Overwhelm

Overwhelm is a delight to play. With its engaging evolution mechanic making the boss fights more challenging the closer you get to the end. It’s a perfect example of atmosphere, with its frightening sci-fi 8-bit visuals and refreshing color palette. The dread the character feels is translated perfectly into the gameplay. Overwhelm is great, and with its evolution to the switch, it’s found a wonderful home to showcase its roguelike gameplay.

Simple yet effective, Overwhelm takes the concepts at the very core of the horror genre and presents them in the form of a nostalgic and addictive game.

Overwhelm's dark, intense action makes for a fantastic yet occasionally frustrating horror experience. When you are in the game, leaping around enemies and using your limited ammo to deal with evolving threats, you will be experiencing an immensely satisfying challenge. It's only a shame that some of the technical aspects can make death too easy and navigation a chore, because the roots of Overwhelm's concept design are exemplary.

"A crushing challenge."

Ruari O'Sullivan's Overwhelm is tough-as-nails retro shooter that's strangely addictive

If you’re up for the challenge that lies ahead, and the copious amounts of punishment with the game’s difficulty, there’s no doubt you’ve arrived at the right doorstep. If you’re not ready for those challenges, walk away now because this might not be the experience for you.

All in all, OVERWHELM is a fun and neat little roguelike with an unfortunate problem: it can feel unforgiving in the worst way. While it's far from being unplayable or unenjoyable, it can simply be disheartening to be on an incredible run only to be cheaply killed by either a teleporting boss or a random overworld enemy. If you can get past that, there is an amusing game that I could recommend to roguelike fans.

Starting with the basics this is a platforming shooter where you’re able to fire in any direction, punch, and uppercut...

Overwhelm has something interesting going on under the hood with its enemy evolution system, but it doesn't hold up its end of the bargain when it comes to providing rewarding gameplay and a fun challenge.