Deflector

About

Deflector is a single player hack and slash game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Arrowfist Games and was released on March 24, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Deflector is a high-octane bullet hell roguelite set in a deadly world. Upgrade your characters with the DNA you find, evolve them further during your runs and explore the farthest reaches of this microcosm… or die trying.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+14

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 203 reviews

gameplay35 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The gameplay is fun, challenging, and addictive, with a unique deflection mechanic that adds depth to combat.
The art style is visually appealing, and the soundtrack enhances the overall experience.
There is a good variety of characters, each offering different playstyles, which keeps the gameplay fresh.

The game can feel repetitive quickly due to limited enemy and level variety, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
Controller support is poor, making it difficult for players who prefer using a controller.
Unlocking new characters and upgrades can be frustratingly grindy, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

gameplay
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
54%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by its fun, challenging, and addictive nature, featuring a well-implemented deflection mechanic that adds depth to combat. While the core mechanics are polished and engaging, some players feel that the level variation and upgrade systems could be improved, and the difficulty spikes in boss encounters may detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the combination of hack-and-slash, bullet-hell, and roguelite elements creates a unique and immersive gameplay loop that many find rewarding.
- “The gameplay is fun, challenging, and addictive.”
- “The mix of hack-and-slash, bullet-hell, and roguelite gameplay elements make for a unique and engaging experience.”
- “The gameplay is addictive, the fluidity and frenzy in combat immerses you in a dizzying experience.”
- “So with how limited the variation in levels/gameplay is with the same shell, the lame perm upgrades, the super specific unlikely-to-get shell progressions, and the excessive bullet-hell feel, there are better roguelikes out there.”
- “The difficulty of the bosses is truly absurd, with you being showered in projectiles that you can't deflect, and you are perpetually being hit by stuff with zero warning and zero projection, which to me is just not enjoyable.”
- “It looks pretty and flashy, but the gameplay simply doesn't hold up for repeated play and the charm quickly wears off as frustration starts setting in from the questionable at best, downright stupid at worst decisions the development team has made up to the release of the game.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
25%
7%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising its high quality, immersive nature, and ability to enhance the gameplay experience. The soundtrack features a mix of metalcore and varied themes that fit well with the game's aesthetic, contributing significantly to the atmosphere and intensity of combat. While there are a few criticisms regarding specific tracks, the general consensus is that the music is a standout feature that adds personality and excitement to the game.
- “Plus, the game looks great: the aesthetic style is very cool, being part biopunk and part monster horror, and the soundtrack is full of metalcore bangers that wouldn't sound out of place on an After the Burial or Unearth album.”
- “The music fits the levels flawlessly and only serves to enhance the gameplay; if you're normally someone that would turn it off, I'd recommend leaving it on for a few runs just to experience it and how it changes from area to area.”
- “The music is fantastic and gives the game so much more personality.”
- “The music in the robot zone was so bad that it made me want to uninstall, but I can just mute it and listen to Spotify, so that's okay.”
- “Muting the soundtrack feels like neutering the game entirely.”
- “-bad music”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
38%
8%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique and stylish art style, blending biopunk and monster horror aesthetics, complemented by an engaging soundtrack. While many appreciate the vibrant visuals and variety, some note that the graphics can become cluttered and may hinder gameplay clarity, particularly during intense moments. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, enhancing the immersive experience despite occasional criticisms regarding their impact on gameplay.
- “Plus, the game looks great: the aesthetic style is very cool, being part biopunk and part monster horror, and the soundtrack is full of metalcore bangers that wouldn't sound out of place on an After the Burial or Unearth album.”
- “The aesthetics speak for themselves - I love when an indie game does something different than just pixel art, plus the clearly stylized design helps with readability, which is always a plus in such a hectic game.”
- “Graphics are stellar, no question there.”
- “The art style is really chromatically aggressive, which works in its favor visually, but not at all mechanically.”
- “However, the visuals do grow stale quickly, as there isn’t much variety in each biome.”
- “The visuals are clearly more important to the devs than the play, and yet both visuals and audio seem like they were designed to annoy and obstruct--boring would be an improvement.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often unfulfilling, with many upgrades feeling low-impact and not significantly altering gameplay. While some compare it to other games with grinding mechanics, the consensus is that the current metaprogression system lacks meaningful rewards, making the experience feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge. Despite this, there is hope that future updates may improve the grind and overall enjoyment.
- “None of it changes your playstyle and it feels like lateral progress. After grinding for 2 hours for currency, you'll unlock a single thing that barely does anything, but you're forced to buy one thing to unlock the ability to buy the next thing.”
- “Metaprogression doesn't feel like it's worth grinding, and bosses are the same at the end of each stage.”
- “Despite the two new game modes, the core gameplay loop remains the same and is just as tedious as it was before release.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game offers a mix of replayability, with many players appreciating the variety of characters and unique gimmicks available. However, some reviewers feel it lacks the addictive hook typical of other roguelites, citing limited item variation and high difficulty for new players as drawbacks. Overall, while there is a solid foundation for replay value, it may not be enough to keep all players engaged long-term.
- “Fun, replayable, and tons of unique gimmicks to use.”
- “High replay value especially because you need to unlock new characters.”
- “The game has a lot of replay value and the controls are easy to learn.”
- “Replay value is pretty poor; granted there are 6 classes and the game plays great, but other than that, items don't really change the way you play, and you're not going to get any real variations in different runs.”
- “Maybe I'm just malding and I'm not all that good at the game, but it doesn't feel friendly to new players. I'm having a hard time understanding why they made the difficulty so high for unlocking essential characters that create the replay value this game desperately needs to stay in my library.”
- “There is a mountain of content for an early access title as far as characters and replayability goes, but it still feels lacking.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The story is described as simple yet engaging, complemented by vibrant visuals and enjoyable combat. However, some players feel that the quest progression is overly punishing, detracting from the overall experience and making it difficult to fully appreciate the narrative.
- “Not even 3 hours in and it's a glorious spell of colors, fantastic combat, and an amazing yet simple story, characters, and goals.”
- “I must admit, I am a 'mechanics first' guy and still I felt something was missing in terms of the story.”
- “The devs implemented these wack quests to get new characters, but the progression through these quests is so punishing that I cannot bring myself to set up a run just for it to fall apart in one section.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its innovative character classes and design, which contribute to a rich gameplay experience. Players appreciate the depth and uniqueness of the characters, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the roguelike and dungeon crawler elements. The combination of smooth combat and engaging mechanics further elevates the character development aspect.
- “The deflection mindset is further baked into all aspects of the game, including character design -- and deflector might have some of the most interesting character classes in recent memory.”
- “Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good roguelike or dungeon crawler, smooth and satisfying combat, good visuals, fantastic soundtrack, great character design, unique mechanics, responsive developers. I can't wait to see what else this game has coming in the future.”
- “The character development feels shallow and uninspired, lacking the depth and complexity that I was hoping for.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and lacking in meaningful choices, making it hard to feel invested in their journeys.”
- “The characters seem one-dimensional, and their growth throughout the game is minimal, leaving me disappointed.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is significantly enhanced by its effective soundtrack, which complements the overall experience.
- “The soundtrack perfectly enhances the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The immersive environment draws you in and makes you feel part of the world.”
- “The combination of visuals and sound creates a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game's humor to be promising and entertaining, with one reviewer highlighting its fun mechanics and engaging soundtrack. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the gaming experience.
- “I'm sorry to write this, because the game seems very promising and funny.”
- “Very fun game! The humor in the parry mechanics is hilarious, and the soundtrack is fantastic.”