Earlier this month, Acclaim announced its triumphant return with a selection of independent titles it would publish under its new banner. The final game in its “Play Acclaim” showcase was a game that immediately hooked me – a gory 2D cybernetic samurai MetroidVania game called Katanaut.

When I was approached with the opportunity to review the game, I immediately jumped at it. I knew this game was perfect for me — and I’m glad I was right. Although, one design choice really threw me for a loop early on — the introduction of roguelike elements.

But First, The Story and Gameplay Engine of ‘Katanaut’

Katanaut drops players into the role of the mysterious Naut, a cybernetic samurai whose team resides in a now-abandoned space station filled with intergalactic horrors and unholy monstrosities.

The game’s solo developer, VoidMaw, describes the game as a “souls-like” challenge, and he’s not far off. The game doesn’t feel as unforgiving or punishing as a Souls game, but it is rather challenging, especially when you don’t have access to your preferred loadout.

As Naut, the player descends into the depths of the station, facing more vicious and disturbing creatures, while unlocking memory fragments of those who tried and failed to save humanity.

Naut is armed with a katana, of which there are several that can be unlocked through exploration of the game’s many biomes, as well as an assortment of subweapons. Subweapon types include various types of guns, swords, shields, and even a crowbar.

Throughout the run, Naut can also receive upgrades that alter or improve different aspects. These include:

• Skills are complementary abilities that give Naut additional options in battle. Some are activatable, some are passive. They can all be upgraded to different rarities a la World of Warcraft gear to improve their damage, cooldown time, and uptime.
• Syringes stack with each consumption and provide boosts to Naut’s damage, stamina, loot chances, critical hit ratios, and ammo.
• Perks last until death and alter the gameplay in different ways. Some boost Naut’s abilities and others allow Naut to utilize the world around him in different ways.
• Implants are purchased before runs and improve Naut’s abilities as long as they are equipped. Over time, the player can equip multiple Implants to build their character the way they like.

These items can be found in the world, as drops from enemies and bosses, or at shops found between realms. Like most roguelikes, all but the permanent Implants are lost when the player dies.

Yes, It’s Another Roguelike

I have to admit; I’m not the biggest fan of roguelikes. I’m not sure why indie game developers gravitate towards roguelikes so often. Most times it feels to me like a Sisyphean effort, where I’m rolling the boulder up and up but then I die, and all my progress goes back to zero. In most rougelikes, I never feel like I’m making any progress despite getting better and uncovering more of the game.

At first, I was bummed that Katanaut was a roguelike. I wanted a traditional story experience featuring these characters. There are story bits weaved into runs that will key you into things little by little but nothing like a traditional narrative-based game.

From a gameplay perspective, however, the roguelike elements became endearing, and I couldn’t imagine the game without them. There are also “roguelite” elements — permanent boosts and other modifications that carry over between runs — which made it more enjoyable for me.

Players can unlock things like increased health pools, additional ammo slots, additional health syringes, new weapons, Skills, Perks, and Implants, among other benefits. It makes unfortunate deaths a little less painful as, often times, you’re able to cash out before your next run.

The Look and Feel

From enemy design to the worldbuilding, Katanaut nails its intended “cyberpunk gruesome space horror” aesthetic. Enemies get more and more disturbing and unhinged as the game progresses, and it feels like Naut is reaching deeper into the layers of Hell rather than a space station.

The ambience is helped by the game’s soundtrack, a perfect mix of chill synthwave, booming techno and trance, and heavier chiptune tracks that wouldn’t feel out of place in the original Doom.

The boss fights are accompanied by epic orchestral tracks that put these specialized encounters on a pedestal. Even though you’ll die a lot to these bosses, visiting them over and over doesn’t feel like a chore because you’re rewarded with unique songs you’ll only hear during their encounters.

Controls are tight, which is good for a game that requires precision and quick-thinking. I never felt like the game lagged behind my reaction times. Every time I got hit, I knew it was my fault.

The other conscious denizens of the space station offer a brief reprieve from the endless onslaught, and even give Naut a free upgrade once they’re done interacting. Characters you may encounter include a small organism in an incubator tube, a guy and his dog, a piano-playing robot, and a scaredy-cat adventurer.

You’ll also get to meet the other members of Naut’s team who hint at the character’s bloody past through short interactive segments or flashbacks. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen enough of the latter, which is a shame because the ones I’ve played are fun.

Can You Pet a Cat?

Yes.

The Verdict

Buy it. Katanaut is everything I could’ve asked for from not just a 2-D action side-scroller, but a roguelike as well. I got hard stuck on a few of the bosses but after changing my strategy and improving my character through the roguelite progression system, I was able to get past them. I even managed to finish a run before writing this review, which I figure isn’t something many reviewers can say they’ve done.

I hate that every game I write about is “addicting” but that’s the feeling I get from Katanaut. I just flat out want to play more of this game all the time, responsibilities and parenting be damned.

Katanaut is available now on Steam and is “planned” to be released on all consoles.