User Review : Deadbolt

Good Luck Reaper

Occasionally there is a game that has completely flown under your radar. And I found that to be the case with Deadbolt. Deadbolt is the followup (not sequel) to Hopoo Games' Risk of Rain. Due to the many hours of enjoyment I've had with Risk of Rain, Deadbolt's release came as a pleasant surprise to me. Deadbolt follows in the same vein of side scrolling action as Risk of Rain, but with one main added element, stealth.

In Deadbolt you play as a Reaper. Your 'job' is to "quell the recent undead uprising" and send their souls on the way to death. Your employer is a flame which speaks to you through the fireplace in your home and you work together with a group of creatures that are called the candles. Your home starts off barren full of moving boxes, but as you progress through the game these containers are slowly emptied furnishing your home. The game is light on story and most of the information you are given is through the flames in the fireplace. Typically through a short poem announcing the mission and also some intelligence information that the candles have gathered. Other means of world building and lore can be read through random cassette drops from enemies. These typically give some insight and perspective into the "lives" of these undead such as a zombie describing his drug binge and the events that follow. The original aspect of the story is one of the best premises of Deadbolt. A Reaper having to send the undead to the afterlife is a wonderful, fresh take on the "undead" killing genre. I use quotes as the game also includes several different types of prey for you to reap, ranging from zombies, skeletons, to vampires and demons.

What the game lacks in story it makes up for with gameplay. The gameplay is simply top notch. It takes the same side scrolling aspect of Risk of Rain and builds upon that with stealth. And you will want to stay stealthy in this game, as your Reaper is fragile and dies from one shot. There are clearly defined areas in which you will stay hidden from enemies and light sources are made apparent. Each level is crafted like one large puzzle which can dynamically change, and depending on your mission objective you must navigate each level based upon these changing variables. One mechanic you can take advantage of is using a weapon to destroy light sources, rendering most enemies near blind, only having the ability to see you until you are up close. Another mechanic your character can employ is turning into smoke and entering air vents/sewage pipes to enter and area stealthily. My favorite aspect of the game however is being able to create panic and confusion among the enemy AI. Infiltrating into a bathroom, knocking on a door and quickly killing a confused zombie looking to investigate said noise is very fulfilling. Of course there are other methods to complete each level, as there are multiple weapons throughout that can be picked up. Your Reaper can also purchase his own arsenal of unique weapons by cashing in the souls he reaps from every undead. These weapons range from pistols, to shotguns and rifles, and even the iconic scythe. The game is very rewarding with its difficulty. Various levels can become incredibly difficult, especially in the post completion hard mode. However, the game does not cheat, nor does it employ unfair AI or broken mechanics to try and trick you. Once you learn to correctly navigate the dynamic puzzles of the level you will feel a sense of accomplishment.

Deadbolt is a very beautiful game. Incorporating the same pixel art style that Risk of Rain did, Deadbolt builds on this also with a very effective lighting system. Detroit-esque run down buildings filled with drug-binging zombies or promiscuous night clubs filled with vampires and succubi, they all look like they are described. And various light sources provide different effects. Strobe lights at night clubs or the nice warm glow of a fireplace with flickering shadows as introduced in your home. And Hopoo has once again provided an ample amount of detail into his artwork, despite using an art style known for a lack of. Blood splatters on walls are gruesome and undead limbs flailing about are very satisfying. The soundtrack for this game is also phenomenal. Each track accompanies the levels perfectly, not to mention the quality of each song is great. I've found myself listening to them standalone, even using them as background music for other games I play. One of my favorite features of the sound design is the muffling of music. When you are outside of a club (for example) you will hear a muffled version of said song until you enter the areas in which the music is playing. And weapons sound great. Handguns sound fearsome and deadly, shotguns powerful. The subtle knocking sound your character makes on a door prior to the vicious stabbing sounds (or hammer impacts, etc) are gruesome and all too satisfying. Each weapon sounds unique and good.

Like all games however, Deadbolt isn't perfect. I've run into many issues with hitboxes. Being out of range of an enemy and they've instakilled me with a hammer swing. On the opposite end of that I've found myself seemingly in range of an enemy, but in truth just short of reaching them with a melee attack, resulting in my death. Hitboxes sometimes fall flat in regards to headshots. A bouncer zombie which takes several shots to the head as is, is difficult enough to kill. Even more so when the headshots I thought I was landing are actually hitting just below. Vents and sewage also sometimes has an odd delay prior to entering. When I thought I made it into a vent before being killed, my character was apparently still outside of it, thus resulting in my death and a lot of cursing. AI also act odd sometimes. You can repeat the same sequence of events over and over and sometimes they will aggro for seemingly no reason, other times they are completely oblivious to everything.

Overall, this game is simply great. It is a challenging yet rewarding game with a great art style and incredibly fun gameplay mechanics. I fully recommend anyone reading this to play this game.