Jupiter Hell Classic EA Review: It's all Doom and no gloom on the fifth planet from the sun

Jupiter Hell Classic EA Review: It’s all Doom and no gloom on the fifth planet from the sun

22nd August 2025

While I’ve written about it before, I’ve never gone on record with a detailed account of why I think Jupiter Hell is one of the best roguelikes out there. However, this review of Jupiter Hell Classic, a demake of ChaosForge’s brutal turn-based Doom-inspired rogue, is an opportunity for me to land two headshots with one bullet.

The demake of a remake of a roguelike unmake

That last headline is not my work. I pulled the words verbatim from the Jupiter Hell Classic Steam page, which succinctly explains how the game we’re talking about today is actually a roguelike reworking of one of the most iconic shooters of all time, DOOM (1993).

It’s a little bit complicated, but essentially both Jupiter Hell and JH Classic are named as such because of IP law and all that fun stuff.

So, while it might be set on Jupiter instead of Mars, and while it is most definitely not an official game set in the same universe as id’s shooter, this is, for all intents and purposes, a turn-based roguelike based on the demon-filled grandaddy of first-person shooters.

The Doom-like roguelike

If you’re familiar with both Doom and roguelikes, and I expect pretty much all of you are, then you’ve already got a shorthand for what this interpetation of the game looks and feels like. Yet, while it does a great job of observing the source material, it’s still very traditional in many respects, with simple turn-based movement and combat set inside procedurally-generated military bases.

On the other hand, I suspect there might be a few of you who come this because you’re interested in playing a Doom game that cuts a little different, but maybe you don’t have much experience with roguelikes. On that front you’ve got two legitimate options, with the first being Jupiter Hell, which looks more polished and in-line with the more recent Doom reboot and its sequels.

Jupiter Hell Classic, on the other hand, channels the spirit of the original games much more keenly. It still a roguelike and so you’ll still need to be a fan of slow-burn combat, turn-based movement, and granular decision making, however, this demake is decorated in a much cuter pixelart style intended to appeal to those of us who remember blasting barrels back in the ’90s.

Should you bother with a demake?

It might seem counter-intuitive to play a demake of a game based on a completely different game that is based in an entirely separate genre, but that is exactly what I’m going to tell you to do. Why? Because I’ve been really enjoying my return to action this last week, with the snappy action and relatively short run times of each failed attempt. You see, this is not a simple visual downgrade of Jupiter Hell, there’s much more going on.

Classic is actually closer to the original DoomRL, and the pacing does feel different. You can really sense the game’s roots as a coffee break roguelike, thanks to the directness of the gameplay and the relatively quick run-times. (Speaking of which, there is already a total conversion mod on the Workshop, if you want some Cacodemons to appear in your game.)

Not only does it feel distinctive, but I think it looks great thanks the pixelart tileset, which is backed up by a gritty metal soundtrack (which is a must-have for Doom fans). The spirit of rip and tear is very much alive and present in this ode to the old school.

And it’s still only in Early Access, which means this delightful little rogue still has plenty of room to sprout new limbs and spawn fresh challenges in the months and years ahead. Developer ChaosForge has been tending to this particular demon-filled garden for more than 20 years, and there’s no sign of a ceasefire anywhere on the horizon.

To its credit, Jupiter Hell Classic isn’t overburdened with gameplay systems intended to simulate strange and wonderful things that can only happen in your instance of the game. Instead, this cracking little demake throws you into the deepend, gives you a quick shotgun blast of roguishness to the head, and then asks the age old question: time for one more run?

Jupiter Hell Classic is out now on Steam (Win) and I played the game via access kindly provided by the developer.

Would you like to know more?

In an effort to tempt you into clicking deeper into our web of rogues, moving forward, we’re going to try something a little different, and after the upcoming advert for NordVPN, you’ll find a new feature: Rogueliker’s Hall of Fame. But first, here are a load of mega awesome roguelikes and roguelites, almost 40 of them, in fact.

The Best Roguelike Games: the best roguelites, deckbuilders, RPGs, auto-shooters, and more

Still with us? Ok, the Hall of Fame below highlights arguably the best game from each sub-category in the article linked directly above; however, each of these standout games is reinforced with another article about even more titles, whether they be turn-based roguelikes or first-person shooters.

Finally, if you’d prefer everything split into individual platforms, we’ve got you covered, too, although be warned, those lists don’t go into as much detail:

Android/iOS | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | PlayStation | Switch | Xbox

Before we get to The Hall of Fame, help us keep the lights on – if you’re shopping for a VPN, do it via NordVPN. Just hit this obnoxiously huge link!

Rogueliker’s Hall of Fame

First, let’s establish the parameters for inclusion. We can answer the question of “what is a roguelike?” by telling you about the game that started this whole party. Rogue is a turn-based RPG with procedurally-generated content and permadeath. The genre has exploded in a hundred different directions since then, but all of the games on this list retain one or two core features that first appeared in Rogue back in 1980.

The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.

Great bullet heavens and auto-shooters: Vampire Survivors | There could be only one choice for this category, given how all other games are called survivors-likes for a reason!

Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!

Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.

Brilliant roguelite top-down and third-person shooters: Returnal | Bit of a broad one, but with our other favourite action-roguelites featured elsewhere, we were obliged to mention Returnal here.

Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.

Strategy Roguelikes: FTL Faster Than Light | Another classic roguelike that we’re still playing years after launch.

Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all, There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!

Rogueliker