Seraph's Last Stand

About

Seraph's Last Stand is a single player casual shooter game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Socket Lab and was released on March 23, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

"Seraph's Last Stand" is a rogue-like shoot 'em up game, inspired by the classic "Heli Attack." Each playthrough starts fresh, but cleverly combining upgrades can result in formidable builds. The game features over 40 items, multiple staves and hats, and a leaderboard system, providing a fun and competitive experience for players. For inquiries, contact [email protected].

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,920 reviews

gameplay64 positive mentions

grinding44 negative mentions

Incredibly fun and addictive gameplay for only $0.99, offering great value for the price.
The game features a variety of builds and upgrades, allowing for experimentation and replayability.
Simple mechanics combined with a retro aesthetic create an enjoyable experience reminiscent of classic arcade games.

Progression can be painfully slow, with significant grinding required to unlock upgrades and items.
The game suffers from balance issues, particularly in later waves where enemies become overwhelmingly difficult.
Bugs and performance issues, especially at higher levels, can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

gameplay
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The gameplay is characterized as simple yet addictive, featuring a rewarding core loop that encourages replayability through various upgrades and mechanics, including a unique 'ascension' system. However, many players note that the game can become grindy, particularly in the early stages, and some mechanics may feel unbalanced or lead to a lack of depth over time. Overall, it offers a fun experience for its price, especially for fans of roguelike and bullet hell genres, but could benefit from more variety and faster progression.
- “The gameplay loop is incredibly rewarding.”
- “The core gameplay loop is super satisfying, relaxing and is centered around building game-breaking synergies to destroy all enemies before they destroy you.”
- “It's so simple in how it looks and the gameplay is also easy to understand but somehow it hooks you and doesn't let you go until you're too exhausted to begin another run!”
- “1 hour of gameplay gives enough currency to buy 1/5th of your first upgrade, so expect a lot of grind early game.”
- “The upgrades are very minimal considering the price, and the gameplay becomes rather stale very quickly.”
- “More importantly, the likely average gameplay isn't that fun.”
grinding
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
6%
92%
The game's grinding mechanics have received mixed reviews, with many players finding the initial levels tedious and excessively grindy for upgrades, often likening it to a "grinding simulator." However, some users noted that once certain upgrades are unlocked, the gameplay can become significantly faster and more enjoyable. Overall, while the game offers fun mechanics, the grinding aspect is a common point of frustration for players.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The initial levels are an incredibly boring slog and the grind to farm blue items to upgrade your character is extremely grindy.”
- “Was way too grindy and slow-paced for me.”
- “What I don't like is the unnecessary grinding aspect.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simplistic, retro aesthetic reminiscent of old Atari visuals, which many players find appealing. While there are limited types of enemy projectiles, the overall presentation is clean and colorful, contributing to an engaging gameplay experience. However, some users noted issues with visibility and occasional graphical glitches, suggesting room for improvement in optimization.
- “Even though the visuals are fairly simplistic, I genuinely enjoy the 'old school' look (also the contrast of black and white with the colorful bullets).”
- “The graphics, in my opinion, are where the game stands out the most. It has that old Atari-styled feel to it, alongside the symbols for the card upgrades being very aesthetically pleasing to look at. In general, the presentation graphics-wise is clean and never feels jarring or out of place.”
- “Was browsing through my YouTube list of videos and saw that AngoryTom was playing this game with a simple yet beautiful art style. After that, it was simply a matter of finding it on Steam and paying whatever was needed, but to my surprise, only a dollar was needed. Extremely happy to support small developers.”
- “There's only 4 kinds of enemy projectile graphics, but 2 of the same kind of graphic can deal wildly different damage based on which enemy shot it.”
- “Mouse and keyboard are slightly better, but then you can't see your crosshair due to all the mess and poor graphics.”
- “I'd pay for a graphics upgrade or optimization.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
54%
7%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players finding it relaxing, catchy, and enjoyable, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some users noted issues with sound glitches and expressed frustration over frequent prompts to purchase the soundtrack. Overall, while the music enhances gameplay for many, there are calls for improvements, such as making it more responsive to in-game events.
- “It's actually pretty fun and has a pleasant soundtrack.”
- “This game is just so relaxing to play, I really love the music and it's overall completely underrated.”
- “The music is awesome.”
- “Every single time you open the game or play a round, you'll be greeted with an invitation to buy this horrible soundtrack.”
- “The music and sound effects are pretty standard, although they tend to glitch out a lot and break randomly. It didn't bother me too much, but it doesn't give the best impression, I'd imagine.”
