Survivor-likes with screens crammed full of chaos are the current trend and I’m fully here for it, as regular readers will know by now.
The latest game to take its shot at The Big V is Survivors of the Dawn, a new sci-fi roguelite bullet heaven that tasks players with surviving the night against waves of nocturnal monsters. It’s got real Pitch Black energy and it’s out today on Steam in Early Access.
It sounds like this game is all about the weapon synergies, and Risk of Rain is cited as an influence. The gameplay loop involves upgrading weapons and then “stacking them at random points in the map,” in order to “slaughter [your] way into the dawn.”
The one-man dev studio otherwise known as indieGiant Games, also known as Furkan Ceylan, goes on to mention Slay the Spire and Vampire Survivors as additional influences. These are all games that I’m quite partial to, so if Survivors of the Dawn is anywhere near as good as those points of comparison, we’re in for a treat.
As another one-man-band who occasionally has to write as the royal we, we’ve decided to include the full quote from the presser.
”Exactly one year after the start of its development, we are in utter excitement that it is finally releasing on Early Access. We believe in community-driven development and games developed with their community can reach their maximum potential, so feel free to share any feedback and suggestions with us.”
I’ll leave it there for now, but if I get my hands on the game I’ll be back with a gameplay update on this promising sci-fi shooter.
If you've enjoyed this article, please share it with your network and help spread the word!
Still with us? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked rogues, the following articles represent a huge collection of the best roguelike games ever made.
Next, there are genre-specific lists that delve into the best roguelike games of all types. I’ve pulled out the best examples from each category, alongside the links to more in-depth articles!
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.
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.
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.
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!
