Deadzone Rogue is a FPS game where you take on missions and clear levels picking up upgrades and tech components along the way. For each mission, you start with just a starter weapon and any technology upgrades you have purchased. With the object of trying to make it to the end of each mission.
I rather love these styles of games where you can feel and see your level of progression from unlocking upgrades. While also having that feeling that you are almost starting fresh with every attempted mission.
The nice thing is even if you fail to finish a mission. You are still walking away with anything that is used to unlock upgrades. Making your next mission and run hopefully a bit easier.
The game has several modes of difficulty. With the harder ones offering slightly better rewards. After struggling a bit with just normal. I felt no shame in taking adventure mode and racking up lots of tech upgrades in short order. Switching back to normal I then felt like I was now on par with that level of gameplay.
This game has quite an interesting little twist to the gameplay itself. On each new level, you find yourself on. You are invisible and can explore that level and decide where you want to start your attack from.
On some levels, I felt such a thing was not needed. On others I found myself spending almost as much time finding not only a great spot to start my ambush from but timing the routes of patrolling NPCs.
Along with getting to decide where you want to start attacking from. I found the minimap to be quite helpful in seeing where up-and-coming targets were. Along with if I had overlooked any loot.
A big part of any run on a mission is just finding some upgrades so you can ditch whatever starting gun you have. You also within a couple of levels need to come up with a building plan for that run.
At the end of each level, you need to pick a perk that only lasts with you for that run. You can see here one of them gives a special damage modifier for void weapons. That would however require finding or buying a weapon on that run that had void damage.
Getting those kinds of perks ended up being quite critical on any run. I don’t know how many times I'd find weapons with one kind of damage but never have it as an option in the perks. Making me rethink any kind of prebuild I had in mind before starting the mission.
Often forcing me to try out different kinds of weapons and perks. As I'd advance along on a mission. Trying to find what would work best with the perk options I was given for my best chance at making it to the end of the mission.
Along the way I did for sure have my favorite and go-to perks if I could get them. It was also refreshing having to rethink a building plan or take a certain perk I had been avoiding till it seemed like it was critical
Some of the levels you would get to fight on were just downright insane. So far, any time I find having to fight in the Space Bar I know it’s going to be a fun but interesting time. It’s a rather cool level to look at. It’s also a bit compact in there leading to some close calls more than ones on my end.
Then there are the levels I just know could make or break me. They are usually the single-roomed levels where you are dealing with a swarm of creatures all at once. In some of them, I try and snipe off what I can. In others, I'm just doing what little kiting I can do before becoming overwhelmed. Hoping to shoot them faster than by how fast they are taking my health bar down.
Between all the shooting, dodging, and tossing some grenades from time to time. Every couple of levels you do get a short little break from the action. You end up on a floor where you get a little health back for free. It also is a spot to trade in scraps you have looted so far to buy heals, new weapons, or equipment upgrades.
Those levels I feel are opportunities to try and fix a bad run. I might have taken one perk that benefited a certain kind of weapon I had no luck in dropping. Even if they are not for sale on those levels you can attempt to reroll the modifications on a weapon a couple of times. This has certainly saved some runs I thought for sure were done for once I hit any kind of mid or end boss.
Most of the missions are between twenty to thirty levels long. At the end, as you might expect is a boss. While on the first mission, he was not that hard. The further in missions you end up the harder the difficulty you end up selecting. These kinds can become quite brutal.
While on a run you are looting things like technology that is used for upgrading. Each type of upgrade in the tech tree also requires individual components for that extract upgrade. As you progress along into higher tiers of the game there become other items needed to further unlock even more rewarding upgrades.
Sometimes I'd find it fun just going back to lower-tier missions after I had advanced and acquired quite a few tech upgrades. Nothing like starting I with a massive boost to health, shield, and base damage. Just to mow it all down without a care in the world. Even smashing former levels that challenged you the first couple of times though.
Final Thoughts
For those who enjoy this kind of game, I found it to have a great balance between progression and unlocking further missions to challenge yourself. When things get too hard you can just go back and farm some lower-tier missions to get some needed tech upgrades.
Information
Screenshots were taken and content was written by @Enjar about Deadzone Rogue.
Disclosure. A review copy of the game was received for free.
Disclosure. This review was written while the game was in early access.