- “Getting one shot and having perks not being given, like the wisp not even spawning at times, makes the game a lot less fun. Also, seeing the dev saying, 'Hey, buy the OST for the 1 dollar game' after every single run is frustrating. If I want to buy it, I will; don't go mobile game ad spam on it.”
replayability
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, especially considering its low price of 0.99€. While some players note that it can be completed in about 5 hours, many appreciate the variety of builds and synergies that encourage multiple playthroughs. However, concerns about early game pacing and a lack of enemy diversity in later waves suggest that while replayable, it could benefit from additional content and upgrades to enhance the experience further.
- “Considering the price and the replay value this game has to offer, it's hard to say no to this gem if you're into the rogue-like shmup genre.”
- “For not even a dollar, this is a must if you enjoy roguelikes; it's simple gameplay but exciting synergies keep this game very replayable, and even more so with an added leaderboard.”
- “Has great replayability and skills will take some time to unlock, so it will keep you engaged.”
- “Not much replayability; you can 100% it in about 5 hours if you’re lucky.”
- “Early waves are a slog and enemy diversity completely stops after wave 90, so it doesn't feel like there's much replayability to be had.”
- “Definitely wish there were ways to speed up the first 30-ish waves, as they really slow down the replayability, but still nothing too terrible.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and poor optimization, leading to significant memory usage issues. While players find it enjoyable and appreciate its aesthetic, the overall stability is considered lacking, making it feel unpolished and frustrating at times. Despite these issues, many believe it still offers good value for the price.
- “The game is buggy and needs better UX to better understand upgrades, but it's definitely worth the price tag.”
- “Buggy, messy trash that's gonna suck up your RAM faster than Luna cryptocurrency died: in less than 40 minutes, the game memory usage went up from around 300MB to 3.5GB.”
- “It's not terrible, but it is extremely simple, buggy, and poorly optimized.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, leading to significant performance issues, especially in advanced stages where the screen becomes cluttered with enemies and projectiles. Players report that the game becomes unplayable after around wave 60, with certain upgrades causing further lag or even soft locks. Overall, the poor optimization detracts from the experience, making it frustrating despite the game's potential.
- “Once you get the hang of the game, you realize that there is a hard cap based on performance.”
- “The problem is that the game is not well optimized for the chaos... In advanced stages of the game, when your screen gets filled with monsters and bullets, the game loses its performance considerably, and you don't need to be in a very advanced stage.”
- “The success of the game is deserved, but the developers are not making smart adjustments... and this performance issue is a deal breaker for me.”
- “Certain upgrades like the movement ones are actually detrimental to your character progress, and can soft lock you if you get unlucky, while others like fragmentation will absolutely destroy the game's performance and bring you down to single-digit frames.”
- “The problem is that at higher levels with certain modifiers, even when disabling the particles, the performance drops really badly and it becomes unplayable.”
- “Game is just straight up unplayable after a certain amount of waves; performance tanks hard despite not being taxing on the hardware.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The reviews indicate a lack of a significant story in the game, with multiple users noting that there is "no story" present. However, one user highlights a moral about perseverance and the unpredictability of life, suggesting a thematic element despite the absence of a structured narrative. Overall, the game's storytelling aspect appears minimal and could benefit from more engaging quests or objectives.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “No story.”
- “No story.”
- “No story.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its whimsical characters, such as a "Funny Rad wiz with funny hat" and quirky enemies like "spaghetti monsters." Players appreciate the lighthearted and amusing elements that complement the gameplay, making it an enjoyable experience for casual play while incorporating funny roguelike mechanics and bullet hell features. Overall, the humor adds a charming layer to the game's engaging setup and challenges.
- “Rad wizard with a funny hat vs. spaghetti monsters.”
- “Honestly really funny to see a game that is easy to build an incredible setup with the right upgrades.”
- “That is a fantastic game to spend some free time, challenging at the right points, and with funny roguelike mechanics and bullet hell elements; my personal favorite.”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The game's monetization model is praised for its affordability at $0.99, offering over 10 hours of gameplay without intrusive microtransactions or excessive ads, making it a refreshing alternative to typical free-to-play models. Players appreciate the developer's approach, viewing it as a genuine effort rather than a cash grab.
- “Spam advertisements.”
- “All the fun of those grindy, rogue-like flash games with none of the asinine microtransactions.”
- “Its fun, like one of those old miniclip games, but with less ads at the sides.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game has led some users to feel overwhelmed or negatively impacted, prompting them to abandon it altogether. This suggests that the game's emotional depth may be too intense or distressing for certain players.