Synonymous with getting the player repeatedly killed, rougelikes are a vicious bunch. Often striding to deliver the ultimate challenge or aiming to extend longevity of the gameplay loop through varied repetition, these are the games for the thrill-seekers. Or at least they should be, as nowadays the genre has become mudded down to the point where “rougelike” tag plastered over Grizzly Lawnmower Simulatortm no longer raises an eyebrow. Victim of its own success, especially among indie games, the life-extending quality of repetition spiced-up through random elements lead to an abundance of titles which had rougelike aspects glued on as a last-ditch attempt to diversify otherwise overly simplistic gameplay. In an era of “open-world MMO FPS survival with rougelike dangly bits”, Dead Estate proudly sets out to focus on a single thing but do it really well. A commendable approach, which results in the best qualities of the genre being brought forth into the limelight.

Flee the mansion!
One explosive intro animation later, a character of your choice enters the titular estate with nothing but a gun in hand and the will to survive. In the very first room I was immediately struck by the game’s distinct visual style – every single area of the game is a square tilted at exact 45˚ angle, taking up roughly 2/3 of the screen, with remaining space dedicated to HUD elements. Despite oddly symmetrical interior design, the player’s character is able to both move and shoot within full 360˚ spectrum which creates a peculiar perspective that frankly takes a while to get used to.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3293227991
No better way to approach this hurdle, than to explore your surroundings. Dead Estate’s gameplay loop gets devilishly simple from there – kill monsters, loot treasure, upgrade your character at local shop, find a key, open the boss arena and ascend to the next level. Simple on paper that is, as getting to know Dead Estate is done through genre’s staple brand of trial and error – with a fair few “game over” screens worked in-between. This is also where this title’s most profound quality comes into play – it never gets tedious.

Grab your gun
Every level of the estate is randomly generated as the player enters, however the pool of blocks which may be used in its construction is relatively limited. Thus, a degree of familiarity with one’s surroundings comes fairly natural in Dead Estate, not that the knowledge of what’s likely to lay ahead makes it that much easier to deal with. Instead of the mansion itself, the game turns to multitude of characters and items the player may pick up along the way to spice up the gameplay loop. Would you pick Jeff? A bulky truck driver with a humble pistol but ability to take a punch. Or perhaps Jules, a nimble high-school dropout trading life for agility and shotgun is more up your alley? There is a character centred around every core mechanic of the game – melee, ranged, magic... or money. Each one of them gradually unlocked by the player.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3293229120
No matter where your chosen character’s strengths lay, their affinities may be turned on their heads depending on items you collect throughout the estate. With item count going well over 200, they include perks varying from humble stat boost, through randomly dropping an anvil into the room, up to turning your fists into damage-increasing cookies. Given there is no upper limit to the number of items a character may hold at a time (although “only” first 72 will be displayed, to put that into perspective) your mundane shotgun-wielding run may very well end with automated rocket launcher covering the room with radiation.

Deserving a separate mention are the weapons themselves. Every character has a dedicated primary one, often shaping their core mechanic. Still, there is over 60 secondary options to choose from. While some of the tools of the trade are ordinary (though no less effective) such as machine guns, swords or grenade launchers, Dead Estate’s laid-back approach reflects does not shy away from exotic pieces – such as squeaking toy bear, vacuum cleaner, trumpet or a sex gun (shooting six bullets a time, silly). Using some of them can be challenging or even straight-up dangerous but they certainly liven up the gameplay.

Perfectly balanced
This may be a skewered perspective of the genre’s veteran, however for me Dead Estate achieves a perfect balance between being extremely approachable and retaining a sufficient level of challenge to make the progress feel satisfying. Anticipating a lengthy learning period, I was quite astonished when instead I’ve beaten the game during my fifth run. Naturally, as it comes to the games such as these, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this title has to offer. Nonetheless, this small victory put a smile on my face and made me hungry for more. Luckily, there is a lot to unlock in Dead Estate and the game continuously drops breadcrumbs, pointing the player towards accessing further content – alternative levels, diverse new characters, “true” ending and more. No matter whether you are a novice or a master, whether you chose to play 10 or 100 hours, Dead Estate manages to deliver uniquely consistent sense of satisfaction throughout.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3293229529
Playing for the plot
It would be a travesty not to mention final ingredient contributing to the game’s fun factor – its light-hearted sense of humour. Yes, you may be running away from a monster-ridden mansion of murder but it doesn’t mean you need to take it too seriously. Dead Estate’s tone is set perfectly by its cinematic trailer, a highly recommended watch if you haven’t already. Be it absurd weapons, item descriptions, meme references, or stellar introduction cutscenes for each character – they all introduce a cosy mirth to the tone of the game, making it a charming proposition at the end of a long day.

Before anyone starts pointing out at a certain theme related to physique of the characters present in the game, Milkbar Lads chose to embrace the fan service, proudly displaying its selling points for all to see. Approach the matter at your own discretion, it does however declare a mature target audience.

Love at the second sight
I have to admit, the title of this review leaves little room for doubt as to what the final verdict will be, and for a good reason too. In my book Dead Estate’s overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam not only is well-earned, better yet, this game has effectively reignited my passion for the genre. I was first drawn in by The Binding of Isaac, now Dead Estate managed to relit the rougelike spark a decade later in a life of a now much busier gamer. I’ve consistently kept returning for a quick round or two for ever since. If indie games hold any water to you, this is the gem you might be looking for.