Red Ronin

I like the concept of the game, i just feel like the execution was slightly off. Game is basically a cross between "Katana Zero" and a game called "Keen" probably no one has heard of. Alot of the negative reviews are complaining about the real time elements of the game, and while I didn't make it super far, the few realtime elements I saw I didn't really mind and were actually pretty interesting. I only made it to chapter 5 before calling it quits, but the main issue I had was that the level design felt far too messy and chaotic to really feel like a puzzle. Every stage or "screen" was just filled with so many enemys with nearly impossible to predict pathing and random hazards/powerups all over the screen that "solving" them just felt like a combination of pure luck and brute force almost every single time. Failing repeatedly was frustrating, and clearing a room wasn't very satisfying because it just felt like I got lucky every time. I addition to the level design itself being messy, the graphics are also just a bit too muddy and make visibility of the stage a bit difficult. Theres no way they could change this now that the game is fully released, however I feel like 1 major change that would have simplified the game a bit and helped reduce the clutter is if they removed the consumable powerups from the stages and just had you start with a specific amount each screen, or you simply got them for performing combos or something similar. If you haven't checked out the game Keen, and you are interested in this gameplay concept, I would recommend that game instead. The aesthetic is kind of goofy and childish, but the gameplay and level design feels much "tighter" and less chaotic/lucky IMO. Though this makes the game a bit "easier" overall, I found it much more enjoyable.

"Turn Based But Fast Paced" means, about 1/3 into the game you suddenly have real-time elements introduced so it can break its own rules. I played the demo, I read reviews. Everything seemed to indicate it was only "fast paced" in that executing combos and playing quicker got you a better score; that the game is strictly turn-based and can be played at any pace you want if you don't care for score. I've played and enjoyed games of this genre before and liked them well enough. I purchased this game specifically with that type of gameplay in mind, and then felt like I had the rug pulled out from under me. So I get to the point where I'm unable to beat the boss who introduces the real-time elements, smacks me upside the head, and demands very fast thinking and speedy execution (which again, I was not expecting to need for this game). It's late, so I take the "I'll be fresher tomorrow and be able to beat it with enough effort" approach...only to find the game had saved none of my progress for that chapter despite showing the autosave icon after each room. I saw there was a recent "bugfix" to resolve that, I guess my copy didn't get the memo. As for everything *before* that, it was fine but nothing spectacular and if I'm being honest I was getting a little tired of it. The demo is the first chapter. The second chapter is a "stealth" segment with enemies that kill you on sight and you aren't allowed to touch. The third chapter has more enemies that insta-kill if you dont leave enough space at the end of your movement. Half of the time, areas can be solved by moving back and forth until enemies walk into your path. The story is just kind of a background element up to the point I played, I can't speak for the rest. The music and sound design is great, so that's something I guess. You have the ability to slow time to get a double movement in before enemies can respond, and a button meant to be like you're pausing the action to analyze things (with another ability tied to it). Several enemies I had already encountered don't respect those abilities and will react regardless because ??? actually I couldn't tell you what the reasoning is. The real-time stuff pretends like you aren't using them at all (time stop? nah. strategy/tactics mode? haha, you thought), which again not only disrespects the abilities but makes little sense (I guess missiles can ignore time stop. RIP Dio). I should also mention that I've since watched several videos with examples of gameplay beyond the point where I quit out, thinking that maybe if it was JUST this boss that did that, I could maybe tough it out and then play the rest of the game the way I wanted to. Nope. The real-time elements continue to be sprinkled through the rest of this game just to induce headaches whenever possible. Unfortunately, I can't refund the game because I hit the 3 hour mark, and Steam won't take "misleading game description" as a valid refund reason. I have to wonder if the dev actually wanted to make an action game more in line with Hotline Miami. I suppose if you want a simplified version of Hotline Miami as a slide dash "puzzle" game, go ahead and try this on sale. I personally am too soured to continue playing.

