Deadzone Rogue Switch 2 Review

Deadzone Rogue Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

While I love the Switch 2, I feel like it really could do with a few more shooters. I primarily game on the hybrid console, but whenever I need a Battlefield or Call of Duty fix, it’s off to the Xbox I go. So when I saw Deadzone Rogue a couple of weeks ago during the Indie World Showcase, I was intrigued. Combining roguelite gameplay with the run-and-gun feel of Call of Duty could have all the makings of a winner. Now, I’ve finally got my hands on it to test it out. What’s it like? Fight to the death, upgrade your skills, and do it all over again as we review Deadzone: Rogue on Nintendo Switch 2.

Deadzone Rogue wastes little time setting things up. You awaken on a space station called the ISS-X with no memory and immediately have to fight rogue robots while searching for answers. The protagonist is fairly two-dimensional, offering deadpan quips and observations. To be completely honest, despite the slick shooting mechanics, my first hour of the game felt rather generic.

The core gameplay loop is simple. Clear a randomly generated room, choose a power-up or item, and every five or so floors, upgrade your kit using scrap. Eventually, you die, upgrade core stats like health and shield regeneration, and start the loop again. Clearing rooms feels somewhat similar to Doom 2016, ideally staying on the move while blasting enemies away as fast as you can. This is enhanced by the ability to double jump and sprint-dodge, which gives you a small burst of speed in the direction you move your control stick to get out of harm’s way. The dodge mechanic is also cleverly tied into some pickups, and you can even build entire playstyles around it. There’s also 4-player multiplayer if you want to tackle the game in co-op online.

At first, Deadzone Rogue just didn’t grab me, but I persevered, and I am glad I did. With each respawn, I started experimenting with different builds. I had three in rotation: a high-damage melee build that made me invisible after each melee kill, an elemental ranged assault rifle build with chain lightning, and a hip-firing shotgun build that reloaded one round with every sprint-dodge, so I never had to stop to reload if I stayed on the move. Sometimes, these builds would change depending on what choices I was faced with, and I felt less restricted than some rogue lites. When a build didn’t go my way, it seemed much more balanced and forgiving when having to pivot during the run.

There are 4 main missions, each with 30 rooms per run, lasting about an hour. Mini-bosses appear every 10 rooms, culminating in a main boss fight. Completing a run in Deadzone Rogue resets progress, letting you select your next area if you wish. New areas gradually introduce mechanics into the loop, keeping the game engaging by feeding content carefully. This pacing is complemented by shooting mechanics that feel like they lean into a Call of Duty style for aiming and firing while using a more grounded Destiny-style movement set. There’s such a great feeling of satisfaction when the RNG goes in your favour, giving you a perk that reloads your weapon when you perform a melee takedown, or stacking elemental attacks to create a soiree of lightning and flashes, stunning and dealing damage over time to large groups of enemies swarming your position.

It is these flashes and lighting that bring the firefights to life, filling the screen with all sorts of enemies and explosive chaos. Enemies have a decent amount of variety, starting with simple robotic foes and eventually evolving into horrifying automations like the man-spider or Doom-style zombies. My biggest complaint when it comes to visuals is that the randomly generated areas in Deadzone Rogue feel rather bland, with the exception of a few set stages, such as an aircraft or armoured vehicle hangar and some of the later-game areas. It is not a deal breaker, but the early hours can feel particularly repetitive while you are trying to complete the first mission.

This also makes some of the performance compromises feel a little confusing. By default, Deadzone Rogue on Switch 2 is locked to 30 fps in consistent mode, with minor hiccups, but mostly steady framerate. If you have a 120Hz display, you can switch to responsive mode, which bumps it up to around 40 fps, but it regularly fluctuates depending on the situation. Handheld mode seems to look and run even better than when docked, although I cannot measure it accurately. Aside from the framerate, I only encountered one bug where my run abruptly ended mid-gameplay with a message saying I had died.

For my roguelite warriors looking into accessibility, Deadzone: Rogue on Nintendo Switch 2 has a myriad of control options, mostly centred around tweaking aiming and shooting to be fine-tuned to your liking. This extends to gyro controls and mouse controls, along with options like enabling semi-automatic weapons to auto-fire. Audio settings allow you to isolate and tweak specific sound sources, which is always a welcome inclusion. You can also adjust the UI by removing or adding elements to suit your preferences, and even customise your crosshair size and colour for better visibility. It is great to see yet another indie title include such an extensive suite of accessibility options, giving players plenty of choice and customisation.

At just under $35 AUD, Deadzone: Rogue offers a strong level of replayability for anyone who enjoys roguelites. You could, in theory, clear the campaign in four to six hours once you know what you are doing, but getting there takes time, learning, and plenty of failed runs along the way. The shooting mechanics are tight, the gameplay is fun, and while it does not make the strongest first impression, the systems and progression have a way of slowly sinking their teeth into you. What starts off feeling familiar gradually turns into something that is hard to put down. Deadzone: Rogue is a strong addition to the roguelite shooter space and well worth your attention.

So, What’s it Like? Deadzone Rogue feels like a rogue lite verison of Destiny and Doom rolled into one.

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