Platform: PC
Genre: 3D Action, Roguelite

This year is very, very packed with roguelites, be it trendsetters like Hades 2 or puzzle fares like Blue Prince. Thunderful Publishing and developer To The Sky may be fighting in an oversaturated field with their new action title Godbreakers, but you shouldn’t sleep on it. It’s possibly one of this year’s dark horse of roguelites.

Lord Almighty

After a brief and detailed tutorial, you are thrust into the game’s hub where you get to customize your character, or even get three other people to join your game in co-op fashion. That’s right: this action roguelite is a team game, and it will throw a lot at you as you go through four or so of its tiered stages per run.

You’re expected to die in your first run, but you’ll get permanent rewards and currency out of it. You can either unlock new weapons and playstyles, or just buff your titular Godbreaker so that they survive the next fight. Buffs include getting more Light per hit (your super meter energy), getting better rewards after a wave of enemies, and so forth.

As you’re starting off your excursion, you notice how abstract and alien each world you’re in. It’s the heavily saturated and pretty kind of aesthetic; you’re going on a tour through different planets, dealing with different aberrations and god-like beings who act as each stage’s endboss, then proceed through the next planet or spacescape. Everything from Godbreakers’ landscape to the unique enemies you fight all look like they’re from a prog-rock album cover; it’s beautiful and visually alluring to the point where you try to survive your current run just to see what insane concepts To The Sky will throw at you.

Speaking of enemies, your Godbreaker can absorb enemies and steal their powers to use once, usually an amplified version of whatever they attacked you with. Want to get that beam attack from that alien dog-like enemy? Just gather enough light and “Godbreak” it to gain a beam attack. Do you prefer spinning around like a dancing blade? You can steal that too as long as you weaken your enemy before Godbreaking it, not kill it. There are a lot of skills for the taking, and a lot of time and runs for you to figure out which is worth stealing and keeping for the boss fight.

If you like boss fights, Godbreakers will sort you out. They’re usually big-bodied fights and require a bit of brainwork and reflexes to deal with, moreso in co-op play. Lucky for you, the game’s combat controls are slick; like Platinum Games action title slick. Attacks are fast and have decent recovery depending on the type you’re wielding (fists are lightning quick, totem pole is slow but hits in a wide arc), and you can cancel all your combos and attacks into dodges, giving you a heckuva defensive advantage.

My only issues with Godbreakers is thankfully not detrimental to the core gameplay experience. The story is pretty vague and meanders quite a bit, telling you about the lay of the land but just being cryptic even after finishing your first or second run. You get side missions that feel like afterthoughts and are just there for that extra incentive and permanent currency boost. And while solo mode is decent, nothing beats the experience of tackling a roguelite with peak action controls with a four-person group with different weapon styles, saving each other while dealing with oncoming threats.

Even with its vague storytelling, you’re not going to care much when you’re in the thick of the action with Godbreakers. The action and cancelling to dodges just feels so good to experience, as you’ll look forward to every combat opportunity. The Godbreaker skill is useful and complements your main actions just great. And the fights are pretty intense and keep you going. Don’t sleep on this roguelite; Godbreakers is a godsend for the genre if you fancy tons of replayability, action, and co-op potential.

Final Score: 80/100

Review code provided by publisher.