This game. Wow what a great game and a great concept. The problem is with boss 3. Boss 3 thinks its clever. It breaks the system by adding a real time component into a turn based game. Its buggy, its horrible, it goes against the style of the game. I really enjoyed this game but I have uninstalled after trying to beat the 3rd boss for 5 hours. Im sure you can beat boss 3 first try with a bit of luck and know-how but I picked this game up because it was tactical and turn based. The fact that the real time portion disregards the turn based portion of the game makes the fight annoying as all hell. Its also bugged. EXTREMELY Bugged. Fire times are inconsistent. Sometimes the shot only occupies one space, other times it occupies the surrounding 9 spaces as well. Sometimes you can dash through the shot as its turning red, other times you can not. I can not stress enough how miserable this fight is. Its not even a fight you can "plan" like every other fight, Since enemies spawn in at certain time intervals and not on certain TURN intervals it makes every single instance of the fight random. If you press the same button sequence at the same time interval, you can plan for spawns but then the BUGGY SNIPER SHOTS will ruin that strategy as well. One boss fight is enough for me to tell you to not buy this game. I like challenging boss fights as well, I really dig them but this one is just a buggy frustrating pile of garbage. Hope you heed my advice. DO NOT BUY.

Red Ronin is an all-around banger and one of my favorite indie games of the year! A fantastic puzzle / turn-based combat game, Red Ronin also has killer pixel graphics, a fun soundtrack, and interesting story. This title has vibes that are reminiscent of other games like Katana Zero, Hotline Miami, and Akane (with a splash of the movie Kill Bill). I appreciated that the game continuously provided new mechanics and enemy scenarios to deal with throughout the entire campaign - every new level felt fresh and exciting to play through. I do think that the title would have benefited from a greater variety of character sprites but the limited selection is helpful for quick recognition. Don't be swayed by the haters! Negative reviews seem to focus on the 3rd stage boss and that the fight contains real-time attacks while the player is still relegated to turn-based movements. Honestly, the battle *is* very difficult and easily the hardest part of the game - however, it isn't insurmountable. As long as you've paid attention to the mechanics of the game thus far and have learned from your mistakes/deaths during the fight, any player should be able to get through this phase of the game (keep in mind though, you're gonna probably die a bunch and feel *some* frustration in the process lol). Red Ronin is a terrific value at full-price and even more-so when bought on sale. The campaign length feels 'just right' at about 5-8 hours (depending on how good you are at puzzling out success) and is very polished. I hope that the game finds its way onto more peoples radar and that the dev team is able to crank out a sequel since I'm already itching for more!

Challenging and surprising gameplay. Red Ronin is a pioneering and creative game that combines genres and bold in unusual mechanics. It knows how to balance the strategy that keeps the player focused and the action needed to engage, without being discouraged by unsolvable challenges. The game presented me with more enemies and challenging puzzles throughout history, which aroused my curiosity about how this journey ends. Battles with bosses are exciting duels and involved me even more with the protagonist's story of revenge. It was a rewarding experience to find unusual gameplay in the first few minutes, but as you progress through the game and the difficulty of the levels increases, you feel able to kill a dozen enemies more easily. The art of the game is efficient and blends well with the futuristic-dystopian theme of the RED RONIN universe. Excellent music and game design reinforce the quality of the game. It sure is a game worth every penny!

A sweet puzzle game with action/cyberpunk aesthetics. Its smart and fun. Has a couple of great songs. Red is quite a waifu. Well not as much as Akane but heck. 7/10 Cheap fun action puzzle with a revenge plot.

