Impaler

About

Impaler is a single player survival shooter game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Apptivus and was released on December 6, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

"Impaler" is a single-player fantasy shooter with outstanding gameplay and music. The challenging arena shooter features 90s-inspired graphics, diverse map layouts, monsters to impale, and upgrades to earn. With controller support, this game offers a smooth and immersive experience, perfect for the Steam Deck.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+13

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 621 reviews

gameplay70 positive mentions

story2 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and satisfying spike mechanic that enhances both combat and movement, allowing for creative strategies.
It's an incredibly fun and addictive arena shooter that provides a great experience for its low price, making it a steal.
The gameplay is easy to learn but hard to master, with enough depth to keep players engaged through various runs and upgrades.

The game lacks content variety, with only a single arena and a limited number of enemies, which can lead to repetitive gameplay.
Some players have reported issues with balance and difficulty, particularly after updates that changed the gameplay dynamics.
The controls can feel off, especially for those using a controller, which may detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The gameplay is praised for its fun and engaging mechanics, particularly the unique impaling feature and responsive controls, which create a satisfying combat experience. While the core mechanics are simple to learn, they offer depth and a high skill ceiling, making mastery rewarding. However, some players note the limited content and suggest that additional features could enhance the overall experience.
- “While the gameplay loop is rather simple on a surface level, it actually takes time to master.”
- “The gameplay loop is solid and it feels great to master the mechanics.”
- “Learning the game’s mechanics is very satisfying and it’s very fun to kill monsters in many different ways.”
- “On the other hand, the content is seriously limited, with only five enemies and six weapons, of which I have so far gotten three. I have no motivation to really push further because they all feel as if they have pretty much the same DPS and accuracy, so there is no alpha vs. DPS choice. You can only carry one per run, with a special spike weapon as your secondary, which fits the name but limits the gameplay.”
- “But with no leaderboards and no other levels, I see no reason to return to it after my 2.3 hours of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is slow and way too easy.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
25%
7%
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and well-suited to the gameplay. While some noted that the music may not always match the game's atmosphere, the overall sound design, including sound effects and ambiance, is considered exceptional and enhances the gaming experience. Players particularly appreciated the combination of good music with fun combat and expressive movement, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The music, sound effects, visual feedback, etc. are all more than worth mentioning as well.”
- “A good OST to be slaying the denizens of hell!!!”
- “The sound design, music, sprites, and gameplay are exceptional and make me more than a little envious.”
- “The music is just filling noises, there's no real music.”
- “Sad, because everything else is great: the concept, the map, the movement, the art, and the music.”
- “The music, sound effects, and visual feedback are all more than worth mentioning, but they still fall short.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
56%
9%
The graphics of the game are praised for their retro aesthetic, reminiscent of 90s boomer shooters, with vibrant colors and well-designed monsters that enhance the overall ambiance. While some users noted minor inconsistencies in texture quality and presentation, the game runs smoothly on lower-end hardware, making it accessible without sacrificing visual appeal. Overall, the combination of chunky sprites and a unique art style contributes to a visually engaging experience.
- “The tasteful art style on the cover doesn't promise too much: the monsters look good, the music and ambiance are very well done.”
- “Extremely fun, retro graphics done in a very interesting way that just looks really cool.”
- “It runs very smoothly and has a nice looking retro inspired art style.”
- “First, the presentation and aesthetics could use some tweaks.”
- “The game has slightly high-res PBR textures, which, in my opinion, clash with the rest of the game's aesthetics.”
- “Right now it's on the low end as far as graphics go, so you shouldn't need the most powerful PC to play.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The game's replayability is generally viewed positively, with many players appreciating its fun and engaging mechanics that encourage repeated play. However, some critiques highlight a lack of depth and variety, suggesting that the game could benefit from additional features like dynamic environments and difficulty settings to enhance replay value. Overall, while it offers decent replayability, there is potential for improvement to make it more compelling in the long run.
- “The game’s replayability is one of its strongest suits.”
- “This never gets old, and never will because of the arcade replayability of trying to get a high score.”
- “Decent art direction, amazing simple yet deep gameplay, plentiful replayability.”
- “A roguelite with not the most replayability due to a few reasons.”
- “The game would be much more replayable if maybe some walls moved around or the pillars shifted across the room.”
- “Great game, fluid and fun FPS but too easy and too short; it lacks depth, variety, and replay value as it gets repetitive.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game lacks a narrative, with multiple users emphasizing that players should not expect any story elements or traditional map designs reminiscent of classic titles like Doom.
- “There is no story.”
- “Don't come into this game expecting a story or Doom E1M1 type maps.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, delivering smooth performance with high frame rates (between 460 and 560 fps) even on older hardware like the AMD Vega 64. Additionally, the developer is responsive to user feedback, further enhancing the overall experience.
- “Runs smoothly and has a good developer who listens to feedback.”
- “Performance is great; I get between 460 and 560 fps with an old AMD Vega 64.”
- “Runs smoothly and has a good developer who listens to feedback.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it very funny and enjoyable, contributing to a high level of replayability.
- “Very good and funny to play, also has a pretty good amount of replayability!”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews suggest that the game could benefit from the addition of a third limited-use weapon, such as a bomb that either damages or freezes enemies, to enhance gameplay stability and variety.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, contributing to an overall sense of length that feels excessive.
- “The game is longer now and it just gets too tedious and repetitive.”