Deadlink is an FPS rogue-lite set in a cyberpunk universe and I'm shocked that this game isn't getting the recognition it deserves like other titles of its genre such as Roboquest and Gunfire Reborn.

• Freedom of choice - Deadlink gives you a ton of freedom in between runs, allowing you to pick what rewards you want to earn or what place to go to next. Kind of reminds me of a choose your own adventure and it's not to say that other games do this as well, but I thought I'd highlight it here because they make a great impact on how your run is affected
  
• Combines multiple games/genres, such as DOOM and Cyberpunk with a Hades style flair as you'll be blasting through different combat arenas. Think of it as Hades... But in first person
  
• Top tier combat - Deadlink has the best combat in this genre, hands down. Guns are punchy and feel great to use, movement allows you to move around in a fast-paced manner to where you're always on your feet and the VFX are so satisfying that it feels like eye-candy at times
  
• Level design is pretty solid with distinct locations and enemy types. You don't fight the same enemies over and over again (excluding doing runs over and over again ofc), every area has their own special enemies. Eg. First area is filled with the Yakuza, simple but basic shooty enemies, the next area has PMC soldiers and robots
  
• Characters in this game are defined as combat shells and there's 4 to choose from, each with their own playstyles, positives and negatives. You'll only start with one at first as the others are earned through gameplay, but you get your second shell pretty early so the options open up to you pretty quickly after the first hour or two of gameplay
  
• Good amount of weapons to choose from, from pistols to rocket launchers, shotguns and lasers. Each shell starts with a primary weapon and a heavy weapon. Primary weapons remain the same for each shell and doesn't get swapped whilst heavy weapons can be changed at your own will. They also have a limited amount of ammo to make up for their power, making weapon swapping essential for a good run
  
• "Marking" mechanic is a unique mechanic that helps players increase their up time during arenas as health and shield regeneration doesn't exist in Deadlink. Instead, you mark enemies with abilities or grenades and killing them drops ammo and shields, promoting a proactive playstyle for this type of game. There's also drops available like in DOOM available for you to pick up
  
• Gotta give Gruby props for making each of the heavy weapons different! There's 3 elements in the game, which are Corrosive, Fire and Shock and each weapon has a variant of these that act and feel different. They're not just weapons that come with elemental bullets. Huge W here for adding variety
  
• Difficulty options, provides ease of accessibility for those who may be new to this genre. Also offers additional rewards the higher you go
  
• Simple vertical progression system, mix of passive bonuses and upgrade-able abilities. You start with one row of upgrades and as you earn more, more stuff will unlock that'll provide you with a ton of stuff, such as more health, shields, damage and credit acquisition that'll help you get through those higher difficulties
  
• Runs last for about 45 minutes to an hour, maybe a little more than an hour depending on what difficulty you play. Never feels too long with how fast you move through this game
  
• NPCs is something I figured I should add in-case people are wondering if they're in-game, and they are, helping you make your runs easier
  
• Another special mention to the dialogue of some of the characters. During a run, one of 3 characters will narrate/be your announcer and the dialogue helps to bring a good amount of immersion into the game, alongside providing some subtle backstories and history into the world of Deadlink
  
• Amazing OST, fits the vibe and world perfectly
  
• Good boss fights, with decent mechanics and an incentive to stay on your toes and not sit in one spot. The Iskra was the highlight boss for me, being this massive machine that talks and tries to provoke you like it's a being in itself. Phoenix Apex = Best OST in the entire game
  
• Another unique system is the implants or "items," which you have to slot into specific slots based on how much battery power an implant has (ranges from 1-3 bars), instead of just picking up an item and having it permanently like in other games. Gives you some thought and lets you decide which ones to put in where. You can also take these out before an encounter as well. Some cool combinations you can make as well
  
• Additional game modes on top of the standard mode, such as a horde mode and the recently released time-trial mode, giving the game replay value
  
• Performance is buttery smooth and having DLSS in a game like this is so nice. For most gaming rigs, you shouldn't have a problem running this
  
• This game has a freaking demo! Can't remember the last game I played that even had a demo

• Story is pretty mid, not much to talk about, not much to say. Couldn't remember much from what was going on other than being an agent who goes into simulations to stop rogue corporations. The cutscenes were kind of cool though, hinting that you may be some sort of shady character who's done bad things prior to joining the Deadlink program
  
• Game gets repetitive fast, particularly when you reach the "endgame." All the runs work like this: Kill enemies, choose rewards, kill more ememies, kill bosses, talk to NPCs, rinse, repeat. There's only like two random events that can occur and it's pretty boring. Needs to be more of these random events or some way to juice up the runs and make them feel different
  
• The early game can be bad for a few reasons. Two NPCs require you to spend both XP and Tokens, which are the two currencies you need to purchase upgrades and Tokens aren't usually worth spending early on as getting those starting upgrades is way more important. This also correlates to my next point, which is that your choices are somewhat limited as well, meaning that XP and Token doors are the best way to go for your first few runs. By the mid game or end game, these problems resolve itself and you can play the game how you want to. Just something to keep in mind in case you want that freedom of choice early on
  
• Implants in this game feel more like passive bonuses rather than actual items. Even though they do have both active and passive bonuses, I still didn't feel like it was at a point where I was building into something either broken, good or just bad (which will happen at times in games like this). One time, I tried building into a heavy weapon and got a few good items and buffs to start it off strong, but fell short by the time I got to the next area. This is more of a pet peeve for me so maybe people will disagree with this point and that's okay, it's just not for me
  
• This game only has 2,673 reviews as of writing this review. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

Deadlink has an incredible gameplay loop and fun progression system that makes it stand out amongst its competitors. In fact, I think the gameplay is peak here out of the other games out there. Despite some problems I have, I still highly recommend that you give it a try, especially for those who want that DOOM fix but don’t want to play DOOM. It’s incredible at what it does, has a great soundtrack to back it up and the dynamic is fun enough to where you’ll feel right at home. The difficulty settings give ease of accessibility and the game looks and runs great!