Gatekeeper
- May 13, 2024
- Gravity Lagoon
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam"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."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging gameplay experience, reminiscent of Risk of Rain, with a unique top-down perspective.
- The art style and soundtrack are fantastic, contributing to an immersive atmosphere.
- There is a good variety of characters and items, allowing for different playstyles and strategies.
- The game can feel repetitive over time, with some players noting a lack of map and enemy variety.
- Balancing issues exist, particularly with melee characters feeling underpowered compared to ranged ones.
- Some players have experienced technical issues, such as crashes and connectivity problems in multiplayer.
- gameplay94 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its high replayability, diverse character options, and engaging mechanics that blend bullet hell and melee dodging elements. While many players appreciate the smooth controls and enjoyable multiplayer features, some criticize the repetitiveness and lack of impactful itemization, suggesting that the game could benefit from more variety and customization options. Overall, the gameplay is generally well-received, with a solid foundation that keeps players entertained, though opinions vary on its depth and originality compared to similar titles.
“A lot of replayability thanks to achievements unlocking different items, keeping the gameplay fresh.”
“The gameplay is like a bullet hell mixed with melee dodging, learning boss mechanics, and new mob mechanics.”
“The arsenal of artifacts with oddly specific ways to unlock them keeps gameplay interesting and adds more challenges to the game on top of the original goal.”
“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.”
“Levels repeat, content repeats, runs feel repetitive after a while; some sort of progression mechanic can still motivate you.”
- music58 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its engaging and unique soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and less impressive compared to similar titles. Some players appreciate the energetic vibe and how it complements gameplay, while a few suggest turning it off in favor of personal playlists. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a highlight for many, though opinions on its quality and fit vary significantly.
“The music is beautiful, unique & engaging.”
“Honestly, the music alone is worth the price.”
“The combat is fun, the progression is rewarding and meaningful, and the music is great.”
“I do have the ror2 vibe, but with far worse music (might put your own music on).”
“The music isn't as good here, the gameplay isn't as good.”
“Music is generic EDM and feels like a stock asset.”
- graphics56 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique art style, vibrant visuals, and atmospheric design, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. While many players appreciate the clean and crisp graphics, some report performance issues, such as lag during intense moments. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to the game's appeal despite some criticisms regarding texture quality and object visibility.
“The art style is very appealing, with the new large maps packing quite a bit of atmosphere.”
“The graphics look very nice and a lot of enemies are unique and original, a lot of which have unique behavior, which makes it feel more like fighting actual enemies and not bots that just chase after you in a straight line.”
“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.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising its achievements and rogue-like mechanics that encourage exploration and provide a sense of progression. However, some users express disappointment due to a lack of unique content and engaging characters, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness in subsequent runs. Overall, while there are elements that enhance replay value, opinions vary significantly on its long-term appeal.
“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.”
“The environments are colorful and interesting and beg to be explored, even if the characters aren't that interesting and you get tired of exploring those environments on subsequent runs. With no deep secrets, this is a minor replayability issue.”
“Absolutely no replayability....”
“Just does not have a lot of replayability.”
- story9 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is considered underdeveloped, with players noting a lack of depth in the overall plot and lore, reducing it to a straightforward shooting experience. While the core gameplay mechanics are praised, many feel that the main story mode needs to be expanded and enriched to enhance the overall experience.
“Although not super fleshed out in terms of overall plot and story, the game has solidified its awesome core gameplay loops and mechanics.”
“Hope the main story mode gets longer through development.”
“Any sort of lore and story has been thrown overboard, and it's just a mindless horde shooter now.”
“When it comes to gameplay, it is a mixed story.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for delivering smooth performance with no bugs or frame drops, even on high settings and lower-end hardware. However, some users have reported significant performance issues, indicating a disparity in experiences among players.
“Awesome game, well developed, no bugs or performance issues.”
“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.”
“The performance is god awful now and it feels like the demo was miles ahead.”
“Btw, optimization is also pretty okay.”
“Performance-wise, I play on ultra wide 1440p 240hz.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, with characters lacking a sense of speed and bosses feeling more like bullet sponges than genuine challenges. While the game is polished and enjoyable, it is noted to be grindier than similar titles like "Risk of Rain" and "Hades," which offer more rewarding progression systems that reduce the grind. Comparisons to "Diablo" highlight a preference for games that provide meaningful loot and character upgrades to enhance gameplay variety.
“But then... the characters don't feel 'fast', so it felt tedious to me.”
“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.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, featuring appealing art style, immersive graphics, and engaging music that evoke a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of "Risk of Rain." Players appreciate the expansive maps and the ability to lose track of time while enjoying the atmospheric experience, which contributes significantly to its replayability. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements creates a captivating environment that draws players in.
“The art style is very appealing, with the new large maps packing quite a bit of atmosphere.”
“I like the graphics, music, and atmosphere.”
“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.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with some praising the character designs while others note a lack of originality and functionality among similar designs. Overall, there is a consensus that improvements are needed to enhance the uniqueness and depth of the characters.
“Even things like the basic character design have bizarre elements.”
“Character design definitely needs some work.”
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a highly stable experience with the game, noting that it runs smoothly without any bugs or glitches. The performance is consistently praised, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience.
“Runs great, feels great, looks great.”