Great tactical game! Enjoyed it a lot on the Steam Deck. I'm already looking forward to playing Undergrave. :)

Neat idea, standard turn based puzzler with some novel elements. Faintly reminiscent of Katana Zero with the time freeze and, well, katana. Somewhat frustrating not being able to see the complete pathing of sentry robots. Making frequent use of tactical mode mitigates this somewhat. However, some levels will still be more trial than error, which feels antithetical to the purpose of a puzzle game. I'm not yet to the levels with real time elements thrown in, which may increase that feeling. Controls are a little strange by default - movement is by keyboard, time freeze power is by keyboard, tactical mode and redirection power is by mouse. Options exist for keyboard only play. However, you cannot play mouse only, which strikes me as odd. If it sounds interesting, its probably worth the 3 bucks on sale.

Seemed like a cool game and demo. About three levels in, there's a bait and switch in the gameplay. It's not even well explained and I had to leave the game to seek an explanation (cardinal sin in game design to me).

it's really fun, try it. although you have to use that tiny brain a lil bit. edit: despite what it says in the desc and tags it also has real time action to it; you'll see it in later levels. but it's still a pretty cool game.

Into the Breach turned the boundaries between puzzle and tactical games into an inhabitable territory, one where Red Ronin settled nicely. More puzzle than tactical, RR solid presentation abandons the abstract in favor of the visceral. Recommended.

Havent played much yet, but until now its pretty cool. But it would be nice if you could use the time loop without a delay, to move faster. So you could use it right after picking it up.

Just a damn good video game. Unique mechanics, solid and varied levels, never wastes your time. The world needs more games like this.

Well done puzzle game. And I call it that, because that's what it is. You'll navigate rooms turn by turn slicing and dicing enemies. You'll have some leeway on how to approach some rooms, but mostly there are specific sequences you'll have to figure out. It incorporates a few real-time elements with the turn-based gameplay, which is mostly done well, except for the fact that there is a (sometimes large) delay before one can give another input. Pressing too early will eat the input, causing a few frustrating deaths in some of the timed sections. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

I love the art style, music, and puzzle combat. Most levels do not have one clear path to solve it. However, the real time levels ruin the fun. The real time aspects are an attempt at leaving the puzzle genre into something "fast-paced" but it does not fit the style of the game because you will not have enough time to not trap yourself in a corner or behind spikes. I wanted to finish this game but getting past the real time levels feels like a slog. Still worth a play

This is a really good puzzle/tactics game hybrid, but with one big accessibility caveat (later down). You move sokoban-style and have to deal with various enemies and environmental hazards along the way. You have 2 special abilities which you pick up charges of across the levels - a time-freeze ability that lets you move twice in one turn & an ability that lets you change direction (this is vital because in some levels this is the only way to reach the exit). It has a story but it's not anything special, but gameplay wise it's really good. Now for the caveat, at certain times - the 4 (well 3 the first one doesn't count) bosses and certain other levels there are real-time elements introduced. They vary with each case but each one makes the game tricky to recommend from an accessibility standpoint. I was able to get through them all, but I can easily see someone who wouldn't be able to, especially for the bosses. This is not mentioned in the game description (and by the time you decide you can't with the second boss you might have passed the 2 hour limit) and there is no option to give yourself more time. That is frankly unacceptable because puzzle games (and turn based games in general) are one of the most accessible genres out there and to mess with that without explaining it on the store page. Additionally the option to turn off controller vibration does not work as it will refresh if not every screen at least very frequently. I had a workaround I could use to get around this, but that is not true for everyone. If after what you've read you think you'll be able to manage the game then I do recommend checking it out, but bear the above in mind.

Sokoban-like turn-based puzzle game with nice pixel-art and cool music. Although it's a puzzle game, it has action levels where you have to think fast. There is a couple of abilities like timestop and direction arrows, they make gameplay more interesting and diverse.

