I remember the original Deadzone Rogue back when it was still making the rounds as an extraction shooter, before the developers shifted gears and turned it into a roguelite. There was a bit of controversy around that change, but it looks like they've committed to the new direction. Deadzone Rogue 2 is leaning fully into the roguelite formula, and after spending some time with the demo, I can see why they might want to stick with it.
Unfortunately, getting into the game was a little more complicated than I expected.
Right away, Deadzone Rogue 2 feels like it's received a bit more attention in the presentation department. You've got a ship to explore, a mission selector with different destinations, character classes to choose from, and a little plant named Planty who needs some encouragement after what appears to have been a very rough landing. Hang in there, Planty. We'll get you out of this.
The game looks pretty impressive, too. I started out playing with everything cranked up, including ray tracing and DLSS, and the visuals were looking good. Then the game crashed. I tried again. It crashed again. Eventually, I turned the graphics down to the absolute minimum, and on my third attempt, I finally managed to start a mission.
I even got an achievement for starting my first mission. Honestly, it should have been called The Game Didn't Crash.
Once I was finally in, though, things started looking up.
Deadzone Rogue 2 is a first-person shooter built around the familiar roguelite loop. You enter a mission, fight through waves of enemies, collect upgrades and equipment, build your character around whatever the game gives you, and see how far you can get before something inevitably kills you.
The gunplay was never really my biggest complaint about the original game, and it feels pretty good here, too. There is a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to figuring out how much damage each weapon actually does. I counted five headshots with the starting pistol before an enemy finally went down, which seemed a little excessive. Shotguns weren't immediately blowing enemies away, either, so I wasn't entirely sure what to make of the weapon balance at first.
Fortunately, the game gives you plenty of opportunities to experiment.
I picked up a sniper rifle and decided to build around it. That turned out to be a pretty good decision. With the right upgrades, I started landing some serious damage, eventually hitting enemies for over 1,000 points in a single shot. That's more like it.
There are also melee weapons, grenades, different weapon types, armor pieces, and plenty of upgrades to collect. You can find new helmets and gloves, improve your shields, increase your damage, reduce recoil, and make all sorts of adjustments to your build as you progress.
One of the things I appreciate most is how much equipment there is to find. The original game had its roots in extraction shooters, where collecting interesting gear is a big part of the appeal. That loot-focused DNA still feels like a strength here. Even if you're no longer extracting with your equipment in the traditional sense, finding a better weapon or a useful piece of armor still gives you something to get excited about.
And once the upgrades start stacking, you can really feel the difference.
I went heavily into damage, critical hits, and sniper bonuses, turning myself into a glass cannon. Enemies that initially took several shots were getting absolutely melted. There was a point where I was hitting some ridiculous damage numbers and feeling like an unstoppable killing machine.
Is it wrong to be strong?
Probably not, especially when there are robot dogs sprinting at you like they've got a personal grudge.
The roguelite upgrades are where Deadzone Rogue 2 starts to come together. As you work through a mission, you'll encounter opportunities to select perks that can change how your weapons and character perform.
Some upgrades are straightforward. More health, more weapon damage, bigger magazines, and increased movement speed are all easy to understand. Others are more specialized, encouraging you to focus on elemental damage, aiming bonuses, or different combinations of weapons.
I leaned into anything that increased my damage output. If an upgrade made my sniper rifle hit harder, I wanted it. If it made my first shot more powerful, even better. I wasn't exactly building a character designed to survive a prolonged firefight, but I was building one capable of deleting enemies before they could do much about it.
At least, that was the plan.
The game does a nice job of making these decisions feel meaningful. You aren't simply collecting a series of minor stat boosts that barely change anything. The right combination of perks can noticeably alter how you approach combat, and I found myself getting more confident as the run went on.
There are also fabricators where you can purchase items, including things like health and weapons. I found myself wanting to explore these systems more, because there are clearly several ways to approach a run beyond just picking the biggest damage number.
The game even lets you save and exit in the middle of a mission. Initially, I thought it was strange that I had to save manually, but it makes more sense when you realize you can stop playing without necessarily abandoning your progress. That's a welcome option for a game where a single run can turn into a much longer commitment than you planned.
I do wish the game explained some of its systems a little better. There were several times when I picked an upgrade because it sounded powerful without having a clear idea of what it actually did. I was apparently spawning drones, dealing damage through various effects, and triggering different bonuses without fully understanding the mechanics behind them.
But hey, the numbers were going up, and things were dying. I was happy.
