Rogue Shooter: The FPS Roguelike Reviews

Rogue Shooter is a Doom-like procedurally generated FPS. It was created during the "roguelite" indie boom of 2012-2015 following on the heels of the original Binding of Isaac, Rogue Legacy, Spelunky, Risk of Rain, and FTL: Faster Than Light. The game was created as an FPS spin-off take on this craze. Created and released by Hippomancer as the company's first and (presumably) only ever game, as the company no longer seems to be active in game development. The game has been more-or-less abandoned by its creator since shortly after its release in 2014. It was one of the first of its kind along with Tower of Guns and Paranautical Activity and influenced later FPS-Roguelites such as Ziggurat 1&2, Immortal Redneck, Gunfire Reborn, and STRAFE. As of me writing this review, the game has not been on discount sale since 2020 and might not go on sale ever again. Even without a sale the game is worth every penny of the $5 price tag. For anyone interested and for fans of the genre especially, I recommend this game. If you decide to purchase this game, MAKE SURE you check out the fan-made mod Rogue Shooter Redux. It fixes many bugs and adds a lot of content. DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME WITHOUT THE MOD: https://steamcommunity.com/app/295770/discussions/0/1643164558916129244/

In the past i played this game and had a lot of fun, sadly the progression is lost if you remove the game. Also configuring it to full screen is not working correctly on my pc.

I actually enjoyed this game for what it's worth, but I can't recommend buying it. The developer, Hippomancer, has left the game in an unplayable state for some and a buggy mess for others, myself included in the latter. There were two patches in the first three weeks after the game was released, and then nothing. All attempts to contact the dev via the forums, the contact page on his website, or his twitter account have gone unanswererd. The game has not been updated since May of 2014. The game was released in April of 2014. It is very clearly abandonware. Don't support devs who don't support their own games.

I like the game concept, I like the mechanics, its all nice. What I dont like is that Ive had the floor not load on me making it impossible to move around. Ive also had the exit elevator not load as well. To complete the game on easy mode youll need to get through 50 floors. I think the most I ever did was about 15 floors and having that progress lost because of one of two bugs would suck.

Surprisingly addictive and full of true 90's FPS charm, but holy hell does this game have some huge control issues. Enemies somehow manage to grapple onto you and stop you from moving, you get caught on walls all the time and there's loads of other cheap problems with the level design, or lack thereof. There's 100 or so floors and I can't imagine anyone beating them any time soon. Hopefully they patch out the small bugs because this one has a lot of potential. Full video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqbiir0TgY0

I've had this game a while and I'm giving a negative review based on the fact the last patch introduced a bug and about a year later it's still there because it has been abandoned. The game had been on Steam barely any time, and they took the money and ran. Specifically, the bug I'm mentioning is that you have to redo all the gfx settings [i][b]every time[/b][/i] you start the game. These types of games are meant to be played for 15-30 minutes then you quit and do something else. This bug makes the "natural" way of playing this game more work to start up than it's worth to play. The gameplay itself isn't too bad. I kinda like it, there's enough different classes that give varying equipment and abilites to keep it interesting for a while, I'd be playing more often if not for the bug. The movement is a floaty, but that's part of the "arcade style" of the game. A way to sell it positively would be to say combat "flows" well. The enemy variety is good, as are the level conditions. The weapon variety as well is nice, and you'll develop favorites for different situations or enemies. I'd recommend this game if not for its total abandonment and multiple standing "minor" bugs. I notice it's only $4.99 so if having to reset gfx settings every time you start and having to watch not to upgrade your weapon too much don't phase you, It's fun for what it is, but... Buyer beware.

I absolutely love this. I will gladly buy a hundred DLCs to make it better and better. The game combines the best parts of oldschool shooters like DOOM and wolfenstein with the goofiness and roguelike-ness of dungeons of dredmor (another must-buy game on steam.) It provides a very good level of challenge where it keeps you on your toes but never seems unfair. The combat is skill oriented, just like classic shooters, and there are difficult choices to make in regards to things like spending money and which items to hold on to and which to discard. The perk system is actually quite neat, not gimmicky, and all round this is a hell of a lot of fun. My only 'complaint' such as it is would be that it could use some more visual content. As in, more room textures, more types of enemies, that sort of thing. Also, resolution settings would be a huuuuge bonus. Other than that, it's a brilliant piece of indie gaming fun that I'm certain I can sink a few hundred hours into. highly recommended! enjoy!

For those of you who enjoyed classic shooters, this is a treat. It has retro-borderlands style graphics and the loot mechanics are comparable to that of your basic roguelike game. Pick your background (prisoner, scientist etc., and there are a LOT!) which essentially defines what you start with in your inventory. You move up randomly generated floors and find loot and kill monsters for exp. When you level, you can unlock a perk (and there are quite a bit to choose from). You can combine materials that you find to create anything from useful items to experimental syringes that yield random buffs/debuffs. Movement is different than most first person games, whereas you cannot look up or down, but only left and right. You manage your inventory in real time (you'll be doing this quite a bit considering all the items you'll be picking up). You'll also be hacking (mouse cursor dodging mini-game) datapads in real time too so best to clear the floor of enemies before attempting this. You get a random amount of credits (possibly other rewards) for successful hacking attempts. When you die, you start over, but the 'intel' acquired is persistent. You acquire more and more intel as you replay the game more and more, and with more intel comes more unlockables whether that's more available perks, backgrounds and enemies. My only gripe is that there are many dead ends, but because you move quite fast (what with the fast paced gameplay), it's negligible. [Edit] The music also does not loop, so if you're on a floor for some time clearing enemies or hacking datapads, then you'll notice the music will eventually cut out and you'll be left alone in silence. For the current sale price ($4.99) this game is more than worth it. If you're a fan of roguelike games and enjoyed classic shooters like Duke Nukem and Quake, you'll definitely be getting your money's worth.

A real shame. I love FPS Roguelikes. I bought this immediately upon seeing the name and enjoyed it quite a bit. The graphics are terrible but for a game striving to look and play like the DOS games of yore it did an alright job. I really, really did enjoy this game. What a shame the game has been left to die by the developer in a state as buggy as a month-old pig carcass. I spent $10 on a bug-ridden, abandoned mess with amazing potential. Do not make the same mistake I did. Rogue Shooter is abandonware. Try and find a free version online if you really want to give this a go, but do not support developers who abandon their games after public release, it does NOT set a good precedent.

Let's get this out of the way first: this game isn't for everyone. If you don't like old school (and I mean, Doom/Quake era) gameplay and hardcore randomization, then you shouldn't buy this game. That being said, if you enjoy either/both or are open minded, this could be right up your alley. Rogue Shooter blends rogue-like elements (permadeath, random levels/items) with gunplay from the shooters of yore. It does have a couple of technical limitations (the lack of a volume slider, locked resolution, and oddball fullscreen modes), but the gameplay more than makes up for it. Weapons feel satisfying and varied, enemies are diverse, and levels (while basic) are never quite the same. Furthermore, the higher difficulties are challenging and give you a good space to grow into as you graduate from noob to veteran. If you're a fan of modern roguelike hybrids, classic shooters, or just plain old innovative games, then Rogue Shooter is worth a shot. Don't take my word for it-check out the demo and see for yourself.