Gameplay is not very interesting at all. It is neither fast paced or tactical. You either solve the room puzzle or you don't, with almost no room for any creativity. The controls are delayed, you can't press anything in quick succession to do flashy moves. Eats inputs often, and one wrong press and you have to redo the entire room. It is way more shallow than it lets on; you almost never get to do anything other than pick up one of two power ups and then immediately use them. Maybe you shimmy back and forth and get to save one for a future room, but it doesn't matter. Every room has exactly the power ups you need and you have to follow the intended path anyways. Unfortunately, not worth the time. I got 75% of the way through the game in 90 minutes and wasn't having any fun.

[h1]Red Ronin Review[/h1] [i]**Spoilers are censored**[/i] [u]Quick Review:[/u] Red Ronin is a turn-based puzzle game with a Kill Bill aesthetic, and manages to bring a visceral and action pace to a typically slow medium. And while cutting through enemies feels like solid fun, the game seriously suffers from real-time elements that do not fit the gameplay and bogs down the experience with frustrating and lagging reaction times. Although it’s a game I overall recommend, the real time mechanics in this package is a reason for me to advise caution. [u]Gameplay:[/u] You play as Red, who’s out for revenge, and slaughters her fair share of pixelated goons along the way. You move on a turn-based grid, zooming all the way to the end of a row or column until you hit an obstacle, at which point all enemies take their collective turn. Dashing through an enemy will slice them in half, and bolting around a puzzle cutting enemies up is a blast. In addition to your basic move-slash actions, you will also get access to two different powers which are essential to solving each puzzle. One power slows time and gives you a quick action — an action where no other enemies or traps move or react. The second power is accessed through a tactical mode, where the game pauses, and allows you to place an arrow booster that changes your direction mid-dash. These powers are collected in levels with a max capacity of 4 for each power. Each puzzle provides you with the minimum collectible powers necessary in each map to make each level possible. Unused powers can be carried over to the next puzzles to give you an advantage. Some puzzles seem to have only solution, but because of the powers you collect, and their rollover to subsequent puzzles, there ends up being multiple ways to get through many of the puzzles. There are a few types of enemies, and you will have to plan and execute your moves in a way that avoids ending your turn in enemy range, or boxing yourself into inevitable death. The variety of enemies isn’t very diverse. You also have to learn their behaviors through trail and error because there is no tutorial on enemies. This is not a roguelike, so you can die as many times as you want, all it does it restart the puzzle, and count against your total score for that chapter. The game is divided up into chapters, and each chapter has multiple puzzles to solve. (I didn’t keep track, but probably like 10-15 puzzles per chapter or so). Each chapter also introduces some kind of new obstacle. The main story chapters end with boss fights. Most of the game isn’t as hard as other puzzle games I’ve played. It’s not a mind-bending type of puzzler. But the real difficulty, unfortunately, comes from a frustrating implementation of real-time mechanics. [u]The bad:[/u] There are about 2 chapters and 2 bosses that use real-time mechanics, and they do a disservice to the experience. They vary in their negative impact, which I’ll list further below. Obviously one problem is the inconsistency of gameplay and style. Most of the game is turn-based, with enemies moving only when you move. Even certain laser bullets only move through the air when you move. So to suddenly have this contrasted by real-time obstacles coming for you seriously clashes with the game’s vocabulary and doesn’t feel good to deal with. But the main issue I have is how the timing of the real-time mechanics frustratingly clashes with the timing of the turn-based mechanics at your disposal. When you move, you do move quickly, but there is some kind of delay or lag before you are