The Citadel
- August 5, 2020
- Top Hat Studios Inc
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"The Citadel" is a hardcore, brutal shooter that harks back to the '90s classics. Battle through 6 episodes of 30 action-packed levels, facing 6 bosses and a variety of enemies. With 14 weapon types, including single-use special weapons, and a skill-based system, players must dodge and fight their way to victory. Hub areas provide respite during difficult episodes.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The gameplay is fast-paced and satisfying, with a variety of weapons and mechanics that keep encounters engaging.
- The art style is unique and visually striking, combining anime aesthetics with a dark, dystopian atmosphere.
- The game offers a high level of customization in difficulty settings, allowing players to tailor their experience.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, particularly in later levels.
- Level design can feel repetitive due to a lack of visual variety in textures and environments.
- The story is minimal and often confusing, with poor translation that can detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay468 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this retro-inspired FPS is a blend of classic run-and-gun mechanics with modern tactical elements, featuring satisfying gunplay, unique reload mechanics, and a variety of optional gameplay features like leaning and bullet drop. While the core mechanics are engaging and the movement is fluid, technical issues and repetitive level design detract from the overall experience. Players appreciate the depth and variety in gameplay, though some find the learning curve steep due to the numerous mechanics and occasional bugs.
“The gameplay is fun with the option to play it run and gun with the sprint, sprint-slide, double jumps, and kicks.”
“The gameplay is very satisfying and has many mechanics, like: reloads, upgrades, weapon durability, leaning, bullet drop/spray, and secondary attacks which give the combat a very welcome depth.”
“The game's blend of classic gameplay mechanics with modern design elements creates a captivating experience that keeps you hooked from start to finish.”
“After seven hours of gameplay, I am still not completely sure how it works - some pick-ups give me temporary health, and others (sometimes) grant permanent boosts, but I could never fully come to terms with what was the best strategy for keeping my health above a decent threshold.”
“However, the manual ledge grabbing mechanic simply doesn't work sometimes, which resulted in a few deaths that felt unfair and frustrating (this frustration was amplified by the limited lives system this game uses - if you die too many times in one chapter, you get punished by having to start it from scratch).”
“The gameplay, on the other hand, is so-so: the enemies are sleepy, ignoring you unless you are shooting at them, and the level design is incredibly dull, consisting of square rooms and buildings, connected with corridors turning at 90 degrees.”
- graphics360 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique blend of retro and anime aesthetics, heavily influenced by H.R. Giger's style, which evokes a dark, biomechanical atmosphere. While the character and enemy designs are praised for their detail and creativity, many reviewers note that the environments can feel repetitive and lack variety, leading to a somewhat bland visual experience overall. Despite these criticisms, the game's distinct art style and engaging gunplay are highlighted as significant strengths, appealing particularly to fans of gory, retro-inspired shooters.
“The overall art direction and aesthetic is superb and interesting to look at.”
“The art style is pretty unique for an FPS game and evokes this body-horror feeling; you can turn off the gore if you find it too extreme.”
“The art style, as far as weapons, items, and enemies goes is something I love and it's very unique, but if you're discomforted by merging an anime art style with gore you might want to turn that off.”
“The world is very greyed out and very similar looking, so don't expect crazy graphic fidelity or variety in a playthrough.”
“But it is clear that most of the focus went to the 'interactive' parts of the graphics, as the environment is bland and gets old really fast.”
“The levels all use the same visual aesthetic and can feel pretty samey for that reason alone, despite how different the layouts are.”
- story212 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as minimalistic and vague, focusing on a simple premise of a character known as "the martyr" tasked with freeing guardian angels from a malevolent influence. While some players appreciate the dark and abstract themes, many feel the narrative lacks depth and coherence, often leaving them wanting more context and world-building. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus, with intriguing lore hinted at but not fully developed.
“The story is a sweet mix of ominous mythos, religious texts, and cosmic horror.”
“The story and lore are incredibly rich for the fact that just enough is explained to frame the world while leaving enough to the imagination to allow the mind to run wild, providing more for players than just anime girls with guns.”
“The plot hits the sweet spot of keeping you interested but not distracting you.”
“The story is almost non-existent - I got the impression the creator wanted the story to be mysterious and abstract, but there is just not enough world-building to create enough of an idea of what it's all about.”
