Sephiria is fast, clever, and ridiculously fun, with smooth combat and deep build crafting that make every trip beneath Bunnyville difficult to put down
I have said this before, and I will happily say it again: if a roguelite even remotely looks and plays like Enter the Gungeon, I have to try it. Sephiria immediately caught my attention for exactly that reason. After playing it on my ROG Xbox Ally X, though, it became much more than another game scratching that familiar itch. I really enjoyed this one.
The setup is simple. A terrible fate awaits Bunnyville, and you play as a brave bunny trying to prevent it. That means descending through dangerous floors, clearing arenas full of demons, collecting artifacts, and killing bosses before the kingdom is destroyed. The story gives the action enough purpose, but the real reason to keep going is how fantastic Sephiria feels to play.
The bunny is fast, responsive, and fun to control from the first room. Movement is smooth, attacks have a satisfying impact, and enemy patterns are readable even when an arena fills with threats. It creates that lovely roguelite rhythm where I am constantly moving, finding small openings, committing to attacks, and escaping just before an enemy punishes me. On a handheld, where even slight input issues can hurt a fast action game, Sephiria feels excellent.
Its weapons are not simple stat swaps either. The small sword is quick and aggressive, while the large sword is slower but delivers a much heavier hit. The staff gives you more reach and lets you parry and counter attacks. The katana can be used sheathed or unsheathed, and drawing it at the right moment can parry an attack before dealing huge damage.
Then there is the crossbow, which felt like Sephiria's unofficial easy mode. It lets you maintain distance and deal damage without as much danger. I completed an entire run with it fairly easily, while some close-range weapons are far more demanding. I do not see that as a major problem. It is useful for learning later areas, and the other weapons offer a more technical challenge.
Weapons also develop during a run. Anvils let you upgrade the one you have equipped, opening additional bonuses that can push its playstyle in a particular direction. Combined with the broader meta progression, which gradually unlocks more weapons, artifacts, and possibilities, Sephiria keeps giving me reasons to start another run and try something different.
The artifact system is its smartest idea. When you level up, you can gain artifacts and arrange them inside a grid-based inventory bag. Placement matters. Some artifacts boost the levels of neighboring items, while others only activate when placed in a specific row. Tablets can empower parts of the setup too, so organizing the bag becomes a small puzzle inside the larger action game.
At first, this system feels less exciting than it sounds. The initial artifact pool is small, and many early bonuses are things like a little more attack speed or evasion. Those numbers do not communicate their impact particularly well, and they rarely make a run feel transformed. I wish Sephiria had more immediately understandable, overpowered artifacts that clearly change how I play instead of relying so often on minor statistical increases.
There are some great examples of what I wanted more of. Certain artifacts automatically fire at enemies, while others set targets on fire. Once I unlocked more options through meta progression and learned how to stack effects properly, the entire system came alive. A carefully arranged bag can produce devastating results, and discovering a strong interaction makes me feel like I have broken the game in exactly the way a great roguelite should allow.
Sephiria does not reveal its full depth immediately. Early runs can seem straightforward, and the limited pool makes some choices feel unimportant. Stick with it, unlock more of the meta progression, and understand how its systems interact, and it becomes an entirely different experience. The low barrier to entry hides a surprisingly high ceiling for build crafting.
Sephiria's colorful pixel art looks lovely, and cute animal heroes carrying oversized weapons give it an appealing personality. The visuals also remain clean when fights get busy. Enemies and incoming attacks are easy to track, so defeats generally feel like my fault.
It also runs flawlessly on the ROG Xbox Ally X. Performance stayed smooth, the controls felt natural, and the game looks sharp on the handheld display. Its run-based structure is perfect for portable play, whether I have time for a quick attempt or end up losing an entire evening to one more run.
Sephiria supports online co-op for up to four players, including item trading and reviving fallen teammates. I played before release and did not get to try that mode, so I cannot judge its online performance. Still, the thought of four bunnies combining ridiculous builds and decimating arenas and bosses sounds like absolute chaos in the best possible way.
Sephiria starts well and only gets better. Its combat is wonderfully smooth, its weapons feel meaningfully different, and its inventory system adds real strategy to every build. I still want more dramatic artifacts and clearer feedback from the smaller stat boosts, but that complaint feels minor once the unlocks start piling up and a strong build clicks into place. This is a blast to play and easily one of the best roguelites I have played recently. I love it. Thanks for reading!