able to move again. This is sometimes exacerbated during kill animations, where the animation slows down for a slow-motion effect, but doesn’t seem to slow down the Real-Time obstacle coming for you. The game doesn’t queue up your movement commands, so in order to make your next move quick enough you have to wait and hit the button at the right time. This leads to button smashing, and a generally slow reaction time from your character. It’s super frustrating when you feel like a fast dashing samurai, and yet you feel lethargic and slow when these real-time threats are moving for you uninterrupted. It’s almost like one of those bad dreams where you’re trying to run away but your body won’t listen to you. I found these moments to be very frustrating. You can try pausing the game with your tactical mode ability, but it’s still sluggish toggling in and out of that too. There are 2 chapters and 2 bosses that use these real time mechanics: 1) [spoiler]Chapter where a sniper laser moves horizontally across the screen. You need to hide behind certain pillars and time your moves to get from pillar to pillar.[/spoiler] This one wasn’t so bad. 2) [spoiler]Chapter where your Yellow character needs to complete a puzzle in time before a laser swipes across the screen killing you on impact.[/spoiler] This was very frustrating. 3) [spoiler]Boss that blows up bombs on grid spaces.[/spoiler] This wasn’t too bad. 4) [spoiler]Boss that uses a rifle to shoot you, by sweeping over the whole puzzle and firing a round while he continues to drag the crosshairs around.[/spoiler] This was definitely the most frustrating. The real-time mechanics felt very unfair and inconsistent with the style of the game. [spoiler]You would expect him to lock into a space before he shoots. Instead he follows you around constantly while shooting. This means if you dash across his line of fire and he happens to shoot, you’ll die.[/spoiler] I also felt like sometimes the hit detection was unfairly skewed in the bosses favor. The basic takeaway is that it’s a fun turn-based game, but the experience is really hurt by the real-time mechanics contrasting the sluggish navigation. [u]Controls:[/u] Controls are simple. WASD to move, Q/E to rotate arrow booster power, X for tactical mode, Spacebar to place arrow booster, Z for quick turn. There’s also a way to play with the mouse, but I ignored that. [u]Atmosphere:[/u] Red Ronin is engaging until it’s frustrating with the real-time mechanics. I’ve already said my piece about that above, so I’ll move on from that complaint. The revenge plot is pretty basic, and never really makes you feel that bad for the “plight” of the protagonist. Her motivation felt a little weak and, honestly, made me feel a little bad for her targets. It almost felt like some of them didn’t deserve it. However, the visceral dashing and slashing through enemies definitely gives you a satisfying power trip, and does well to sell the “Kill Bill revenge” vibe. The art style is very pixelated, and can make it hard to read the room. Sometimes you’re unaware that there’s actually a wall/obstacle in your way. But generally it’s fine. And on the plus side, the pixel art style really helps to sell the exaggerated gory kills with a simplistic punctuation. Overall, the locations are all fairly similar, usually in a building of some kind. I don't know if I can say I ever felt immersed in the world itself, but I was immersed enough in the gameplay. The music usually has a techno beat that drives your engagement. It helps give the game a faster pace than a typical puzzle game. And that’s the big takeaway: this turn-based puzzle game feels like a fast-paced action slashing game. The ironic part is that it feels the most action-solid during the turn-based portions, but then feels the most action-weak during the real-time portions. [u]Conclusion:[/u] Red Ronin is a mixed bag. The base game is done very well, especially by a single developer. It feels fast for a slow genre, and feels viscerally satisfying to dash and slash. But the real-time elements are implemented in a way that is frustrating to play through, especially with the sluggish response time of your character. If you want to play out a "Kill Bill fantasy" in puzzle format, this is your game. Just beware of its frustrating moments. I give it a tentative recommend.

