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About

"Gatekeeper is a Shooter game with exceptional mechanics, splendid graphics, and spectacular music. Play solo or team up with a friend in multi-player co-op mode. Your mission: reclaim the stolen Heart of the Universe from an unknown galaxy, utilizing unique abilities of playable characters and collectibles to defeat ancient guardians and unlock new locations."

Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
Gatekeeper screenshot
+8

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,580 reviews
gameplay80 positive mentions
grinding20 negative mentions

  • Outstanding soundtrack that enhances the gaming experience.
  • Breathtaking graphics and particle effects that create a visually stunning environment.
  • Diverse character selection with unique abilities, allowing for varied gameplay styles.
  • Limited story and lore, making the narrative feel shallow.
  • Balancing issues with certain characters and enemies, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Not enough content currently available, with only a few maps and items, which may lead to repetitive gameplay.
  • gameplay
    242 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Gatekeeper" is characterized by its engaging core loop, reminiscent of "Risk of Rain," where players stack items and face progressively tougher enemies across various stages. While the game offers enjoyable mechanics, diverse character classes, and solid multiplayer features, some players have noted issues with balance, repetitiveness, and a lack of impactful customization options. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fun factor and polish, especially for an early access title, but there are calls for further refinement and additional content to enhance variety and depth.

    • “The gameplay loop is similar to Risk of Rain as other reviews have mentioned: you stack the same items to build their strength and then run through the same few areas in a loop, and each stage gets progressively more difficult as enemies deal more damage and have more health.”
    • “Gatekeeper is visually stunning, and the gameplay is fun, especially with friends; we found ourselves burying hours into it without even realizing.”
    • “The gameplay loop is satisfying: you land in some unknown place, fight waves of enemies, do some objectives, loot chests with items that give you certain bonuses, and level up your characters with perks like + attack speed, + damage, + hp regen, - cooldowns.”
    • “My absolute biggest gripe is in the new gameplay balance; it's a mess.”
    • “Overall, extremely unenjoyable progression system, bland empty levels, uninspired enemy visuals and lack of gameplay depth.”
    • “Lack of actual 'game' would actually be fitting the most here because whatever you do here feels like it has neither impact on the gameplay nor does it feel like the game itself cares about it anyway.”
  • music
    144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its outstanding soundtrack that features engaging, bass-heavy electronic tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. While some players find the music to be unique and captivating, others criticize it as repetitive or generic, suggesting it may not suit everyone's taste. Overall, the soundtrack is a significant highlight for many, contributing to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.

    • “This is literally my favorite soundtrack in any video game, beating out even ROR2.”
    • “The soundtrack goes absolutely wild; I had to buy the supporter pack after one run through the game because it slaps.”
    • “The game’s soundtrack is equally fun—a pulsing, bass-heavy electro jam that scales up or down based on on-screen intensity.”
    • “Come early access, I played for around 2 hours, but there were no sensations from the gameplay, music, or progression; everything felt stale, dull, boring, and worthless.”
    • “The music isn't as good here, the gameplay isn't as good.”
    • “If you're going to play, I'd suggest turning the music off and playing your own stuff.”
  • graphics
    134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their breathtaking visuals, unique art style, and atmospheric environments, often compared favorably to titles like "Risk of Rain 2." While many players appreciate the clean and crisp design, some have noted performance issues, particularly during intense gameplay moments, which can affect frame rates. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, enhancing the game's appeal despite some criticisms regarding object visibility and occasional outdated textures.

    • “This game looks remarkably good and its art style matches the theme perfectly.”
    • “The art style is very appealing, with the new large maps packing quite a bit of atmosphere.”
    • “The art style and visual effects are beautiful.”
    • “The game lags so bad even when it's on minimum graphics.”
    • “The graphical component looks outdated, even for an indie project, and the poor quality of textures and lack of detail give the impression that you are playing a game from the 90s.”
    • “Overall, extremely unenjoyable progression system, bland empty levels, uninspired enemy visuals and lack of gameplay depth.”
  • story
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal, primarily consisting of a brief starting cutscene, with players needing to seek out lore themselves. Many reviewers express a desire for a more developed narrative or campaign mode, likening it to franchises like "Diablo," but ultimately describe the experience as a mindless horde shooter lacking substantial plot. Overall, while the gameplay mechanics are praised, the story aspect is seen as underwhelming and in need of expansion.

