If you’re into the more experimental side of roguelike development, you’re probably already aware of caiys, who has previously put out consistently good, focused games that explore different roguelike mechanics. I’ve played a couple, including Voids Vigil and Boneraiser Minions, and so when I saw Deadzoned pop up in my news feed, I already knew how the rest of my day was going to play out.
Once again, caiys is unable to sit still or churn out sequels, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the dev’s next game would be a new bullet heaven of some sort. Quite unexpectedly, we’ve actually got the Early Access release of a nearly finished turn-based roguelike. Not what I thought I was going to get, but a delightful surprise anyway.
Deadzoned once again takes advantage of caiys’ skill at making a small number of pixels do an awful lot of heavy lifting. The colour scheme is one of my favourite things about the game, because it feels different to play, which might sound a bit floaty, but I like how it fits so snugly within the developer’s existing visual identity.
This violent turn-based roguelike doesn’t waste any time in getting you into the action, either. Combat is simple and engaging, and the inventory management also works pretty well. I was up and running within minutes and, so far, it feels like it’s going to be an accessible experience.
I can’t claim to have played more than an hour or so, but I’ve really enjoyed my first look at the game. It sounds like Deadzoned is almost complete, and it’s only going to spend a few months in Early Access while the dev removes any problematic bugs and balances out any rough edges that emerge. I’m glad I picked it up early, and I’ll be back at launch for a proper deep dive, because Deadzoned already looks like my kind of roguelike.
