Ctesiphon

About

Ctesiphon is a single player shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by stomygame and was released on November 26, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

A retrowave/mecha-inspired sci-fi first-person shooter featuring fast-paced combat in old-school style open-plan levels packed with pickups, keys, and secrets.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 47 reviews

graphics7 positive mentions

The game captures the essence of old school arena shooters, providing fun and satisfying combat with a variety of unique weapons.
Levels are well-designed with plenty of secrets to discover, and the game features a great soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Despite its short length, the game is highly replayable and offers a charming aesthetic that appeals to fans of the genre.

The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under three hours, leading to concerns about its overall value.
Enemy variety is lacking, particularly with an over-reliance on tanky mech enemies that can disrupt gameplay and create frustrating encounters.
Some technical issues, such as audio problems and control layout complaints, detract from the overall experience.

graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The graphics of Ctesiphon are praised for their neat and clean retro aesthetic, reminiscent of late 90s and early 2000s games, complemented by a chill soundtrack. While the visuals are generally considered gorgeous and polished, some users experienced performance issues at launch. Overall, the game offers a satisfying visual experience that enhances its nostalgic charm.
- “A simple but competent little boomer shooter with a nice Deus Ex-style aesthetic, chill retrowave soundtrack, and satisfying combat.”
- “The game's absolutely gorgeous; it's got a killer aesthetic.”
- “Runs well and has crisp graphics.”
- “Unfortunately, when I first booted the game, it ran terribly despite the retro visuals.”
- “Levels are actually pretty decent aesthetically, but design is very lacking.”
- “Its a short but sweet game, definitely worth the value for money for the very nostalgic feeling of late 90s, early 2000s video games with tropical aesthetics.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its thematic and charming qualities, featuring a unique blend of retrowave and 90s-inspired tracks that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the soundtrack's ability to complement the fast-paced gameplay and quirky aesthetic, with many noting its fun and engaging nature. While some describe the music as merely serviceable, the majority agree that it significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
- “The combat is fun, the enemies are goofy, the soundtrack is not your usual chugga chug metal or moody atmospheric stuff, and the game as a whole has a certain charm to it that I can't really explain.”
- “A simple but competent little boomer shooter with a nice Deus Ex-style aesthetic, chill retrowave soundtrack and satisfying combat.”
- “The music choices are fantastic, really tactfully choosing aesthetic music tracks over actiony sounds.”
- “The music really added to a sort of weird, 90’s vibe for me, reminding me of a sort of elevator muzak kind of thing.”
- “And the music is serviceable.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring solid mechanics and cool weapons, but is hindered by a limited number of levels and some frustrating enemy designs. While stealth mechanics are present, they feel underutilized and poorly rewarded, leading to a reliance on melee combat that can be challenging due to scarce ammo. Overall, the game is praised for its classic shooter feel and polished experience, despite some gameplay inconsistencies.
- “The gameplay is very fun and the weapons are pretty cool, but there are only 8 levels to play through, and one of them is the final boss fight.”
- “Great classic boomer shooter with solid gameplay.”
- “Cool aesthetics, satisfying gameplay, polished experience, big recommend.”
- “The only complaint I have is that it's very hard to read the dialogue during gameplay.”
- “The mechanics are very solid, but a particular enemy is actively hazardous to my health and has been detrimental to my enjoyment of the game as a whole.”
- “For instance, it has stealth mechanics with AI reacting to your flashlight (which is mostly useless) and footstep sounds, but you aren't rewarded in any way for sneaking up on them because your melee only seems to get a damage boost from running at full speed, and you can't do extra damage via headshots (which the game awkwardly outright tells you in the first level).”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The story is described as basic yet fitting for the genre, maintaining player interest despite its simplicity. The game's atmosphere enhances the narrative experience, although the repetitive use of certain enemies may detract from the overall engagement as the game progresses.
- “Despite that, I think the feel and vibe of the game is great, and what little story there was kept me interested enough.”
- “A basic story, but no less than what is expected of this genre.”
- “A basic story but no less than what is expected of this genre.”
- “The game is pretty short as it is and this enemy appears at the end of the 2nd mission and becomes a regular occurrence from there.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features quirky humor that adds charm to the experience, complemented by satisfying level design.
- “It's got some nice quirky humor throughout, and the levels feel satisfying.”
- “The game is filled with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me laughing.”
- “I love the absurd situations and playful puns that make every moment enjoyable.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game is highly praised for its optimization, running smoothly with minimal resource requirements and occupying very little disk space, making it an excellent choice for performance-conscious players.
- “Once you launch the game after doing this, it should run smoothly.”
- “If you care about performance, then this game is extremely well-optimized and it takes up very little disk space.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game highly replayable, indicating that it offers enough variety and engaging content to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “I don't hold it against the game in this case because it is very replayable.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique charm, featuring fun combat and goofy enemies, complemented by an unconventional soundtrack that deviates from typical heavy metal or moody themes.
- “The combat is fun, the enemies are goofy, and the game as a whole has a certain charm to it that I can't really explain.”