Guidus Zero

Visually this game is stunning with the choice of high resolution pixel art and a vast array of well thought our designs not only for the enemies but the overall feel and aesthetic that makes the world around the hero a place of ruin and repair. Each floor you clear you find yourself fascinated about the new colour palette, baddies and the way they handle and forget to dodge everything around you because you are taking it in. Not only that the soundtrack leans heavily on things around you reinforcing the game’s theme of isolation and struggle and giving it that RPG feel.

Guidus Zero is not a game for hectic mouse clickers or spontaneous after-work runs where you just want to whizz through. It requires concentration, planning and a certain amount of frustration tolerance. But it rewards everyone who gets involved - with intense battles, a clever progression system and a surprisingly dense dungeon flair. The boss battles challenge us, but they also motivate us. The grid movement feels strange at first, but becomes a pleasant rhythm over time. And the small design decisions - notes instead of walls of text, random stores, portable resources - make Guidus Zero a game that doesn't try to be bigger or more epic than it is. But simply: damn good. Of course, there are weaknesses. The automatic dialog navigation feels like an unnecessary stumbling block. The lack of a hint to “reset run” after saving almost borders on sabotage. But these are annoyances, not deal-breakers.