Info about Deadlink:

Official game description:
Deadlink is a cyberpunk FPS with roguelite elements. You're an elite operative recruited to the experimental Deadlink project. Pilot an autonomous combat shell, fighting your way through cramped slums, twisted labs, grimy warehouses, and sleek office buildings on a mission to thwart the schemes of the most powerful corporations in the world. Wield a deadly arsenal, upgrade your skills and tech, devastate destructible environments, and slash corporate profit margins — all at the same time.  
You are the Corporate Security Agency’s greatest weapon, and it's your job to make sure the corporations and their shady deals are anything but secure. With the team at HQ backing you up, you're tossed headfirst into the fray, where a military operation with plausible deniability can fix things for a fraction of the cost of a hopeless court case.  
Every randomized run will be different, but one thing never changes: you will be outnumbered. Get ready to think on your feet as you dash, jump, and use the environment to your advantage. You can't still, not even for a second.  
Equip your shell with powerful weapon loadouts. Try out various combinations as you blaze a path of destruction. Want to snipe your foes from a distance, debilitate them with status effects, or just go in guns blazing? Whatever your playstyle, you can find the right kit for the job.  
Your enemies have no shortage of bullets and bodies to throw at you. But you're no slouch either. Sure, you might lose a combat shell here and there, but your next one will be even tougher. Start each new run with amped-up skills and deadlier firepower!

Release date: Jul 27, 2023

Categories: First-Person Shooter, Roguelike, Roguelite, Cyberpunk, Character Progression, Weapon Customization, Action, Destruction Mechanics


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent combat and gunplay (weight 0.96): The combat and gunplay are highly praised for being fluid, fast-paced, and rewarding. The variety in weapons and enemy design contributes to a dynamic and engaging experience.
- Distinct and varied classes (weight 0.79): The game features multiple character classes, each with unique abilities and playstyles. This variety encourages players to experiment with different builds and strategies.
- Polished visuals and art style (weight 0.73): The game is praised for its polished visuals, cool art style, and cyberpunk atmosphere. The graphics and animations are well-received and complement the gameplay.
- High replayability and variety (weight 0.62): The game offers high replayability due to its varied runs, enemy types, and character abilities. Each playthrough can feel unique, keeping the experience fresh.
- Engaging meta progression (weight 0.53): The meta progression system is well-designed and engaging, providing a steady and impactful sense of progression. Players appreciate the variety in upgrades and rewards.
- Interesting story and lore (weight 0.47): The game features an interesting story and lore, adding depth to the cyberpunk setting. The narrative is engaging and complements the gameplay.
- Cyberpunk setting and aesthetics (weight 0.13): The game features a cool cyberpunk setting with vibrant and attractive visuals. The cyberpunk details and atmosphere are well-received by players.
- Responsive controls and mechanics (weight 0.12): The controls and mechanics are responsive and smooth, contributing to a tight and enjoyable gameplay experience. The movement and shooting mechanics are particularly praised.
- Good value for money (weight 0.07): The game is considered a good value for its price, offering a decent amount of content and replayability. It is recommended for fans of the genre.
- Similar to Doom Eternal (weight 0.06): The game is compared to Doom Eternal for its fast-paced combat and similar mechanics. Players who enjoy Doom Eternal are likely to appreciate this game as well.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive gameplay and levels (weight 0.72): The game features repetitive levels, boss fights, and arenas. Players often find themselves repeating the same few levels and encounters, leading to a monotonous experience.
- High difficulty and unfair mechanics (weight 0.61): The game is criticized for its high difficulty, especially on higher settings. Some bosses and enemies are described as bullet sponges, and the difficulty spikes unfairly, making the game less enjoyable.
- Limited weapon variety (weight 0.54): The game offers few weapons, and secondary weapons are weak with limited ammo. The weapon selection is poor, and some weapons are severely outclassed, making them ineffective.
- Weak story and characters (weight 0.46): The story is described as predictable, boring, and shallow. Characters are also criticized for being ugly and uninteresting, with dialogue that feels unnatural and translated poorly.
- Movement and controls issues (weight 0.44): The movement is described as unresponsive and sluggish, with characters moving woodenly. Enemies and environments can block movement and attacks, making the game feel less enjoyable.
- Roguelike elements are grindy (weight 0.28): The roguelike mechanics may not appeal to everyone and can feel grindy. The game relies heavily on RNG, which can make upgrades and difficulty feel unfair and repetitive.
- Poorly designed enemies and bosses (weight 0.22): Enemies and bosses are described as poorly designed, with some being damage sponges and others having unfair mechanics. Boss fights can feel repetitive and overwhelming.
- Ineffective damage and abilities (weight 0.05): Damage dealt is often ineffective, and elemental abilities feel weak. Toxic damage is criticized for being overpowered, making other damage types less viable.

