Riddled Corpses

About

Riddled Corpses is a challenging 8/16-bit arcade-style game with hordes of pixel art zombies and monsters across 6 unique stages. Choose from 6 playable characters, each with their own shooting style and special ability, as you battle through levels filled with chaotic, fast-paced action. New characters, enemies, and special abilities have been added to the PC version for even more variety and replayability.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

grinding44 negative mentions

Fun and addictive gameplay with a retro aesthetic that appeals to fans of classic arcade shooters.
Challenging mechanics that require skill and strategy, making progression satisfying once upgrades are achieved.
Variety of characters and abilities adds depth to gameplay, allowing for different playstyles.

Heavy reliance on grinding for upgrades can make the game feel tedious and repetitive, especially in the early stages.
Poor visibility due to HUD elements obscuring important gameplay information and enemy positions.
Lack of significant updates or support for the PC version compared to console versions, leading to a less polished experience.

grinding
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is heavily criticized for its excessive grinding, which is necessary for character progression and defeating stages, leading to repetitive gameplay. Many players find the grind tedious and time-consuming, often feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. While some appreciate the grind as a casual pastime, the consensus is that it overshadows other aspects of the game, making it feel more like a chore than a fun experience.
- “As other reviews note, progression is a grind; you must level up your character with gold you collect from defeated enemies, and stages are impossible to beat without grinding to level up.”
- “The only way to progress is to level up; the only way to get money is to play the game and die countless times to make up that money needed to level up, and every level starts out super slow, which makes getting money very tedious.”
- “It's a grindfest; while I could easily look past this fact because I don't mind grinding, it's kind of fun to an extent, but Riddled Corpses takes it really far.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
64%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by skill-based mechanics typical of twin-stick bullet-hell shooters, featuring a grind-heavy progression system that can detract from the overall experience. While the retro aesthetic and addictive arcade elements are praised, many players find the repetitive nature and lack of variety in gameplay and upgrades to be significant drawbacks. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre, but its grindy and simplistic mechanics may not appeal to everyone.
- “Great retro aesthetic, combined with addictive arcade gameplay and character progression mechanics, produce a top-class experience.”
- “The shooting mechanics are great; annihilating every abomination in your way is very satisfying. While the screen can get very busy with the amount of bullets present at times, it is exhilarating to slip around bullets like a boss.”
- “This is a fun and faithful recreation of old-fashioned arcade shooters that is just difficult enough to make beating the game satisfying without making the journey there too frustrating.”
- “However, the design of gameplay progression means you can't beat the game based on skill alone.”
- “It feels like everything should be 1.25x or 1.5x faster and, with the gameplay loop being a total grind, this really is detrimental.”
- “The gameplay is fine, if a bit repetitive, but there's no real story at all, no real difference to the characters beyond their special abilities, and no real reason to keep playing beyond the satisfaction of completion.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
8%
The graphics of the game are predominantly praised for their retro pixel art style, which effectively captures the charm of 8- and 16-bit aesthetics, appealing to fans of classic arcade games. While some reviews highlight the vibrant colors and detailed designs, others criticize the execution, suggesting that the graphics can feel outdated or poorly rendered compared to other titles. Overall, the visuals are a mixed bag, resonating well with retro enthusiasts but potentially falling flat for those seeking modern graphical fidelity.
- “Great retro aesthetic, combined with addictive arcade gameplay and character progression mechanics, produce a top-class experience.”
- “The level of detail in this game's art is just dumbfounding; the brilliant colors and some of the dark or bright aesthetics in the levels mix into an art direction that I love and can't get enough of.”
- “Retro graphics, great chiptune soundtrack, and arcade gameplay are the reasons why I can't stop playing this game.”
- “The worst part about this 'game' apart from the incredibly lazy, overdone shooter mechanics that hundreds of other games on Steam do better is the graphics.”
- “The artwork is so bad; while the developers are trying to ape the outdated and obsolete graphics of the 1990s, they do a *worse* job of it.”
- “The graphics just seem kind of ugly to me, to be honest.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its catchy retro and chiptune elements that enhance the gameplay experience, while others criticize it for being repetitive and annoying over time. Several users noted that the soundtrack is enjoyable initially but lacks variety, leading to a sense of fatigue. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the nostalgic feel, it could benefit from more diversity to maintain player engagement.
- “Riddled Corpses is a very straightforward twin-stick shooter with design and music heavily influenced by the 8-bit/retro/pixelated generation.”
- “Retro graphics, great chiptune soundtrack, and arcade gameplay are the reasons why I can't stop playing this game.”
- “The music and art are well above average and, while I'm not generally into bit tunes, this is a soundtrack I'd listen to if it were available.”
- “This game runs poorly, features stolen sounds, many of which are from SNK, and the music is bad.”
- “The music is a bit short and repetitive; other than that, it is a solid game.”
- “First, the art on the cover is way better than the actual game, and the music is just a bunch of high-pitched noises.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
63%
25%
The game's story is generally considered minimal and underdeveloped, with many players noting a lack of engaging narrative elements such as cutscenes or character backgrounds. While some versions include a basic story mode, it is often described as generic and not a primary focus of the gameplay, which is more centered on challenging mechanics rather than storytelling. Overall, those seeking a rich narrative experience may find this game lacking.
- “The game could have had some cut scenes to push it along, to kind of make me want to keep playing, like slowly telling me a story, but it's not like that at all and in my opinion it was a mistake not to include that.”
- “Typically, players are given incentives to attempt the story mode.”
- “The gameplay is fine, if a bit repetitive, but there's no real story at all, no real difference to the characters beyond their special abilities, and no real reason to keep playing beyond the satisfaction of completion.”
- “At this point, I swear I'm totally fed up with them; it's no different here. Things go badly, and suddenly we have a plot device that's just as generic as possible. However, while the story is no longer than three lines, everything else makes up for it.”
- “You also might benefit from making some type of story in the game (but don't make it the main focus) or at the very least have some type of background to characters.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, making it an enjoyable choice for casual play, particularly for those looking to relax or improve their shooting skills. Players find it amusing enough to engage with for short sessions, typically around 1-2 hours.
- “A funny game to spend your weekend.”
- “It's a funny game to spend 1-2 hours per day if you want to chill or practice shooting skills. :p”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that while the game offers some replayability through grinding and difficulty, the limited game modes and steep leveling costs can feel more like artificial padding than genuine replay value. The necessity to grind for upgrades may extend playtime, but it also detracts from the overall enjoyment and variety.
- “The leveling starts cheap enough, but afterwards, nearing level 20, the prices turn obnoxiously high compared to the amount of gold you would gain from arcade. Some could call it replayability, but considering there are only two game modes, I would rather call it padding via limitations.”
- “Raw skill only gets you so far with the game, and while some feel that it's a poor design choice having to grind for more firepower, it needs to be addressed that if it wasn't for the grinding and steep difficulty, this game would be over in a single sitting, offering little replay value.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional impact of the game heightened by the mechanic where touching a boss results in an instant defeat, creating a sense of vulnerability and urgency that resonates deeply with the overall experience.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is criticized for being heavily reliant on overpriced microtransactions, which limits the overall experience and feels reminiscent of a mobile game model.
- “This feels like a microtransaction-based mobile game that is overpriced and really limited.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report that stability issues significantly impact gameplay, with many feeling that deaths in the game are often attributed to bugs rather than a lack of skill.
- “I don't feel like I died due to a lack of skill; I feel like I died because the game is buggy.”