The game has nice visuals in art style and animations, serviceble story, buy man it feels amateurish. The game feels fairly janky and poorly designed, specially the "innovative" real time threats mechanics. It just feels like it was easier to make it real time instead of actually designing them in turn base combat mechanics. It's not innovative, it's just lazy, and i hope they ditch it in the sequel entirely. I wouldn't downvote the game if that were a middle ground option, but the flaws are to prevalent to me to recomend this game, but i hope they learned a lot for their future games. I hope they do some serious game testing with audiences before releasing the sequel.

A beautifully designed puzzle game disguised as a bloody hack and slash revenge tale. Definitely worth picking up, especially considering the stupidly low price.

I mostly enjoyed what I played of this game but there's just a couple puzzles that are more frustrating than challenging and they ruined my entire time with the game.

Kill Bill + Hotline Miami + Katana Zero + Fast Paced + Turn Based + Sliding Puzzles + Nice Story + LOTS OF DEATHS AND BLOOD = Red Ronin. 10/10

If you like fluid gameplay with a great soundtrack and solving puzzles in blood puddles, Red Ronin is the perfect game for you!

Such a great game. It is pitty this is not most known here in steam but it deserves a lot of attention. It is demanding as well as well design. Congratulations!

Really enjoyed the game overall. Some of the real time mechanics were infuriating at the time, but I was so happy when I completed them. Have already recommended this game to a few people.

If Katana Zero was turn-based this would be it! World building is good but could be better imo. Music has cyberpunk vibes. The gameplay is the best part of the game. Initially, you take turns to move (in a single direction)/attack but you can get items that allow you to move twice by freezing time for a turn or change the direction of your movement. As you progress, you get new abilities like sniper or auto-block while enemies become tougher (requiring single hits)

Imagine Hotline Miami or maybe Katana Zero being a turn based tactical puzzler. That is what Red Ronin actually does. And it does it very well. The main concept of the game is very interesting. Similarly to the above mentioned titles in Red Ronin every level is you fighting a couple of enemies, you must kill them all to proceed and both you and them die in one hit. However both you and your enemies move in a turn based way and you must outmaneuver them and kill them one by one avoiding putting yourself in a vulnerable position. That is not all, your character does not actually moves - instead she dashes with no distance limitations, only stopping by hitting an obstacle. This can be advantageous as you can strike your foes and instantly be so far away that they won't be able to reach you but at the same time abusing it too much may end up with you having no place do dash but right into your own death. Game has a lot of other mechanics. You can freeze time, change the directions of your dashes, block hits and so on. There are multiple enemies with ther own patterns as well. Probably the most interesting feature of the game is that some levels, mostly boss fights have some real time elements as well. For example, you and the boss move in a turn based way but he also uses an AOE attack in the real time and you must do a couple of quick moves to avoid it. This is a very cool feature that I liked a lot. In terms of visuals and sound design game fells very Devolver - like. I liked the soundtrack, it is very well made for such a small project. My only complain is that the game is way too long, it gets fairly repetitive and boring by the end. Could easily be shorter without losing anything. Great little game, very recommended.

