DEADBOLT

"There's a man going 'round taking names..." Deadbolt is a mix between Not a Hero, Hotline Miami, Hitman and Blade/The Professional movies. As the Reaper, you have to execute contracts on undead creatures that lurks into the darkest places of your city. You plan your missions in your stylish and comfortable flat. Choosing your weapons from Charon on the docks, listening some nice tunes or just sit in your armchair and chat with... your fireplace. The atmosphere is great. The city is a dark place where creatures lives in gettos, nightclubs and mansions. Soundtrack is clam and relaxing, making your contracts "smoother" than they look... because Deadbolt is a very hard game. 1 hit and your dear Reaper is... out. I had tons of fun to play Deadbolt. The Two first chapters are rather easy. You can vanish into air vents or pipes to reach other rooms and stay low. Or even knock on doors to call enemies and welcome them with your sledgehammer or a headshot. By speaking about gun fights... you can go loud because of the nice targeting system that depends on how far you slide your cursor. So if you follow the head of an enemy... you are sure to land your hits. But you still need to hold a mouse button to draw your weapon and stay still to be able to shoot. Being unable to move or dodge when you aim is really difficult. But the rest of the game is really nice and like Hitman, you will prefer to do your contracts like a ghost , breaking electric bulbs doing diversions and execute everybody to get souls: the currency to buy new gear. Also bosses can be "aggro" and can make very funny situations, like when he tries to follow you... and is welcomed by a fully loaded shotgun/smg/dual pistols/ect... Very good game can't wait to have new characters and content ! Note that you can create your own levels. "I saw a white horse.... he's name was death... and hell followed with him." Johnny Cash.

Do you wish Gunpoint had more guns? Do you wish Not a Hero was less frantic and more methodical? Do you wish the guys that made Risk of Rain would make something else? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions then Deadbolt is definitely worth your time to check out. Playing as the titular Reaper of Souls it is your job to take out the undead that infest the city with extreme prejudice. Stealthy headshots or reckless hammer swings are your tools of the trade. Each level is presented in an open puzzle format that players of Gunpoint will immediately be familiar with; as well as the one hit and you die mechanic. Skillful play will reward you with souls to be exchanged with Charon for more deadly weaponry. Combat and sneaking is super responsive and so satisfying when you pull off that across the map headshot that clears the level for you. Presentation is stellar if you are fan of the art in Risk of Rain as Hoppo exercise their talent with great pixel art and a smooth soundtrack. Sound effects and lighting are very important here as you can hide in a dark room and your guns have different sound levels depending on stopping power and rate of fire. What else can I say? I love this game and for the asking price I recommend it over and over.

Game nicely starts with stealth but with progression it more like reflex based run-and-gun. Long story short, game lacks of diversity in level design and game features. You will quickly understand simple behavior of enemies and start abusing its stupidity. Deadbolt worth its price and can be fun, but not expect too much.

Deadbolt is a solid game that suffers a little from being too short, though hard mode adds some replay value by changing enemy count and placement. Recommended.