Deadlink proves how arena shooters can thrive with roguelike loops adding lasting replayability
As an arena shooter, Deadlink excels at providing fast paced and energetic gameplay. You take control of different combat shells with unique abilities and weapons that can blast through hordes of enemies. Whether you choose the standard soldier, stealthy hunter, or heavy hitting engineer, mowing down foes never gets old thanks to the crunchy gunplay and ability to zip around battle zones.
Each combat shell handles differently, encouraging experimentation to find your preferred playstyle. The soldier is well balanced but less exciting than other options. My personal favorite was the engineer - laying down suppressive turret fire while launching grenades never gets old. No matter the shell, every weapon packs a satisfying kick and enemies feel tactile to take down. Launching rockets at tanks or cloaking past foes to land headshots provides moment-to-moment thrills.
What elevates the gameplay further are the roguelike aspects that change each run. Implants added passive buffs or triggered extra effects when using abilities, keeping runs fresh as different combinations emerged. Finding rare implants that caused bullets to home in on enemies took matters to a whole new level. Upgrades also improved each shell, from boosting health to unlocking new mod slots for further customization.
Progression wasn't just about upgrades either. Several modes exist to test your skills. The campaign had set levels but placement of enemies and environments shifted subtly. Time attack and endless modes provided nearly infinite replay value to chase high scores. Bosses punctuated the action and learning attack patterns over repetition made for climactic showdowns.
Environments could feel a touch repetitive moving between rooms of the same stages, but presentations helps spiced things up. Neon soaked futuristic cities and industrial areas captured the cyberpunk tone beautifully. Enemies also varied from standard goons to hulking mechs or ninjas. Special effects like explosive barrels add interesting interactive destruction.
Perhaps most vital to Deadlink's success was how fluid and fast it played. Responsive controls let me fling across arenas effortlessly to evade threats or flank foes. A smooth framerate maintained intensity no matter the chaos on screen. Combined with a pounding bass-heavy soundtrack, every run felt like an adrenaline fueled ride.
Deadlink proves how arena shooters can thrive with roguelike loops adding lasting replayability. Its straightforward yet satisfying moment-to-moment action makes for an energy drink of a game that's hard to put down. While the visual fidelity may not match tripple A polish, Deadlink more than delivers fun gameplay that had me constantly coming back for more runs to the fast paced future. I highly recommend this game. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a promo copy provided by the publisher. Deadlink is available on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