It like playing the sliding puzzles from pokemon guys its fun

I would like to say that the game offers mechanics which can help very adept players to simply overcome whatever problems I describe below, so take this as a review for those who consider themselves the "average" player. Please be aware, before reading this review, that Red Ronin IS a good game. It is put together beautifully, the narrative is quite compelling even though it's short, it's aesthetically pleasing and the gameplay can feel rewarding. So, although there are some localization issues (at least in the English translation), I would say overall Red Ronin is a GOOD game. However, the game, or at least the tags on Steam, market it as a sokoban puzzle game, but this is quite disingenuous. For those unaware sokoban is a genre in which you usually move in the X and Y axis colliding on the levels' obstacles and objects in order to complete a goal. Red Ronin mixes this formula with combat, and in some levels it feels tight knit and it works really well. But, from expecting a game which leaves the player the time to think through how to make each move, the game has some instances of constant real time threats to the player, forcing them to bypass the planning and tactical aspect for a more "move quick, die, repeat until the level is completed" approach. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, but considering the game introduces the player on the more slow, planning based levels, and ups the difficulty on that format itself, introducing real time threats can make for a quite aberrant experience if one's not ready for it. The game also offers mechanics based on allowing the player to break the usual sokoban formula, such as allowing them to change direction mid-movement or move twice in one turn, which feel extremely good once how enemies and the map operates are understood. However, these turn into a huge reason for cognitive overload once the game starts adding real time threats to the player. Since the game doesn't really allow the player to input buffer, I found myself spamming the keys for this powers before movements ended just so I could have access to them as fast as possible in my next turn. The following section will explain more in detail this problem, but will also contain spoilers for quite a few sections of the game, so read at you own discretion. The first instance of problems appear at the second boss in the game (found in Level 3), which is actually the first boss in which the players encounter comfrontation. This boss marks certain areas within the map in which bombs will explode, killing the player if they are on a tile marked when they explode. The problem comes in when you realise the explosion is on a timer, instead on a turn counter. This makes the player have to find a secure location before the time explodes, instead of allowing them the possibility of thinking a way out, and then the next move against the boss themselves. If I had to say, this is the least agregious of the cases, since it's usually easy to find places to take refuge in. The next instance appears in the third boss (found in Level 5). This boss is a sniper which requires to be hit three times to be defeated, and can only be hit once the enemies in it's arena are killed and he has run out of bullets, of which he has five if I remember properly. The problem here is that the boss, when he has rounds to fire, will constantly cast a mark on the map which will follow the player in a relatively close manner. This mark will turn from yellow to red as he is ready to fire. The totality of this mechanic works outside of player movements, so you could be thinking your next move, and, if you're too slow, you would simply be killed. This by itself would not pose much of a problem, since in the last boss we had a similar mechanic, but the problem comes in when you add other enemies to the mix. These other enemies function by turns, meaning they will only move when you do. The problem is that, by mixing real time with turn based threats, the player is forced to put themselves in positions which are undesired, and will make them die in ways which feel frustrating or undeserved, only because trying to avoid the boss' shots will shift the position of enemies into unfavorable ones. It is also worth noting that, in the rooms building up to this boss, some rooms have a constant laser which pans from side to side and will instantly kill the player if hit. This puts the player in situations where sometimes they have to act fast, but this is a minor offender since, similar to the first boss mentioned, cover is easy to find, and once you figure out how to move as the laser is covered it becomes quite fun. There are still instances however where the player is given no time to breathe so I thought this would be an important mention. Next comes level 6, and to me this was the most grave offender of all the instances. I have no shame in saying that the totality of this review was inspired by that level alone, and how frustrated I felt in some instances as I played it. Level 6 follows level 5 in that, rooms showcase a laser which the player has to avoid in order to not die. Once again, said laser pans the room horizontally and kills the player on impact. However, this level offers no cover to the player where the laser doesn't hit, taking from them the capacity to take a respite, see where the laser is positioned and when they should move, or assess how many enemies they have to kill before being able to progress. Instead, the laser is on a timer, which gives the player some time to complete each room before activating. The laser activating usually means certain death, unless the player has already killed all enemies and is on route to the exit. This completely enhances that idea of dying and repeating which we mentioned before, which completely kills any tactical aspect the game could offer only because the player is forced to move fast each time. In fact, the laser activates before the player has even moved so you can't even take your time when you respawn to think on your course of action. There are some other instances, mainly at the end of Level 8 with the reappareance of the enemy sniper archetype we first saw in the third boss, but to be fair what's described above is almost the totality of my gripes with the game. Maybe it's also worth mentioning how the last boss (found in Level 7), can feel quite frustrating due to how, after every hit they take from the player, they are allowed extra moves. This means that, while the player moves once, the boss can move multiple times, leading to sometimes dying in ways which feel undeserving. Please remember, this game is not necessarily what you might think at first, and that is what made me want to write this review, but I also believe it is quite a good game. Hope this review proves useful to some.

Yeah, no, game concept is fine, but as other reviews said: including time based trials on a turn based game is a big no-no. I like DS, and this is just difficult for its own sake.

Really nice puzzly action game. Great soundtrack.

