Posted by: Gianna Cosimini | October 15, 2025 | Demo, Roguelike
For the Player Who’s Never Fired a Shot:
If the thought of a frantic, top-down twin-stick shooter, where every run is a unique cocktail of carnage and oversized weaponry, sounds like a good time, then strap in. Overkill Squad is a game that doesn’t just embrace chaos; it douses it in gasoline, lights a match, and cranks the volume up to eleven.
The Gist: What is Overkill Squad?
This is a fast-paced twin-stick shooter roguelike, think of classics like Nuclear Throne, but injected with a heavy dose of dark humor, a gritty rock/metal soundtrack, and a bizarre mercenary squad of weapon-toting animals.
The core loop is simple: choose a unique animal merc, dive into procedurally generated levels, clear rooms of grotesque monsters, battle massive, “old-school” bosses, and collect powerful relics to build an increasingly absurd and destructive character. Die, and you lose your progress (that’s the “roguelike” part), but you gain knowledge and unlock new possibilities for the next run.
The Good: Pure, Unfiltered Mayhem
- Explosive and Fast Gameplay: The “Overkill” in the title is no exaggeration. The action is relentless, fluid, and noticeably faster than many games in the genre. This is all about constant motion, dodging, and turning the screen into a dazzling display of bullets and explosions.
- Deep Character and Relic System: The developers have clearly focused on variety. Each mercenary animal has unique starting weapons, stats (HP, speed, dodge chance), and special powers, leading to wildly different playstyles. The Relic System, a key to any good roguelike, seems particularly strong, offering tons of collectible, discardable power-ups to create synergistic, game-breaking builds.
- Vibe Check: If you enjoy a dark, gritty aesthetic fueled by a heart-pumping rock/metal soundtrack, this game delivers. It aims for a heavy-metal energy that propels you through the chaos.
- Procedural Variety: With procedurally generated levels, unique characters, a massive arsenal of weapons, and the relic system, no two runs are ever going to be exactly the same, promising a high degree of replayability.
The Caveats: What to be Prepared For
- It’s a Roguelike: This is an unforgiving genre. You will die. A lot. Expect permadeath and the need to learn enemy patterns and level layouts through repeated failure. If you prefer a game with a single, continuous progression path, this might be frustrating.
- Potential for Polish: As an indie game often featured in events like Steam Next Fest, the experience will rise and fall on its level of polish at launch. Things like small UI issues or minor animation quirks (mentioned in some early feedback) can sometimes be a factor in these types of games, though the core mechanics appear solid.
- Skill Check: With its “bullet hell” leanings and brutal bosses, Overkill Squad looks like a game that will push your twin-stick skills to the limit. It’s not a casual shooter.
Honest Verdict
Overkill Squad appears to be a thrilling, over-the-top entry into the twin-stick roguelike genre. It takes the successful formula of games like Nuclear Throne and adds its own gritty, high-octane twist with a deep character and relic system.
If you crave a game that is:
- Fast, unforgiving, and explosive.
- Heavy on build-crafting and synergies.
- Fueled by a killer rock soundtrack.
…then Overkill Squad is absolutely worth keeping an eye on, especially if you can try a demo. It looks like pure, anarchic fun, perfect for short, intense bursts of explosive action. Just be ready to die, hit that ‘Restart’ button, and come back even louder.
Maturity Rating
Rating: MATURE (M)
Suggested by Content: Intense Violence, Blood and Gore (in pixel art style), Dark Humor, Crude Language (mentioned by developers), and general chaotic mayhem. While the pixel art style may soften the visuals, the themes and frequency of combat point toward a mature audience.
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