C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM)

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C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) is a multiplayer action game. It was developed by Ascension Studio and was released on July 14, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

C.A.S.T. is a co-op third-person extraction shooter set in an alternate 1950s Europe where players face monstrous threats and anomalies. Engage in dynamic missions across handcrafted maps with procedural elements and changing weather. Teamwork, strategic loadouts, and weapon crafting are key to overcoming unique enemies and objectives.

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C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) screenshot

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91%

Audience ScoreBased on 411 reviews

gameplay33 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

C.A.S.T. offers a fun and engaging gameplay loop reminiscent of classic PS1-era shooters, making it a nostalgic experience for players.
The game features a solid progression system with various weapons, character classes, and modifiers that enhance replayability and keep gameplay fresh.
The developers are actively engaged with the community, providing regular updates and addressing player feedback, which bodes well for the game's future.

The game currently suffers from a lack of content, with only a few maps and mission types, leading to potential repetitiveness over time.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as enemy spawning and AI behavior, can feel unbalanced or frustrating, particularly in higher difficulty levels.
The use of AI-generated voice lines and textures has been criticized, with players expressing a desire for more polished and human-made assets.

gameplay
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
61%
3%
The gameplay is generally well-received, characterized by a fun and engaging co-op shooter experience with solid gunplay and a satisfying gameplay loop. While some players appreciate the nostalgic PS1-era graphics and the blend of mechanics reminiscent of titles like Helldivers and Killing Floor, others note issues with difficulty scaling, repetitive maps, and basic mechanics that can lead to a grindy experience. Overall, the game offers enjoyable moments, especially in multiplayer, but it could benefit from more content and polish to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “A compact, feature-filled co-op shooter with a decent gameplay loop and solid gunplay!”
- “The gameplay loop is enjoyable and I think this game has lots of potential!”
- “Satisfying, fast-paced gameplay.”
- “Past a certain difficulty level, they start adding gameplay modifiers instead of new enemies, so you’re playing the same maps with minimal variance repeatedly.”
- “The gameplay is more basic and primitive; the movement is very limited with no option to traverse elevations, but you do get a roll with fairly generous invincibility frames.”
- “Sadly, the gameplay feels very cheap.”
graphics
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
57%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the nostalgic PS1 and PS2-inspired art style that evokes a sense of retro charm and atmosphere. While some praise the unique aesthetic and low-poly design, others criticize the visuals as simplistic or lacking depth, suggesting that the graphics may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the game's retro visuals are seen as a defining feature that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly for fans of classic gaming aesthetics.
- “The graphics are very stylized with a really well done PSX aesthetic.”
- “This game really succeeds in recapturing the magic of the PS1 era with its nostalgic graphics.”
- “The retro aesthetic gives a certain charm to the game.”
- “The graphics are just... bad.”
- “The game leaves a lot to be desired, from both graphical and gameplay perspectives.”
- “The visuals have some sort of steampunk style with eastern folklore vibes, everything is very low poly, with an odd pixelation method, that just makes everything have a weird checkered pattern, like a pixel fishnet wrapped around everything.”
story
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
85%
5%
The game's story is minimal, primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and collectible logs, which adds some depth but is not central to the experience. While the narrative explores themes of secrecy and survival, many players feel that the lack of mission variety and content can lead to monotony over time. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a driving force, with players expressing a desire for more engaging content and mission diversity.
- “The narrative unfolds gradually, presented through cryptic dialogue, environmental storytelling, and collectible logs.”
- “While not overly intrusive, the story adds depth and motivation, weaving a plot that explores themes of secrecy, technology, and survival.”
- “Story missions emphasize the story that reveals the game's world to make the immersion even deeper.”
- “Lack of mission/objective variety gets tedious quickly, and moving slowly across the larger maps can be a turnoff for long-term play.”
- “However, unless you have a group of friends who don't mind playing the same locations for better weapons/new characters/skills, the game will quickly feel monotonous.”
- “A lot of the modifiers they slap on missions don't end up making the mission more interesting or fun at all; they just make you heal through unavoidable damage.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
50%
11%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its heavy metal influences reminiscent of Mick Gordon's style, creating an engaging atmosphere for gameplay. However, some players criticized the sound mixing and volume levels, suggesting that the music can become repetitive or overwhelming, leading to a preference for muting it altogether. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its energy and fit within the game's context, technical issues detract from the overall audio experience.
- “Great soundtrack.”
- “Art and music work together for unique vibes.”
- “Music is fitting and gets you in the mood to slaughter some zombies and other vile creatures.”
- “Just do yourself a favor and mute the dialogues and music first.”
- “Lastly, the audio (I'm just gonna skip story as there is barely any, besides bestiary descriptions), which is probably the worst aspect of the whole game, the volumes are terrible, a lot of monsters do not have distinct sounds, there is barely any ambiance, the music is like someone tried to do 'Mick Gordon' style tracks in Fruity Loop Studio, and the AI voice acting is stilted and unbearable to listen to. It is a podcast game through and through if you're playing solo, and with friends you can have your own music playing in the background.”
- “The music you will turn off within the first 2 minutes of the game; it's awful and mixed too loud.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
