Riddled Corpses

About

Riddled Corpses is a single player and multiplayer arcade role playing shooter game with a anime theme. It was developed by DiabolicalMind and was released on June 2, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

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

Skip User Reviews

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 128 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

grinding48 negative mentions

Riddled Corpses offers a nostalgic arcade experience with its fast-paced twin-stick shooter mechanics and retro pixel art style.
The game features a variety of characters with unique abilities, adding strategic depth to gameplay and encouraging experimentation.
Local co-op mode enhances the fun, allowing players to team up and tackle the chaotic zombie hordes together.

The game suffers from a grind-heavy progression system, requiring extensive repetition to unlock upgrades and characters, which can lead to player fatigue.
Repetitive gameplay and a lack of significant variation in mission objectives or enemy types can make the experience feel monotonous over time.
The HUD can obscure important gameplay elements, making it difficult to navigate through the chaos of enemies and projectiles on screen.

gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The gameplay of "Riddled Corpses" is characterized by its tight twin-stick mechanics and exhilarating bullet-hell action, reminiscent of classic arcade shooters. While the game offers a satisfying shooting experience with charming retro graphics, it suffers from repetitiveness and a grindy progression system that can detract from the overall enjoyment. Players may find the lack of variety in gameplay and environments limiting, but those who appreciate the genre's nostalgic elements may still find it engaging.
- “At its core, Riddled Corpses thrives on its tight and responsive twin-stick mechanics.”
- “The sheer volume of enemies on-screen can be overwhelming at times, but that intensity is also what makes the gameplay so exhilarating.”
- “It captures the essence of the arcade era with remarkable fidelity, combining simple yet skillful mechanics, pixel-perfect visuals, and an infectious energy that makes each run feel immediate and exciting.”
- “However, the design of gameplay progression means you can't beat the game based on skill alone.”
- “The gameplay loop is 100% backwards.”
- “The lack of variety becomes a huge issue when the game's design format forces you to replay the same areas over and over again, as the game has an RPG mechanic to up your damage and fire rate, which is necessary to get through the hordes of enemies that come on the later waves.”
grinding
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that grinding is a significant and often tedious aspect of the game, with many players feeling that it is necessary to progress and defeat bosses. While some find the grinding enjoyable and a part of the game's charm, others criticize it for being excessive and repetitive, leading to frustration and a slower gameplay experience. Overall, the grinding mechanic polarizes opinions, with some players appreciating the challenge it brings, while others see it as a major drawback that detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- “The difficulty spikes can also be jarring, as certain levels or bosses become nearly impossible without extensive upgrades, forcing players into repetitive grinding just to progress.”
- “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 takes it really far.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
59%
7%
The graphics of "Riddled Corpses" are characterized by a confident embrace of pixel art, featuring bright colors and exaggerated sprites that evoke a nostalgic arcade aesthetic. While many players appreciate the charming retro visuals and detailed environments, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in quality and a lack of innovation, with a few finding the graphics to be unattractive or poorly executed. Overall, the game's pixelated style resonates well with fans of classic gaming, though opinions vary on its execution and appeal.
- “Riddled Corpses embraces its pixel art style with confidence, featuring bright colors, exaggerated sprites, and environments drenched in apocalyptic detail.”
- “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, even during the most down-to-earth and dark locations, it still manages to be greatly polished, and for that, I applaud it.”
- “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
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
16%
The music in the game is a mix of chiptune and retro-inspired tracks, with many players appreciating its energetic and catchy nature, reminiscent of classic arcade games. However, some reviews criticize the soundtrack for being repetitive and lacking variety, leading to a diminished enjoyment over time. Overall, while the music enhances the nostalgic feel of the game, its looping nature and occasional high-pitched sounds detract from the experience for some players.
- “The chiptune soundtrack amplifies this energy, blending frantic melodies with thumping beats that drive the action forward.”
- “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.”
- “Sound kinda sucks because the music loops.”
- “The music is just a bunch of high-pitched noises, but the worst thing about the game is the gameplay.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
59%
29%
The game's story is minimal and serves primarily as a backdrop for the action, with many players noting its lack of depth and engagement. While some versions include a story mode with basic cutscenes, the overall narrative is considered generic and underdeveloped, leading to a focus on gameplay rather than storytelling. Players seeking a rich narrative experience may find this game lacking, as it prioritizes thrilling action over a compelling story.
- “Typically, players are given incentives to attempt the story mode.”
- “This game, while fun, is not for those who want a story.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “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 3 lines, everything else makes up for it.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note that the lack of a deeper narrative and meaningful character development diminishes player engagement, leaving little motivation beyond achieving higher scores or unlocking content.
- “Furthermore, the absence of a deeper narrative or meaningful character development means there’s little incentive beyond the pursuit of higher scores or unlocks.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional, lacking any real growth or evolution throughout the game.”
- “I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; there was no real sense of progression or change.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by diverse and thematically rich environments, such as crumbling city streets and infernal wastelands, which enhance visual engagement and maintain player interest throughout the consistent core gameplay loop.
- “The immersive sound design and haunting visuals create a palpable tension that draws you into the game world, making every moment feel significant.”
- “The atmospheric details, from the subtle lighting to the ambient sounds, enhance the overall experience, making exploration feel rewarding and alive.”
- “Every stage has its own theme and atmosphere, ranging from crumbling city streets to infernal wastelands, and the variety keeps the action visually engaging even as the core loop remains consistent.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted 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 need to grind for upgrades may extend playtime, but it also detracts from the overall experience, leading some to feel that the game could be completed quickly without these limitations.
- “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.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is highly praised, as it maintains smooth and stable performance even with a large number of sprites and effects on-screen, showcasing effective design and technical execution.
- “Despite the overwhelming number of sprites and effects on-screen, performance remains smooth and stable, a testament to how well the game’s design complements its technical execution.”
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 a one-hit kill, 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 lack of skill; I feel like I died because the game is buggy.”