    • “Although not super fleshed out in terms of overall plot and story, the game has solidified its awesome core gameplay loops and mechanics.”
    • “I wish it had a campaign/story mode like in the 'Diablo' franchise or something.”
    • “Hope the main story mode gets longer through development.”
    • “Not a lot of story aside from the starting cutscene; you have to look for the lore.”
    • “Any sort of lore and story has been thrown overboard and it's just a mindless horde shooter now.”
    • “Gatekeeper is a story-less, stage-based roguelite that gives you control of one of seven unlockable gatekeepers, then asks you to murder everything in sight over and over again until you, yourself, are inevitably murdered.”
  • replayability
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising its high replay value due to achievements, rogue-like mechanics, and engaging environments that encourage exploration. However, some users express disappointment over a lack of unique content and character depth, leading to diminished replayability over time. Overall, while the game offers fun and varied play styles, opinions vary on its long-term replay potential.

    • “A lot of replayability thanks to achievements unlocking different items, keeping the gameplay new.”
    • “Excellent replay value.”
    • “High replayability due to the rogue-like nature of the game and the endless survival mechanic.”
    • “Absolutely no replayability....”
    • “Just does not have a lot of replayability.”
    • “It's not unique, lack of content (would have more in a future though), heroes and boons are pretty boring and not much replayability as well.”
  • optimization
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise its smooth performance, lack of bugs, and impressive frame rates, others report significant issues with optimization that lead to confusion over game stability. Overall, the game appears well-optimized for many, but there are notable concerns regarding performance for some users.

    • “The music is great and the performance is impeccable; I have had zero lag or frame drops while playing.”
    • “Seems to be well optimized and runs locked at 144 fps with no crashes.”
    • “Great roguelike game, great design, insane optimization, tons of content and fun during all your runs.”
    • “I want to like this game but it needs work... the content isn't bad but everything is so poorly optimized you can't tell if your game is crashing, freezing, or just stopped working.”
    • “The performance is god awful now and it feels like the demo was miles ahead.”
    • “Performance wise, I play on ultra wide 1440p 240hz.”
  • grinding
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to the repetitive wave-based enemy spawns and the bullet-sponge nature of bosses. While some appreciate the polished gameplay compared to similar titles, many feel that the grind detracts from the overall experience, especially for certain characters that require either luck or exceptional skill to succeed. Comparisons to other games like Hades and Diablo highlight a desire for more rewarding progression systems that reduce the grind.

    • “Once you first clear out the map of enemies, they then spawn in waves of approximately 8 enemies per wave, making money and unlock grinding a long and tedious process.”
    • “An overtuned grindy mess that utterly invalidates one specific character unless you're either insanely lucky or frame-perfect skilled with them.”
    • “The bosses act more like tedious bullet sponges than a challenge that's difficult to overcome; none of them can beat the player simply walking in circles around them.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by appealing art style, immersive graphics, and engaging music that evoke a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of "Risk of Rain." Players appreciate the expansive maps that enhance the overall experience, contributing to a captivating environment that encourages extended playtime. The combination of these elements creates a compelling atmosphere that draws players in and keeps them engaged for hours.

    • “The replayability, music, atmosphere, and ramping difficulty are one of the main reasons for someone to easily lose 3 to 4 hours playing, with a feeling that only 15 minutes have passed.”
    • “A Risk of Rain remix, this game brings all the best parts of ROR while still managing to change the recipe and atmosphere enough to draw you in.”
    • “The art style is very appealing, with the new large maps packing quite a bit of atmosphere.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game performs well on platforms like the Steam Deck, with users praising its smooth gameplay and visuals. However, there are notable stability issues in early access, particularly with the game browser, which frequently fails to load. Despite these bugs, many players report not encountering significant glitches during regular gameplay.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck, too.”
    • “Runs great, feels great, looks great.”
    • “With that said, the early access is pretty buggy, specifically the game browser, which fails to load frequently.”
  • character development
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the character designs as good, while others criticize them for being bizarre and lacking originality. Many users noted a similarity in character designs and item functions, suggesting that there is room for improvement in this area. Overall, the consensus indicates that character design needs further refinement to enhance player engagement.

    • “Character designs are good.”
    • “Even things like the basic character design have bizarre elements.”
    • “Character design definitely needs some work.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is appreciated for its quirky elements, such as "funny numbers" and characters like "funny hammer man." However, some players find that the humor can become frustrating when it is overshadowed by gameplay issues.

    • “Funny hammer man”

Buy Gatekeeper

9h Median play time
70h Average play time
6-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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