If there’s something I care about in the world of fiction is the destruction of the world itself. Post-apocalyptic, dystopia, you name it, I’m all for it. Deadlock Station’s premise is right up that alley, but I was slightly worried when I read the words “tactical roguelike,” which I fear would translate to “confusing repetition.” Well, color me gladly surprised, as what I did find, while not perfect, was not that by a long shot.
In the world of Deadlock Station, humanity is long gone, and in its place, sentient battle robots populate the barren wasteland. The “peace” is suddenly disrupted by an alien invasion of sorts, so a selection of robots must go out and destroy the otherworldly menace.
Simple setting and plot. Nothing out of the ordinary, but given the game’s genre, the story takes a back seat. The front seat? Well, that’s reserved for the gameplay, of course.
The gameplay loop is pretty basic. You pick three out of a total of ten units and then head out into the world. Across four biomes, you will face rooms filled with foes. Clear the rooms and, eventually, even if you have some less-than-stellar runs (i.e., your party dies), you will unlock the biome boss. Clear the boss and move to the next biome until you reach the alien landing site.
The tactical portion of the gameplay is simple and effective. Technically, all you have to do is place your units on the map, and they will do the rest of the job. They will attack the enemy and try to survive their onslaught. However, to truly be successful, you will need to intervene. Players can use Manual mode to redirect the bots, pause the action at any time, and instruct them to perform their unique Abilities.
Failure to do so will lead to your party’s demise. This game is not easy by any means, so you'd better get used to its fast-paced action and enemy population. You can get overwhelmed pretty easily. Getting acclimated to the 10 different bots and their Abilities, as well as each of the types of terrain, is of vital importance if you wish to roll the credits.
Honestly, while complex in theory, the gameplay is very manageable. You’ll get killed a lot, of course, but you will learn, and if you’re lucky, you will encounter vendors for better weapons, armor, and even implants during your runs. You can even rest if you get far enough to recover some HP and even gain a powerful buff, which will come in handy when boss fighting.
Once you return to your base, you’ll be able to unlock new items and equipment that you’ll be able to randomly find during your runs. Character quests are also present, as well as faction quests, which will reward you with a better selection of unlockables to pick from.
So, while you might not gain a major advantage beyond new abilities for each of your characters, playing multiple rounds helps you learn the game and continue unlocking content. I did feel that the Deadlock Station got repetitive, but only slightly. A new biome fixed the issue, but I would’ve preferred a much faster unlocking process.
Finally, the game looks and sounds great. It features a common aesthetic we have all grown accustomed to when dealing with indie titles, and while it lacks a certain “uniqueness” looks-wise, I wouldn’t call it generic. The soundtrack is great too, pumping me up enough to push me all the way to the next room.
Verdict
Overall, I do think Deadlock Station is a game worth picking up if you’re into tactical role-playing games and roguelikes. I do feel the game deliberately makes things slower by locking its content behind a specific number of runs, and this can lead to a sense of repetitiveness. However, as long as you keep moving and mastering the mechanics, you will find the game a treat worth biting into.