“The game, much like some of the shooters that inspired it, doesn't have much in the way of story; interactions with the characters and vendors hint at the underlying lore, but story elements can be ignored outright if you prefer.”
“Sadly, the game has some pretty noticeable holes in its presentation, like the almost absent plot besides the most wireframe justification for you to go from point A to B, given to you in the first 30 seconds of play.”
- music162 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and melancholic qualities that enhance the overall experience, while others find it inconsistent or mediocre. Some tracks are noted for their haunting and eerie nature, fitting well within the game's dark aesthetic, while others feel out of place or forgettable. Overall, the soundtrack is appreciated for its variety and ability to evoke emotions, though some players express a desire for a more cohesive musical experience.
“The music is excellent.”
“Between the game's haunting atmosphere, brutal combat, great music, and frankly gorgeous presentation, the citadel is a game that caught me completely off-guard and which I continue to recommend to people even to this day.”
“The game has a wild range of music from haunting/relaxing ambient to energizing themes that make your heart race.”
“The soundtrack is eerie, definitely gives the game a sense of dread to it; nothing in this game is smiling, it's nothing but utter misery.”
“Music is all over the place, like one section has standard retro FPS rock music, the next has eerie slow haunted house music.”
“And, the music is pretty stock standard/mediocre with a Doom 64 aesthetic for setting a 'horror'/dark tone, but it's something you'll never remember or want to listen to again.”
- optimization126 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frame rate drops and crashes, particularly in certain levels. While some users have noted improvements following updates, others still experience severe performance dips, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, the game is seen as needing further optimization to fully realize its potential, despite its engaging gameplay.
“It's way more stable and better optimized now.”
“With the massive improvements to performance, and an interesting and even surprisingly deep story/plot/overall lore, this is definitely something you should give a try.”
“Decided to come back a year later and the performance issues seem to be gone.”
“Performance is terrible; for a sprite-based game, this is actually crazy.”
“Some levels are really poorly optimized, dipping into the twenties and thirties, and random crashes are relatively common.”
“On top of that, it's ridiculously unoptimized, made on an engine much more powerful than the low-poly/pixel art aesthetics need, which results in constant frame rate drops.”
- atmosphere116 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of bleak, Lovecraftian, and cybernetic themes, creating a haunting and oppressive environment that enhances the gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the impressive art style, eerie soundtrack, and effective sound design, which together evoke a sense of isolation and foreboding. While the narrative is minimal, the atmospheric elements are considered the game's strongest features, making it a memorable experience for fans of dark and gritty aesthetics.
“The art style and atmosphere are this game's biggest strengths, evoking a brutal, biomechanical, post-apocalyptic image.”
“Between the game's haunting atmosphere, brutal combat, great music, and frankly gorgeous presentation, the citadel is a game that caught me completely off-guard and which I continue to recommend to people even to this day.”
“The game has little in the way of direct story but manages to create a unique atmosphere through its solemn atmospheric soundtrack and stark levels contrasted with the extreme violence of the gameplay.”
“The citadel is also notable for its cold and bleak atmosphere as well as its minimalistic storytelling.”
“What I didn't expect to experience was the oppressive, almost stifling atmosphere of the game.”
“Also, despite that Wolfenstein paint to its exterior, the citadel has an incredibly individual, macabre, and downright depressing atmosphere to it.”
- stability34 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, various glitches, and performance problems such as screen tearing and frame rate drops. While many players find the gameplay enjoyable and the developers are actively working on fixes, the overall experience is marred by these technical shortcomings, making it feel rough around the edges. Despite the bugs, some players still appreciate the game's innovative aspects and fun mechanics.
“Buggy mess that always crashes when starting the game.”
“Game-breaking obnoxious glitches like this are unacceptable for a game's release... what little I was able to play seemed to have hitbox issues at times, as well as generally weak level design... it has over-the-top gore (one shot and head explodes or body explodes to pieces), and the story/dialogue doesn't really make sense.”
“There are some fairly frequent glitches when changing weapons which can cause graphical issues and prevent you from firing the weapon you just switched to for a second or two.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be a mixed experience; while some players find it tedious due to repetitive textures and a limited save system, others appreciate the depth it adds to gameplay and the satisfaction of overcoming challenges. Technical issues, such as crashes, further detract from the enjoyment, leading to frustration for some users. Overall, the grinding aspect can feel both rewarding and monotonous, depending on individual player preferences.
