Katanaut is an action roguelite that pits your cyber-enhanced ninja against the kind of nasties that’d give even Ellen Ripley pause for thought. While it’s not arriving until later this year, there’s a demo out right now on Steam and it’s well worth getting your hands bloody for.
Ever thought the crew of the Nostromo would have fared better if they were ninjas? Or that Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke should have been able to wall run without strapping on anti-gravity boots? Then Katanaut, a fast-paced 2D roguelite game from indie developer Voidmaw, could be right up your street.
Katanaut strands you on a space station with all sorts of nasties, from enemies that are recognizable as former humans, to towering, slavering foes who’ve forgotten that their skull goes on the inside.
Will you die horribly? Absolutely, but thanks to the ailing station’s regeneration technology, and your Ghostrunner-style ninja skills, you’ll live to slay again, commencing another bloody run.
I’ve taken the demo for a spin and come away thoroughly impressed. Aside from the level of gore on display, dispatching enemies in a couple of slashes is satisfyingly visceral.
As superb as Dead Space was, there was a point when I wished the game would just give me a lightsaber, and maybe a jetpack. Forget stomping on enemies to make sure they’re dead, Katanaut’s foes aren’t putting themselves back together. At least, not so far.
The trade-off for the ease at which you dispatch them is that Katanaut flings foe after foe at you. So if you don’t get a handle on protagonist Naut’s ninja skills, you’ll be waking up back in your regeneration chamber.
Katanaut doesn’t have a release window other than 2025, but based on this satisfying slice, it could be well worth waiting for. If you’re ready to step up as a space-ninja, you can download the Steam demo here.
For more gore, take a look at the best horror games and if you’re tired of triple-A games, check out the best indie games.
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