negative review, considering it's kinda overpriced. If you enjoy niche games as I do, it's okay for one playthrough, unless the developer adds some achievements for replay value.

Just purchase the early access of this game, and will definitely keep tabs on the new updates. This is a very unique and challenging game that keeps you alert every step of the way! Appreciate you sharing the early access of this game with the steam community. Hope to see more games from you in the future.

Nice and short. Not very hard. Has a nice retro feel.