PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?
Play it. Deadlink is a sci-fi roguelite shooter that takes place in a futuristic world with robots, augmented humans, and greedy mega corporations. This visually stunning game perfects nearly everything a fast-paced roguelite shooter should be and adds its own spin on the genre with cyberpunk aesthetics.
TIME PLAYED
I played Deadlink for three hours. I defeated the first and second boss, as well as unlocked around ten permanent upgrades. I’ve attempted and failed over a dozen runs, with each one lasting anywhere between ten to twenty-plus minutes.
WHAT’S AWESOME
• Runnin’ and gunnin’. Very few roguelite shooters match Deadlink’s smooth, almost euphoric gameplay experience. Dashing across the battlefield and shooting robots left and right is super fun in and of itself but only because the game is near-flawless. Everything from movement to aesthetic and combat are all well-thought-out and masterfully made to create an addictive fast-paced shooting experience.
• Loadout customization. Deadlink adds its own roguelite touch to combat by featuring weapon modifications and enhancements throughout each run, as well as upgrades I could acquire permanently in the customization menu. Experimenting with these augments kept combat fresh.
• Adaptive dialogue. Every time I died to a boss, I got embarrassingly reminded by other characters how much I suck. The opposite interaction applied when I bested strong opponents or passed a level. This adaptive dialogue brought the game to life and got me pumped up about killing robots.
• Dynamic movement. It’s partially thanks to Deadlink’s frictionless animations and dynamic movement that combat feels so thrilling. Whether it’s jumping across an open area, dashing toward safety, or even just running, movement feels very natural and smooth.
• Auto-targeting your enemies. Deadlink’s auto-target feature for abilities and grenades made it easier to land hits. This gave me a better chance overall to survive the seemingly endless waves of enemies that threatened me.
• A futuristic, cyberpunk style. Every environment in Deadlink glistens with neon lights and flashy billboards—and the characters all look sick and technologically decked-out.
WHAT SUCKS
• Lack of balance. There are a lot of ways to play in Deadlink—and although that means there’s a wider variety of playstyles for me to enjoy, it also results in some weapons or modifications being a little overpowered or useless. For example, the rocket launcher is one of the worst weapons in Deadlink because it damages the user if they’re caught near the blast radius, which works terribly with the game’s tight-spaced room designs.
💬 Will you play Deadlink or are you going to skip it? Tell me down in the comments below!