11%
18%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of aesthetics, sound design, and immersive settings, drawing comparisons to various titles while incorporating elements of horror and industrial themes. Players appreciate the slower pace and evocative art style, which enhance the tension and overall experience. The combination of creative enemies, atmospheric storytelling, and engaging gunplay contributes to a compelling and memorable environment that captivates players from the outset.
- “Love the aesthetic, love the atmosphere.”
- “Where the game does stand out is its art style, with the developers choosing to lean into a more gritty style of horror that leads to a uniquely atmospheric experience.”
- “It's like this weird mix of Helldivers 2, Zombie Army 4, Resident Evil Revelations' raid mode with Killing Floor 1's industrial rock soundtrack, with a coat of trench crusade and body horror vibes/atmosphere/setting to top it off.”
- “Employs a minimalist yet evocative art style that complements its tense atmosphere.”
- “The shooter caused extremely positive emotions, the graphics are quite nice, although a bit unusual for 2024, but well conveying the atmosphere of the zombie apocalypse.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed bag; while some appreciate the fun gameplay loop and the satisfaction of unlocking and upgrading weapons, many feel that the lack of mission variety and slow movement across large maps can make the grind tedious. The repetitive nature of farming for upgrades and currency is noted, with some players comparing it to grind-heavy titles like Diablo 3, but the game's low price and multiplayer appeal help mitigate some of the frustration. However, there are calls for more content to alleviate the grind and enhance the overall experience.
- “Lack of mission/objective variety gets tedious quickly, and moving slowly across the larger maps can be a turnoff for long-term play.”
- “Most of the grindy upgrades don't matter, because they are not needed to consistently complete higher difficulties.”
- “You are meant to replay these 4 maps over and over to grind currency to make your weapons deal more damage and gather random modifiers that affect your player in order to replay them in a more difficult level that introduces, not better and more challenging AI, but more bullshit, like grinding Diablo 3's torment difficulties.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the comedic moments that arise from friendly fire and quirky character interactions, reminiscent of titles like Helldivers and Strange Brigade. However, some find the dialogue repetitive and forced, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, though it may not resonate with everyone.
- “Just like Helldivers 2, there is friendly fire, and it makes for some hilarious moments.”
- “Quite fun extraction shooter with drop-in drop-out multiplayer, heavy RE4 and Shinji Mikami vibes, a dose of humor, and actually fun gunplay.”
- “Take the gameplay loop from Helldivers, mix it with the aesthetic and humor of Strange Brigade, add in a dash of the Doom soundtrack, set it in the 1950s and release it on early PS2 and you'll get C.A.S.T.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for its smooth performance, even on weaker hardware, and its attractive visual style. However, some users noted that improvements are needed, particularly regarding mob spawns and resolution adjustments, which did not enhance performance. Despite these issues, the game maintains a casual feel reminiscent of retro titles.
- “Pros: performance on weak hardware, attractive visual style.”
- “Performance is smooth.”
- “The game runs smoothly.”
- “The only thing they might need to fix, in my opinion, is the optimization.”
- “An optimization is needed for the mob spawns.”
- “Lowering resolution didn't help performance either.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, the game offers solid replayability through multiple difficulty settings, alternative paths, and hidden secrets, though some players note a lack of long-term content and a grindy experience. Frequent updates and an active roadmap contribute to its replay value, while numerous unlockables enhance the incentive to replay missions.
- “Replay value is solid thanks to multiple difficulty settings, alternative paths, and hidden secrets scattered throughout the levels.”
- “Plenty of replayability with an active roadmap and updates.”
- “Game is quite fun, but lacks content for long-term replayability.”
- “Can be a little bit grindy as of now, but the missions are fairly replayable, so it's not the end of the world.”
- “Lots of unlockables for replayability.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game demonstrates impressive stability, running smoothly on older hardware from 2010 and providing a beginner-friendly experience without intrusive micro-transactions. However, some users suggest enhancing the initial audio experience to better align with the game's atmosphere.
- “It runs great on even potato hardware from 2010, is beginner friendly, isn't riddled with microtransactions, and the progression is really fast.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “I experienced constant lag and stuttering, which ruined the overall gameplay experience.”
- “The server stability is a major issue; I often get disconnected during crucial moments.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users feeling that it lacks effort and care from the developers, suggesting a lack of long-term commitment to the game's quality.
- “No love or effort went into this game; it's obviously another standard cash grab, and the developers have given up on it.”
- “The monetization system is so aggressive that it ruins the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see that every aspect of the game is designed to push players towards spending more money.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's small, supportive community, highlighting its wholesome and helpful nature, which contributes to an emotionally positive experience.
- “The small community this game has garnered is really wholesome and helpful from my experience.”

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C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM)
€6.89
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19h Median play time

15h Average play time

5-24h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) is a action game.

C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 15 hours playing C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM).

C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) was released on July 14, 2025.

C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) was developed by Ascension Studio.

C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

C.A.S.T. (CHERNOZEM ANOMALY STRIKE TEAM) is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include ZERO Sievert, Ripout, Aliens: Fireteam, SurrounDead, GUNTOUCHABLES and others.

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