DEADBOLT

In a literal criminal underworld, it's you against the world. In a rather novel twist on gang life and the undead mythos, you play as a single entity to push the recently unliving to the afterlife, though there are greater things at play. It's quick action, so all your moves matter...which can be unfortunate in a lot of settings.

As said before, you play as a reaper. Just a reaper, not the Grim Reaper, just a reaper. That said, for a reaper, you're frail and easily outnumbered. Guns are your scythe and souls, your harvest. While the game is intensely challenging, a lot of it can be chalked up to AI acting weird, damage being inconsistent, and overall crappy placement of enemies when you get into the heat of things, leading to many a restart.

A reaper that is guided by a strange flame and a lotta neat guns. Plus you have connections with Charon, which is pretty cool in its own right.

You usher the undead willing to pass on back to the living by planting .32 calibre bullets right between their eyes or eyesockets. There's a story, but a lot of it is hidden behind RNG drops of "cassettes" that you may never actually totally acquire without grinding levels. You earn souls for completing levels and earning achievements, which help get some of the cooler toys that Charon offers in exchange.

Honestly? I have to say, the gameplay was less fun, more frustrating. The challenge is real, sure, but a lot of the time it was trying to get the right conditions. Sometimes a bullet doesn't instant kill something upon a headshot. Sometimes you die within the same frame of going into a vent. Sometimes enemy placement is different than the last time things went down. Sometimes enemies will hear you shoot the lightbulb in the floor below, and sometimes they won't. A lot of the game is summed up in "Sometimes it happens". It becomes muuuuuuuuch worse near the end of the game. The ending really does nothing and leaves one unsatisfied with the plot but satisfied that the game is finally over. It's a shame, since the people who have played this game said good things. I only found this to be "Hotline Miami" with a different theme; Story wasn't entirely apparent and required some hunting/grinding in certain situations, gunplay is amazing but the AI change behaviors inconsistently, music is pretty great. No trippy colors though.

I recently started my foray into Hardmode, but I'm not really sure if I want to dive further into the game on a difficulty that'll most likely leave me saltier than brined shrimp.

Like I said, the music is pretty great and the pixel art is impressive. The animations are fluid and well done, despite being pixel art. Even the housings were given a really nice "decrepid" look. Even the backgrounds are amazing.

Gotta say, while it's beautifully done, I'd really advise against this game. If you enjoyed Hotline Miami, and really need that frustrating fix, get this game on sale. If not, avoid.

DEADBOLT In a literal criminal underworld, it's you against the world. In a rather novel twist on gang life and the undead mythos, you play as a single entity to push the recently unliving to the afterlife, though there are greater things at play. It's quick action, so all your moves matter...which can be unfortunate in a lot of settings. [h1]Abstract - [/h1] As said before, you play as a reaper. Just a reaper, not the Grim Reaper, just a reaper. That said, for a reaper, you're frail and easily outnumbered. Guns are your scythe and souls, your harvest. While the game is intensely challenging, a lot of it can be chalked up to AI acting weird, damage being inconsistent, and overall crappy placement of enemies when you get into the heat of things, leading to many a restart. [h1]Who you are - [/h1] A reaper that is guided by a strange flame and a lotta neat guns. Plus you have connections with Charon, which is pretty cool in its own right. [h1]What you do in game - [/h1] You usher the undead willing to pass on back to the living by planting .32 calibre bullets right between their eyes or eyesockets. There's a story, but a lot of it is hidden behind RNG drops of "cassettes" that you may never actually totally acquire without grinding levels. You earn souls for completing levels and earning achievements, which help get some of the cooler toys that Charon offers in exchange. [h1]Gameplay - [/h1] Honestly? I have to say, the gameplay was less fun, more frustrating. The challenge is real, sure, but a lot of the time it was trying to get the right conditions. Sometimes a bullet doesn't instant kill something upon a headshot. Sometimes you die within the same frame of going into a vent. Sometimes enemy placement is different than the last time things went down. Sometimes enemies will hear you shoot the lightbulb in the floor below, and sometimes they won't. A lot of the game is summed up in "Sometimes it happens". It becomes muuuuuuuuch worse near the end of the game. The ending really does nothing and leaves one unsatisfied with the plot but satisfied that the game is finally over. It's a shame, since the people who have played this game said good things. I only found this to be "Hotline Miami" with a different theme; Story wasn't entirely apparent and required some hunting/grinding in certain situations, gunplay is amazing but the AI change behaviors inconsistently, music is pretty great. No trippy colors though. I recently started my foray into Hardmode, but I'm not really sure if I want to dive further into the game on a difficulty that'll most likely leave me saltier than brined shrimp. [h1]Envionment - [/h1] Like I said, the music is pretty great and the pixel art is impressive. The animations are fluid and well done, despite being pixel art. Even the housings were given a really nice "decrepid" look. Even the backgrounds are amazing. [h1]Conclusion - [/h1] Gotta say, while it's beautifully done, I'd really advise against this game. If you enjoyed Hotline Miami, and really need that frustrating fix, get this game on sale. If not, avoid.