“Three crashes within 5 minutes of each other brought my enjoyment to a grinding halt, and the dev is seemingly more interested in developing this game's sequel and posting pornography of the game on Twitter than taking care of the game anymore.”
“This can feel interesting, but it can also feel extremely tedious and cheap.”
“Everything looks the same; it's not terrible, but it definitely gets a little tedious looking at the same textures.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Replayability in this game varies significantly among players, with some finding it too short and lacking in value, while others appreciate the customizable difficulty settings and open-level design that encourage varied playstyles. The inclusion of New Game+ and secret levels adds further incentive for replay, particularly for those who enjoy speedrunning or exploring different strategies. Overall, the game's replay value is largely dependent on personal preference and playstyle.
“This game can be made into a slower-paced shooter but can also be played fast and loose, which gives it some good replay value.”
“The replay value is up to personal preference, allowing you to customize your own difficulty (health, aggressiveness, hearing range, toggle jamming weapon).”
“As for replayability, currently there is just New Game+ along with the incentive to hunt for the secret levels if you didn't find them the first time through, or just trying to clear the levels as quickly as possible in classic Doom speedrunning fashion.”
“I got my $15 worth out of it, but others might find it way too short and not much replay value.”
“As for replayability, currently there is just new game+ along with the incentive to hunt for the secret levels if you didn't find them the first pass through, or just trying to clear the levels as quickly as possible in classic Doom speedrunning fashion.”
“The replay value is up to personal preference by having the choice to customize your own difficulty (health, aggressiveness, hearing range, toggle jamming weapon).”
- monetization14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game includes ads that some players find intrusive and poorly executed, with suggestions to use picture-in-picture ads for a cleaner experience. While the weapon mechanics and upgrades are praised, the presence of ads, particularly for alternate firing modes, raises questions about their necessity and effectiveness. Overall, the monetization strategy appears to detract from the gameplay experience rather than enhance it.
“Just a recommendation for players: use picture-in-picture ads as it's cleaner and less intrusive.”
“Thumbs up for having alt fire modes on some of the weapons, but there is also ads which I'm not sure the point of.”
“The textures have this strange habit of warping at obtuse angles or when on the move, and the ads sprites for some of the guns seemed to bug out and go all-black for me.”
- character development14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highly praised for its unique and visually striking designs, which range from cute to disturbingly creative. Players appreciate how the character designs enhance the game's lore and overall aesthetic, contributing to an engaging experience that keeps them invested throughout. While some feel the anime theme may not fully align with the game, the strong character design remains a standout feature that attracts and retains player interest.
“While I don’t think the anime theme completely suits the game, I actually really like the lore, which is greatly benefited by the color scheme, overall character design, and OST.”
“The character design is amazing, and the gibs are extremely well done.”
“Honestly bought this game on sight because of some of the character designs, but had a lot of fun the whole way through.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as dark and absurd, often stemming from its graphic gore and exaggerated character designs, which some players find amusing despite their initial discomfort. The gameplay's unforgiving nature and the hilariously broken mechanics add to the comedic experience, particularly when players can launch enemies off platforms. Overall, the blend of grindhouse sensibilities and over-the-top visuals creates a unique, if not bizarre, comedic atmosphere.
“It can be hilariously broken at times but that makes it even better.”
“The initial visuals may give you a sense of like... 'eughhh... is this like... guro or something eww...' but I think it's just an issue of having graphic gore in an anime-styled game. There's zero sense of anything like that, with just the main character being kinda ridiculously skimpy looking for this kind of task, but it's just funny to me.”
“All the weapons feel super powerful and great; kicking enemies off the platforms into nothingness is really funny.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits a mix of feelings, ranging from saturnine reflections to wholesome moments, highlighting the contrast between the game's darker themes and its intention to reward players emotionally. Some players find the repetitive nature of certain elements can create an unsettling experience, especially when engaging in quick succession actions. Overall, the game aims to evoke a complex emotional response, balancing between sadness and a sense of reward.
“Very wholesome.”
“I really appreciate the intention to emotionally reward for the (sadistic) players, even if they can be a bit excessive.”
