Rogueliker

Bullet Heaven Fest brings indie chaos to Steam

7th November 2023

This is just a quick news alert to let y’all know that Bullet Heaven Fest is a new two-week sale event on Steam. It’s not just a clever name, either – there are loads of bullet heaven games on sale!

What is a “bullet heaven” I hear someone scream from the back?! Well, I’m glad you asked, Dear Reader. It’s basically the opposite of a bullet hell, where you’re forced to avoid a screen full of brightly-coloured projectiles. Cuphead is one of my favourite examples of the genre, and it’s a game that most people have heard of.

I love this new term to describe the flip from being the one dodging the bullets to being the one creating them. It’s a change that facilitates a power fantasy where you get to take out waves of enemies, rather than dodging your way through a desperate attempt to stay alive against one or two heavily armed opponents. A great roguelike-inspired example might be Enter the Gungeon.

Bullet heavens have come to prominence on the back of Vampire Survivors, there’s no doubt about that. Since Poncle’s indie hit went viral, we’ve seen a huge wave of copycat games. Some are good, some are bad, and nearly all of them are currently on sale or being promoted in this event. Vampire Survivors is not.

So, if you want to make bullets rather than dodge them, check it out via the link above. And for the record, the screenshot below is for Soulstone Survivors, one of the games currently on sale.

For more great games, head to my modestly titled article: The best roguelike games of all time and space.

Would you like to know more?

Still with me? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked roguelikes, this website is absolutely chock-full of them. Head over to the Guides Page for a concentrated hit of roguish games, organised via sub-genre and platform.

What’s more, there are always going to be new lists for emerging trends as well as fresh titles to highlight. This is because my backlog is embarrassingly long, and so I’m always trying to balance the new games that arrive in my inbox with playing the stuff I already have.

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