Platforms: PC
Angelstruck (from developer Feral Paw) is a devilish twin-stick shooter with roguelite elements and a linear, arcade style challenge. The player controls a nameless angel of Hell determined to blast her way through the afterlife and past the holy gates. The game boasts a frenetic and addictive gameplay loop with a strong sense of spectacle and personality, all at a very attractive price point.
The earlier comparison to arcade games was very deliberate. In many ways, Angelstruck resembles the arcade classics more than most modern roguelike games. It tasks you with taking on a linear series of battles and boss fights and demands that players become comfortable with the mechanics and enemy patterns to push further with each run and – for the hardcore players – improve their high scores.
There are ten bosses to conquer in total, although players will only see three or five of them on Warmup and Easy mode respectively. The game is designed to be played on Hard mode, where more and new enemies will appear. There’s also a difficulty beyond Hard mode for those demanding a serious test of their skills.
The roguelite elements are fairly standard. Players accumulate currency to unlock a selection of gems and weapons to equip before runs to modify their stats and tailor their playstyle. During runs, you’ll be offered a selection of perks that can be upgraded, Overcharged and Synergised at every level up.
As of writing the range of perks is fairly small and you can only take five in a run, which does mean that build variety can feel a bit limited. While the game’s combat has a snappy pace, levelling up can feel a bit slow. Unlocking Overcharged perks only starts to happen about a third of the way through a run, and you’ll need to do that multiple times to get Synergised perks. Easy mode is over before your build can really get interesting, and the higher difficulties frequently see you dying before things come together.
While that makes the moments when a run comes together more exciting, it can be frustrating when you keep dying before that point. Enemy attacks hit hard, making it very easy for runs to end quite suddenly and disappointingly. It’s easy to dive back in for another shot, but the start of a run can eventually get repetitive.
Still, the game is very easy to pick up and hard to put down. The controls are responsive and the devs made savvy choices with the interface to ensure that the info you need isn’t going to get lost in the chaos. Simple things – like tying the active reload timer to the reticle – make the game feel a lot more intuitive and comfortable to play. And while the game is very challenging, the lower difficulties offer a chance to learn the ropes and figure out the first few bosses.
I’m also a big fan of how the game looks, and the sense of journey that the game takes you through as you rise from the depths of Hell towards Heaven. The presentation does a lot to make each run exciting and, while our protagonist remains nameless, she has a lot of personality. Angelstruck is a game with plenty of charisma.
All in all, I’d recommend Angelstruck to anyone looking for a new roguelike or shoot-’em-up to sink their teeth into. Simply beating the game will offer more than enough content for the low price of entry, and mastering the game is a journey all in itself. It’s definitely one to check out.
Final Score
Summary
Angelstruck offers an arcade style experience with a splash of roguelike flavour. The gameplay is sharp and snappy, the presentation is excellent and the price is very appealing.
The game does have some faults, but they don’t drag the game down enough to stop me from recommending it to any fans of roguelikes, arcade games or the shoot-’em-up genre in general.
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