It’s oddly comforting to see game demos pick up in popularity over the past couple of years over on Steam. I often find myself scrolling through whatever’s available at a given time, and that’s how I came acrossDeadzone: Rogue, a game that’s actually much better than it might seem.
More specifically, I do feel thatDeadzone: Roguelooks too generic and sterile for its own good, but its unexciting visual language actually hides something genuinely awesome and exciting. It’snot quite on the level ofSulfur, keep in mind, but few things are. The download is fairly small (just over 5 gigs in size), and the full demo actually comes with a fairly decent chunk of content. What you’re getting here is an unexpectedly dynamic and brutalSystem ShockandDOOMhybrid that’s unlikely to leave you disappointed.
Deadzone: Rogue demo is totally free, and genuinely fun, so give it a shot
I’ve already seena few interesting comparisons toSynthetik 2floating about, and though there’s some merit to those,Deadzone: Roguedefinitely leans more heavily towards the two games I mentioned above.
Visually, this demo is like a less gritty and interesting cousin to Nightdive’sSystem Shockremake. Gameplay-wise, it’s aRoguelikeDOOM 2016with less blood and gore. The screenshots really do not do this game justice, however, and though I’ll admit I was skepticalwhile the demo was downloading, actually sitting down and playing it made me a real believer.
The sheer smoothness of combat you get out ofDeadzone: Rogueis one of those things you have to see to believe. It is strikingly polished and satisfying, and though its arenas are about as uninspired as they get, the core gameplay loop is more than strong enough to keep you gunning down cyborgs for way longer than you expected to.
The curious bit is thatRogueis related to the developer Prophecy Games’ older “corridor extraction shooter” that actuallyissitting in Steam Early Access since July 2023:Starsiege: Deadzone. I can’t speak to that game’s quality due to not being interested in the concept at all, but the assets and the general gameplay mechanics have been streamlined and improved upon forRogue, and it all works quite well already.
Deadzone: Roguedoesn’t currently have a proper release date, and it is the kind of game that you’d expect to spend a few years in Early Access. I’ve seen no word as to whether that’ll be the case withDeadzone, but don’t be surprised if it is. Regardless of all of that, and setting aside the game’s uninspiring visual language, there’s something really special hiding underneath. If you’re even remotely interested in roguelites and high-octane FPS titles, do yourself a favor and giveDeadzone: Roguea shot. It is free, after all.
