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0 Grind Survivors is a new top-down action roguelike, bullet hell mashup by Pushka Studios. Survive your way through endless swarms of demons in fast-paced biomes, gaining experience and stacking different bonuses to enhance your weapon. Pick up loot, boost your passives, and come back gunning. With publishing by Assemble Entertainment (Sticky Business, Endzone – A World Apart), the game is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, Epic, and GOG.
Grind Those Demons!
Here I am at it again. Yet another roguelite/roguelike on my plate. Thankfully, I seem to keep coming up with a fresh appetite. It’s pretty likely now that anything with “Survivors” in the title gives the average gamer an idea of what’s on the menu at least. Does Grind Survivors hold true? Check out my latest thoughts in the review below.
Gameplay
Grind Survivors is another of the latest in what is becoming one my my favorite style of genres. This horde survivor features top-down, twin-stick shooter mechanics and a bullet hell drive that keeps you in motion until you drop. Or until the final boss demon drops, whichever may come first. Select from one of four playable demon hunters (after unlocking them, of course), each with their own unique ability. Then survive waves of hellspawn with a selection of weapons and upgrades that increase your lethality the longer you survive. Death is simply a means to an end as you die to fight another day. Apart from slaying demons, there doesn’t really seem to be any sort of storyline to the game, but honestly feels just fine that way.
Between rounds, looted weapons can be broken down, infused and improved in the forge. Advance your passive skills using hell dust from more difficult demons. Grind Survivors also includes runes as modifiers that add interchangeable modifiers. Planning to combine runes with specific modifiers in round creates a better build overall. The only unfortunate part is that each run can be completely different from the last, which also keeps things exciting. A bonus overall though is that the game has a toggle for automatic weapon and ability firing so all you have to do is move and dodge. You can also override the aim if you need to focus something for a moment too which is a nice feature.
It’s hard to say a lot more about the core mechanics of the gameplay. Grind Survivors has all of the staples of a great roguelike in addition to the intensity of the best bullet hell games around. Getting a feel for the structure of builds and upgrades after a few quick deaths, I was able to slowly but surely progress through the first biome and difficulty levels. Over twenty hours in though I’m still trying to get past the first difficulty of the second one! I’ve yet to unlock the other two characters or endless modes yet but am looking forward to getting to them eventually.
Graphics & Audio
I’ve been playing Grind Survivors about equally on my PC and my Steam Deck. It plays great on both without needing to tweak anything. The art style isn’t pixelated like many roguelites I play but yet it is still simple enough to play smoothly. This is especially important the longer you survive as the hordes continue relentlessly piling on as the screen becomes just a hot mess of flashing colors. But on both platforms I didn’t experience any drawback to being overwhelmed from a hardware standing. Also, subtle details like the color of your bullets changing based on the elemental status effect you’re laying down is a solid visual flair.
Bullet hell games usually share a common theme of heavier, driving music. Grind Survivors is no different. The music track is just enough metal to push you along but doesn’t become a constant whine in your ears. Audio cues such as exploding enemies and things like your shield breaking or receiving damage are critical when you may be in a situation where actually seeing your character on screen is a challenge.
Longevity
Grind Survivors carries that “just one more run” weight. It’s easy to pick up and hard to put down. Whether it be trying to beef up a build, focusing in on specific upgrades, or outright winging it. The game just keeps you coming back for more. Admittedly, it was hard to write this article without stopping several times to play the game. As I mention above, I’m already over 20 hours in and yet have to advance beyond the first difficulty of the second of three biomes. There’s still a lot of game and unlocks to be had before I’m done with it.
Final Thoughts
There are an overwhelming number of games hitting early access or simply releasing under the radar. Occasionally you find something that feels familiar but fresh that you didn’t expect. I came in expecting more of the same but was pleasantly surprised at the draw it had on me. Grind Survivors is available on multiple platforms as a full release. If you’re looking for a new bullet-hell to sink your teeth into, it’s well worth your time picking up. It offers a variety of loot, builds, characters and ways to modify runs to suit the playstyle or build you want to focus on. I’m definitely going to have to go with the Thumb Culture Platinum Award for this one.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoy this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
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