I died IRL and woke up in a hospital bed with my computer next to me. this game was the only thing open

I adore this game! I stumbled on the demo on Opera and then bought the full version here. It's able to achieve remarkably fast-paced action given that it's turn-based. The core-loop is extremely captivating and I found myself playing and replaying stages for hours. The graphics and audio are simple but extremely effective. The storytelling is economical and effective. The developer does a good job of introducing new mechanics that are fun to play and justified by the narrative. I am deeply impressed by what this solo developer was able to achieve and I am excited for the teased sequel. If you have any interest in this genre, I recommend picking up Red Ronin.

The game feels very satisfying as you move around, trying to string combo kills together while managing your power-ups. There's only one moment so far where I dislike the game as the turn-based gameplay gets shoved aside to deal with an enemy that doesn't adhere to the rules. As an idea that's quite clever but the execution left me gritting my teeth. I've yet to return to the game but until that point it's really enjoyable! <3

Play this game. It's absolutely worth your time. My instant critique is to the marketing. This game is NOT fast paced except on replays. It asks you to make careful considerations and plot out your path. It's very easy to checkmate yourself so don't fall in the trap of going fast and free. As a slow paced, strategic puzzle game; it's great! It's got snappy effects with satisfying slices and a great score to go along with it. As you get farther, more freedom of opportunity is allowed to you. It's never really open ended, but there's some wiggle room for player expression. It's cheap, and by far worth the money. Buy it!

This is a short game, about five hours, and I really enjoyed it. The idea is "what if Hotline Miami was an ice sliding puzzle?" and it works.... mostly. The writing is boring, like a bog-standard revenge story with some real glaring typos, and the "twist" is visible from space. Each set of levels introduces its own twist/mechanic, and the bossfights are interesting and a good use of the systems. EXCEPT: there is one boss with a real time gun, and that kind of sucks (it's hard). Also, the level afterwards has timers on individual rooms where lasers go across the screen with just the worst sound effect in the world. I did not like that level, but it recovered and went back to being a great tactical action game. If that level hadn't existed or the writing had been better, this would be a 10/10 short game. A good time and a well-made indie.

This game is awesome! The mix of turn based strategy and fast paced action is really fun and well thought. The level design is very good too. There isn't just one way to clear the stages and the dificulty escalates in a fair way as well, you never get the feeling that something is impossible to do. The boss battles are very diverse from each other and demand different strategies with a rewarding feeling once you beat them. The soundtrack and pixel art animations are nice and add a cool atmosphere. The plot is simple but engaging - I want to know what happens next!! Play this game. It is worth it

I've been following the development of this game for a while and i'm happy with what came out, i really hope they make it possible to remove the dash markers and be able to replay the levels from your current save file instead of having to make a new file. but overall i like the game

I already tried the demo once and was hyped on the release since then. Really nice game. Just feels good slashing through enemies. Also a very friendly learning curve. Just 3 things I would wish for: 1. That you could still use the time freeze shortly after dashing, before hitting any enemy (would feel much smoother) 2. that you could "queue" commands, press dash while dashing to instantly go into the next dash when the first is through 3. remappable controls. edit: damn. This game turn from fast paced to a slow puzzle game in no time... another edit: the game completely shifts from fast paced slashing to a slow puzzle game. You can think of it what you want, but the demo is nothing like this game now.

A good mix of Turn Based, Real Time, Puzzle, and Hack`n Slash. It`s DIFFERENT enough to be a breath of fresh air in a pretty stale genre

I really liked very much this game. It tell about a good story with a different mechanic.

It hooked me for the very first time! Well done game design, great OST and pixel art. The story follows some Hotline Miami/Katana Zero mood, which is a plus for me. The game and puzzles never gets you bored, since the game always introduce you to new mechanics, that makes the game always fresh. Recommended as f***

WORKS GREAT ON STEAMDECK! Wonderful tactical puzzler, you can feel the Hotline Miami influences. Great game to play in "small bites".

This went from easy to hard in a single screen transition.

Puzzle game. Bloody difficult! BLOODY! Mwahahaha!

Bad? no. Good? also no.

I like it, hope it becomes popular

Great so far.

good