Rogue Invader

About

In Rogue Invader, play as the invader attacking alien hordes in a roguelite shooter with a 1-bit art style. You're part of a huge army with limited resources, aiming to end a 20-year war after losing supply ships in space battles. Fight through procedurally generated levels and upgrade your gear to achieve your mission.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features a unique retro aesthetic with engaging gameplay mechanics, combining tactical shooting and base management elements.
Weapons are highly customizable and provide a unique feel, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
The game has a lighthearted atmosphere with humorous dialogue and cutscenes, making it enjoyable despite its challenging nature.

Players have reported issues with save files being lost, which can be frustrating after investing significant time into the game.
The game can be extremely difficult, potentially discouraging some players from progressing or enjoying the experience.
Resource management can feel unbalanced, with limited capacity for carrying loot and a lack of checkpoints, leading to repetitive gameplay.

gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
69%
19%
The gameplay is straightforward and engaging, featuring a classic loop of intense action followed by strategic loot analysis, which adds depth through mechanics like fighting and weapon mods. While the game can feel short and suffers from repetitive level design and unbalanced loot mechanics, the humorous narrative and rewarding gameplay experience make it enjoyable once players familiarize themselves with the mechanics. Overall, it’s recommended to wait for sales or future content updates to enhance the experience.
- “Gameplay loop: during a drop you have intense action and stress, but once you die you get a break to analyze the loot you picked up and gear yourself out for the next run.”
- “There's a surprising amount of depth to the game, including fighting mechanics, weapon mods, a resource forge, etc. I think the humorous intel was a nice touch as well.”
- “Doesn't explain itself very well in terms of mechanics, but once you get acquainted with what you're doing, it's great fun and very rewarding.”
- “The resource looting mechanics can use some rework.”
- “I'd say get it when it goes on sale or more content (such as level biomes etc) has been added and loot mechanics has been reworked.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique retro aesthetic, reminiscent of 1-bit designs, which adds charm and style to the gameplay. While some view the graphics as a gimmick, they effectively contribute to the game's identity, making it feel fresh rather than outdated. Overall, players appreciate the art style, noting it enhances the experience of this roguelite sidescroller.
- “It has a nice retro aesthetic with gameplay that doesn't make you feel like you're clunking around in some 40+ year old scroller.”
- “The graphics are something of a gimmick (I assume derived from a 1-bit game jam some time back), but do work for giving the game a unique style.”
- “A difficult but charming roguelite in the vein of older shooters, with an aesthetic to match.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its lighthearted and fun humor, which adds to the overall experience, especially during challenging moments. Players appreciate the witty cut scenes and humorous dialogue, particularly the Zeno King's playful jabs at player deaths, enhancing the game's retro charm. Overall, the humor is seen as a significant and enjoyable aspect that complements the game's depth and mechanics.
- “This game is lighthearted and fun with great humor, which you will need when you die over and over :)”
- “The cut scenes are really funny and the Zeno King's jab at you dying every time brings a smile to my face :) I'll update the review once I play through some more.”
- “There's a surprising amount of depth to the game, including fighting mechanics, weapon mods, a resource forge, etc. I think the humorous intel was a nice touch as well.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its excellence, with many users highlighting the quality of the soundtrack and describing it as "really cool." Overall, the audio experience is a standout feature.
- “Audio-wise, the music is excellent.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “The music is really cool, too.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's story is described as silly and corny, evoking nostalgia with its retro aesthetic reminiscent of classic titles. While some players find the narrative short, they appreciate its straightforwardness and fun, likening it to the charm of "Starship Troopers." Overall, the lighthearted storyline adds to the enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
- “The storyline is corny as hell and reminds me a lot of Starship Troopers, but in a good way.”
- “While the game can be a little short, the gameplay is very straightforward, and the silly story is quite fun.”
- “When I started the game, the retro, black and white look immediately took me back to my childhood days when I played Dark Castle and King's Quest on my Macintosh computer.”
- “The storyline is corny as hell and reminds me a lot of Starship Troopers, but in a bad way.”
- “The storyline is predictable and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evoke any real emotional response.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a lighthearted and fun tone, infused with great humor that helps players cope with frequent challenges and setbacks.
- “The atmosphere of this game is lighthearted and fun, filled with great humor that you'll definitely need when you die over and over!”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, yet the overall enjoyment and fun factor keep them engaged and motivated to continue playing.
- “Progression feels excessively grindy, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The grinding aspect of the game is tedious and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I find the grinding to be a major drawback, as it feels like a chore rather than enjoyable gameplay.”