A Brutal Fight for Survival
Deadzone Rogue, a game developed by Prophecy Games. I was thrown into the space suit of our unknown protagonist, awoken with amnesia and confusion as to where he is, but one thing was for certain, a fight for survival was coming. As I walked through the main safe haven where it seemed to be a pilot bay, I headed for the lift to travel to my mission in Zone 1 with a trusty pistol to accompany me, and boy could I have done with more than a pistol. Thrown into combat against robots to start with, ducking, diving and running out of the way of enemy fire, the player learns quickly, stay still and you die! Death is certain and survival is a must, but with every run comes new openings for improvement and new weapons to play with! My impression here was low as I came up with open arms for a relatively unknown title, but I was met with a greeting hand of guns, monstrosities and death!
Aboard the ISS-X: A Nightmarish Odyssey Through Space and Slaughter
With no further distraction, let me entice you with a tale of space, stars, and bloodshed. The setting is aboard the abandoned colony ship known as ISS-X, where I awoke with nothing short of a brain full of fog and not a clue about what was to come. However, the more I traveled through the zones aboard the ship, the more I wrapped my head around what was going on here. I faced rogue machines, crawling monsters that gave me a throwback to my favorite title, The Suffering, and space-suited humans with nothing left intact but their skulls, which serve as placeholders for long-forgotten flesh suits, almost reminding me of the poor souls in Fallout: New Vegas’s Old World Blues DLC, where they died in their suits.
Retro Roguelite Rampage
Deadzone Rogue’s barebones story is no misstep—it’s a deliberate nod to the roguelite ethos: “Here’s your gear, now survive.” You’re thrust into a hazardous spaceship with a spacesuit, gun, and torch, ready to blast through waves of enemies. The narrative is light, but that’s fine when the combat feels this slick. Tight mechanics let you dash through stages like a budget Flash Gordon, wielding an arsenal that grows with each run. Collecting abilities, unique item pickups, and upgradable weapons in well-placed safe zones keeps the momentum high. The game nails the roguelike difficulty curve, starting manageable and cranking up the challenge as you progress—perfect for those, like you, who relish a gradual ramp-up over instant punishment. Enemy variety and smooth controls make every encounter a thrill, compensating for the loose story. With its DOOM-meets-Duke vibe and roguelite polish, Deadzone Rogue delivers a 9/10 experience that’s as addictive as it is chaotic, proving you don’t need a deep plot to keep players hooked.
As I said, the combat really shines through, it really does! The combat feels like a genuinely solid mix of new-style DOOM and Killing Floor, blended up to make a smooth, bloody and downright delicious combat which would get even the best FPS players’ tastebuds spiked. As I zipped and jumped from place to place, it had me thinking whilst I was in midair: “If there was blood everywhere, hell beasts and a Mick Gordon soundtrack, this would be a DOOM entry.” And I implore that you play this hidden gem of a FPS roguelike, that would probably go hidden in a bunch of others, because you would feel the same way, especially with how fluid and diverse the combat can be.
Moving slightly away from combat, the Deadzone offers a ton of replayability when it comes to how missions work, the difficulty selection and other smaller missions inside the Zones you have just been through! Difficulty selecting exists here, and it can cater the game to you. However, being a regular FPS action shooter player, I hit for a mix between Normal and Hard. Both offered a great challenge with great options to play. Missions work throughout the story, which is a progressional mission through the colony ship and then specialty missions which work within set zones and give you the option to play through certain sections of each zone with a set way to play! Between both the story and specialty missions, there is plenty to do! One more thing, the controls are very easy to learn and adapt to as they use the basic FPS system of back triggers to aim and fire with front bumpers being the grenades and specials, with the right stick being melee, and the same on PC, all the same FPS basics on the same keys!
Away from the core gameplay for a moment, and a trip to the appearance of Deadzone, we see earth from a galactic view and learn to appreciate everything we have. Not for real, because in the safe havens scattered across the ship, when you enter a cosy pod, with calming lift music whilst you look on to what home would’ve held for you before being pulled back into the grim reality of facing robots with a animalistic cause to kill the player and freaky monsters that wouldn’t bat an eyelid at the thought of leaving my character as just a torso, I learnt to appreciate the sight of earth and the stars from the windows of safety. The art style in this game is very similar to Dead Space, with how the futuristic style blends into a spaceship with tense design, but with a lean to of Prey (2017) being mixed in with how the game focusses on being based within a colony ship and the futuristic environment in which you have to fight to survive in.
Another review, another How Does Your Track Stack with Ben! Deadzone Rogue features an original soundtrack developed with the game in mind, and in my opinion, it does itself justice. The track needs to be calm when it’s calm, and when I was fighting my way through swarms of enemies both machine and organic alike, the music ramped up to create a tense and hostile encounter that seemed more action-packed and suspenseful! In my opinion, with games that feature tense action and close-encounters, a solid metal score goes hand-in-hand, such as DOOM, but if done right, a more tonal, futuristic vibe can work if the setting fits, and it definitely does. Track score – 8/10, needs more rock ‘n’ roll.
If you can’t take heed of what I am saying so far, one of my fellow friends here at Everything Nerd got a code as well, and as the head of Everything Nerd, he has a lot to say, without further a due, enter stage right, Mr. Ultan.
“Thanks Ben!”
“Deadzone Rogue for Xbox is a thrilling blast from the past, seamlessly blending the raw, fast-paced action of classic FPS giants like DOOM and Duke Nukem with a modern roguelite twist. The moment you dive in, the game’s tight mechanics and adrenaline-pumping gunplay grab you, delivering a nostalgic yet fresh experience. The protagonist’s Duke-esque swagger are a standout, oozing personality that perfectly complements the chaos. Enemy variety keeps every run dynamic, with cleverly designed foes that demand quick thinking and sharp aim. The roguelite perks are a highlight, offering diverse builds that make each attempt feel unique and rewarding. While the game’s visuals and atmosphere nail the retro vibe, some heavier music could amplify the intensity, as Ben suggests. Still, Deadzone Rogue is a must-play for FPS fans, earning its 9/10 with polished gameplay and infectious energy.”
As I hit the stars to travel deeper into the void, it’s time to give my overall verdict.
Now, Deadzone Rogue does extremely well in the areas that it aims for: fluid combat and movement, a heavy roguelike feel with limited storytelling, options in abundance for gunplay and abilities that give you the edge, a soundtrack that fits the tone, and it gives its flowers to games that are similar, so for me this lip-bitingly tense FPS roguelite shooter makes it an easy game to pickup and play for any type of gamer. However, for me, where the game could do slightly better is the story. I feel like there’s a space in the market for a solid story-telling rogue-like game that has all that bulky replayability of the run-based rogue game. However, a good story wouldn’t go amiss, and in Deadzone, it has the perfect setting for a more linear story that could be told outside of data logs and notes. Outside the story, this title is great and worth a spot in anyone’s library. It just needs a little more edge to be a close-to-perfect addition. Now that may be my personal opinion, but I’m sure I’ll get a lot of nodding heads.
Overall score – 9/10, a great run out by Prophecy Games and a good action-packed addition to the rogue-like genre.
Deadzone Rogue is available now on Xbox Series X/S, PC and PlayStation 5 for the agreeable price of $24.99, £19.99 & $42.50.
