Symbiotic

About

Symbiotic is a single player shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Verb Noun Studios and was released on May 16, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

Symbiotic is a fast-paced, first-person roguelike shooter where you, an escaped prisoner, stole a real monster of a weapon: The Symbiote. Fight with an evolving weapon and escape!

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 140 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Unique and interesting concept with a symbiotic weapon system that evolves through upgrades.
Fun and fast-paced FPS roguelike gameplay with satisfying combat and good replayability for a free game.
Impressive art style and visuals considering it is a student or indie project, with solid music that fits the tone.

Movement mechanics are stiff, floaty, and slippery with poor air control, causing frustration during platforming and combat.
Game is buggy and unpolished, including enemies getting stuck in walls, spawning issues, occasional crashes, and graphical or physics glitches.
Audio and difficulty balance issues: sound effects can be excessively loud and irritating, and there is an unfair difficulty spike especially with the final boss who can kill in very few hits.

gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
45%
14%
The gameplay is enjoyable with a solid core loop and fun upgrade mechanics, offering variety despite its short length and limited room designs. However, it is hindered by clunky movement, awkward physics, lack of control adjustments, and occasional unbalanced elements, making it more fun than frustrating but not without flaws. Overall, it provides a replayable experience especially for fans of roguelite shooters, though some technical issues and design limitations may affect enjoyment for certain players.
- “Great game, rewarding gameplay loop that has nearly endless combinations for upgrades.”
- “There's not a lot here but the game has a good foundation and core gameplay is enjoyable.”
- “The fact that this is a free game, with fun gameplay and it's fun to replay makes this a very strong recommendation.”
- “The game loop is rather short and lacks the intensity of a typical arena shooter, but the art, music, gameplay and upgrade selection make up for it.”
- “This is a rogue lite with pseudo-random generated rooms (there are like 4 or 5 rooms and 3 boss rooms) and FPS gameplay. Your weapon is upgraded as you gain levels by picking between two random power-ups.”
- “Collisions and NPC must be reworked for better gameplay experience.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The music is generally praised for fitting the game's tone and creating an engaging atmosphere reminiscent of classic shooters like Doom, with some calling it awesome or neat. However, critics note issues such as repetitive looping, abrupt cut-offs mid-song, and poor integration with sound effects—particularly when weapon sounds overpower the music. Overall, while the soundtrack is a strong point, the game would benefit from smoother transitions, extended loops, and improved sound design to enhance immersion.
- “The game loop is rather short and lacks the intensity of a typical arena shooter, but the art, music, gameplay and upgrade selection make up for it.”
- “I found a small YouTuber that made a review on this game not long after its release and as soon as I started playing I felt hooked to the game. I haven't been in the roguelike genre for long but this has got to be one of my favourite games. The game just gives you that Doom kind of feeling because of its appearance and the soundtrack is really awesome.”
- “Roguelite arena shooter with a slick aesthetic and Doom-inspired music.”
- “The weapon sound effects are a bit too loud; you can't hear the music very well when firing, especially with the fireworks upgrade.”
- “Generic music with no melody (the same song from the trailer is just on loop), bad animations, item effects lack visuals, movement system is atrocious, and menu settings do not work well or save between sessions.”
- “Music is kind of neat at first but has a very lousy and noticeable loop where it just ends mid-song and starts up again.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The game features a distinctive and appealing cell-shaded art style reminiscent of titles like Borderlands, praised for its visuals and gun design. However, it lacks graphics customization options such as resolution, FOV, and sensitivity adjustments, leading to performance issues like low FPS and stuttering during enemy spawns. While visually enjoyable, the absence of optimization and graphic settings detracts from the overall experience.
- “This is a roguelike with very interesting cell shaded graphics.”
- “However, for a free game, it's a decent and well-put-together game, the visuals are good, I do enjoy a bit of cell-shading, and the gun's design is pretty cool; that pulsing, fleshy look adds quite a bit to the game's experience overall.”
- “It looks pretty okay for an indie game with graphics and visual styles similar to Borderlands, Agony, and even Battleborn.”
- “The game has that trademark Unity jank feel to movement, enemies keep getting stuck on walls, and it lacks any options for graphics settings or keybinds, including no FOV slider.”
- “The projectiles and their graphics are very weird and inconsistent, which can be distracting.”
- “The game has little to no optimization and no graphics options, so when an enemy spawns, the framerate instantly drops to 20 FPS and the music stutters.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including frequent stuttering, heavy lag during modifier-heavy gameplay, and severe FPS drops when enemies spawn. Performance problems are especially notable in certain areas like the second boss room and long transitional corridors, suggesting inefficient resource management. Improvements in optimization and graphics options would greatly enhance the overall experience.
- “Next, I would recommend the optimization be worked on a little; when using a build that summons a lot of health drops, it is very quick to lag the game.”
- “Very good game, an upgrade on performance would be great but still an incredibly good game.”
- “Next, I would recommend the optimization be worked on a little. When using a build that summons a lot of health drops, it's very easy to lag the game.”
- “The game lags heavily upon enough modifiers, so some optimization would be needed.”
- “The second boss room is very unoptimized and it's very easy to get outside of the map with the grapple hook and fall forever.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's story is minimal, offering only small lore details tied to upgrades and items, which hint at a larger narrative potential. While some players appreciate the atmospheric and nostalgic feel that compensates for the lack of plot, others feel the absence of a traditional story does not detract from the gameplay experience. There is interest in additional story elements or hidden content, but many believe the game succeeds without a formal narrative.
- “Little tidbits of lore for the different upgrades and items give a sense of care and potential for a greater story.”
- “I haven't been in the roguelike genre for long, but this has got to be one of my favorite games. The game gives you that Doom kind of feeling because of its appearance, and the soundtrack is really awesome.”
- “I would love to see some more story elements, or maybe secret rooms to find extra rewards or mutations.”
- “Honestly, the plot doesn't even need to be there because there's literally no story in the game.”
- “It just throws you in with no backstory and you just, well, play.”
- “Other than all of this, this game is fun, and has a new take on it, I would love to see some more story elements, or maybe secret rooms to find extra rewards or mutations.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has a promising concept but suffers from numerous bugs and stability issues, including problematic enemy placements and floaty movement, which detract from the overall experience. Despite its fun gameplay, the lack of polish impacts enjoyment.
- “Good idea, very buggy execution.”
- “The concept of this game is great, but it's just too unpolished and buggy to be fun.”
- “So many bugs :( really fun game though, I wish it was less buggy....”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability, especially appealing to fans of the roguelike genre with its engaging atmosphere and soundtrack. While the story is minimal and replayability may diminish over time, the game's unique style and gameplay keep players hooked.
- “Super fun to play and a lot of replayability.”
- “I haven't been in the roguelike genre for long, but this has got to be one of my favorite games. Although the story is limited and replayability can become challenging after a while, the game gives a unique 'Doom'-like feeling with its appearance and an awesome soundtrack.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is appreciated for its playful and quirky elements, particularly involving amusing bugs, but it may not be suitable for players with entomophobia.