Empty Shell (2023)

Ok top down tactical shooter. it's kinda creepy and is a horror-themed game. there's a lot of notes and logs and things that dont really tell a story but add to the ambiance and horror. (The story is kinda basic, and most of the writing is imaginative, and ok but just not terribly interesting to me) I mean, you DO play the role of an expendable character (I guess they tried to make it appear as a roguelike but it's not too hard on easy, there are no classes or really stat posting equipment, etc. Not evne sure if the levels are anything other than static in construction) this game is a little bit like Intravenous from what I recall of it (but less tactical, and not as good,) Another game almost just like this is called Teleglitch (I liked that one more) and Empty Shell took clear inspiration from that game (but did do some things that are still creative and not connected. Teleglitch has a Quake 1 aesthetic and feel, this is like a Japanese survival horror thing) Where the game really is at it's best is it's aesthetic. This game features an inventory and upgrade system, as well as the ability to make notes on maps. Overall, it was fun, didnt take too long, if you like top down shooters there are better things to put in line to play first but i thought it was worth the time. There are mutators with survival options, and a NG+ mode but while they are nice extras to have, I didn't really feel a need to explore them.

Pros: Nice setting, ambiance and aesthetic. Fun to shoot freaky things with different toys. Enemies spawn behind you sometimes as you make progress at certain points, (flipping switches, lowering bridges, etc) so it has a survival horror feel and keeps you on your toes. Cons: not really best story/lore/etc. Design doesn't really make for a good roguelike. Inventory management super annoying and might bother other players more than me even, lol. I also wouldn't want to replay this again for any reason.