As you progress, the enemy variety starts to make things more interesting. There are the standard robots, the dogs that rush you at alarming speeds, enemies equipped with blades for hands, shielded units, turrets, and larger enemies that require a little more thought to deal with.
Those robot dogs are absolute maniacs. You can be lining up a perfect sniper shot when one suddenly comes charging around the corner, forcing you to abandon whatever plan you had and deal with the immediate threat.
The shielded enemies also gave me some trouble. I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out how to get through their defenses, firing shots that weren't doing much of anything. Eventually, I realized melee attacks were the answer. Sometimes you just have to stop shooting things and hit them with an axe.
The game also introduces enemies with special abilities, including one that can teleport. Because apparently, shooting robots wasn't complicated enough already.
Despite a few moments of confusion, I enjoyed the variety. You have to pay attention to what's happening around you, switch weapons when necessary, and occasionally abandon your carefully constructed strategy when an enemy decides to do something unexpected.
My sniper build was great at dealing huge amounts of damage from a distance, but it wasn't necessarily the best solution for every situation. Some enemies could absorb a surprising amount of punishment, while others were much more dangerous up close. Having multiple weapons and a melee option helped cover those weaknesses.
And then there are the bosses.
After making it through a substantial portion of the mission, I eventually ran into a larger enemy that was clearly meant to test everything I'd learned. Up to that point, I had been feeling pretty good about my build. I was dealing massive damage, moving quickly, and taking enemies apart with my sniper rifle.
Then the boss started pulling me toward it.
Suddenly, my carefully constructed glass cannon wasn't looking quite so clever. I was taking too much damage, struggling to get away, and trying desperately to keep myself alive while everything around me went wrong.
I knew I wasn't going to make it.
There was no magical comeback waiting for me. I couldn't pull off some incredible last-second maneuver, and I certainly wasn't going to overpower the boss with sheer enthusiasm. Eventually, I went down.
Killed by the Dread. Lost to the void. A fitting end for Voiderra.
But honestly, I didn't mind too much. That's the nature of a roguelite. Sometimes you get a great run, build something powerful, and make it much farther than you expected. Other times, you discover that your build has a glaring weakness when a boss starts dragging you across the battlefield.
The important thing is that the game gives you a reason to try again.
Back on the ship, I was able to spend permanent upgrades on things like increased maximum health. That might have helped during my last attempt, although I'm sure my questionable decision-making had something to do with the outcome, too.
You get a breakdown of your run before returning to the hub, where you can make improvements and head back out. There are multiple missions to work through, and what I played felt like only the beginning of a much larger experience.
I came away from the demo feeling pretty positive about Deadzone Rogue 2. It has satisfying shooting, a lot of equipment to collect, meaningful upgrades, challenging enemies, and a progression system that gives you a reason to keep pushing forward.
More importantly, it feels like a complete take on the first-person shooter roguelite formula. You can build around specific weapons, experiment with different perks, get stronger over the course of a run, and eventually run into something that completely destroys your plans. That's pretty much what I want from this kind of game.
I also appreciate that it isn't afraid to challenge you. My first run ended because I wasn't prepared for the boss, and while I could certainly have played better, I didn't feel like the game had cheated me out of a victory. I needed more damage, more survivability, or a better strategy. That's a good reason to go back and try again.
There are still a few things I'd like to see improved. The opening crashes were frustrating, and having to turn every graphical setting down to the minimum just to get a mission started isn't exactly a great first impression. Hopefully, those problems get ironed out before release. I would also like clearer explanations for some of the upgrades and mechanics, because there were moments when I was selecting perks without really understanding what they did.
But those complaints didn't ruin the experience for me.
The other thing worth mentioning is that Deadzone Rogue 2 supports multiplayer, which could make the whole experience even more enjoyable. I played this demo solo, but I can absolutely see myself jumping into it with friends. There's something about working through a difficult mission together, building ridiculous characters, and watching everything fall apart when a boss shows up that makes these games more fun.
And with multiple missions to explore, plenty of gear to collect, and permanent upgrades to work toward, there's a decent amount here to keep you occupied.
Would I drop everything else I'm playing to spend dozens of hours with Deadzone Rogue 2? Probably not. I've got too many other games competing for my attention right now. But I could see myself coming back to it, especially if I had a few friends interested in playing alongside me.
For a free demo, I think it's well worth checking out. Just cross your fingers that your game doesn't crash three times before you get started.
Deadzone Rogue 2 has a lot going for it, and I'm interested to see how the full release turns out.