Gameplay feedback:
- Roguelike and Roguelite Elements (weight 0.64): The game features a mix of roguelike and roguelite elements, including meta progression, randomized abilities, and stage-based progression. Players can expect a gameplay loop involving arena combat, rewards, and upgrades, with a steady flow of new abilities and equipment.
- Boss Fights and Enemy Design (weight 0.59): Boss fights are a significant part of the game, with each boss having unique mechanics and challenges. However, some players find the boss fights repetitive and less engaging compared to other aspects of the game.
- Weapon and Upgrade System (weight 0.57): The game offers a variety of weapons and upgrades, including primary weapons with infinite ammo and secondary weapons with limited ammo. Players can also find upgrades for their character through implants and other modifications, enhancing their abilities and stats.
- Character and Class Variety (weight 0.56): There are multiple character classes, each with unique weapons, abilities, and playstyles. This includes different combat shells and classes like soldier, engineer, hunter, and juggernaut, each offering distinct gameplay experiences.
- Game Length and Content (weight 0.55): The game has a medium gameplay time, typically ranging from 8 to 12 hours for a normal story completion. The content includes a variety of stages, bosses, and character classes, providing a decent amount of gameplay variety.
- Arena and Stage Design (weight 0.47): The game includes various arenas and stages, each with unique layouts and obstacles. These arenas are designed to facilitate fast-paced combat and provide different challenges and enemy encounters.
- Difficulty and Challenge (weight 0.2): The game features multiple difficulty levels, with higher difficulties requiring more strategic and safer approaches. Enemies become more numerous and challenging as the difficulty increases, providing a robust challenge for players.
- Music and Sound Design (weight 0.1): The game features a soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, with music that aids focus and complements the fast-paced action. The voice acting and sound effects are also noted for their quality.

Performance notes:
- Mixed performance reviews (weight 0.12): The game receives praise for running smoothly at 60 FPS without frame rate drops and being well-optimized, even on older PCs and Linux/Steam Deck. However, there are also reports of stutters, optimization issues, and high system requirements, with some players needing to use low settings even on high-end hardware.
- Performance on Steam Deck (weight 0.11): While some players report that the game runs fairly well on Steam Deck, others mention specific performance issues on this platform.
- Frame drops during boss fights (weight 0.02): Several players report significant frame drops during boss fights, particularly noting issues after the final boss encounter.
- Optimization concerns (weight 0.02): There are mixed feelings about the game's optimization, with some players stating it is not the best and others experiencing compilation stutters in new areas.
- High resource usage (weight 0.02): The game is criticized for being a resource hog, particularly with Unreal Engine 4 and 5, which can lead to performance issues even on high-end systems like the RTX 3080 and AMD 5600X.
- Mouse and sound issues (weight 0.02): Some players experience problems with mouse clicks and sound design, which can affect the overall gaming experience.
- CPU strain during specific events (weight 0.01): Certain in-game events, such as visiting shops and the first boss fight, are reported to cause significant CPU strain.
- Visual feedback on damage (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the visual feedback that indicates the direction of damage, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for specific genres (weight 0.3): The game is highly recommended for fans of fast-paced FPS games, roguelite elements, and arena shooters. It is also suggested for those who enjoy games like Doom, Quake, and Ultrakill.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.2): Many reviewers suggest purchasing the game only when it is significantly discounted, with some recommending a price of $5 or less. The general consensus is that the game is worth trying but only at a lower price point.
- Worth trying for fans (weight 0.15): If you enjoy frantic arena-shooter action and roguelike mechanics, this game is worth your time. It is particularly recommended for fans of specific genres like cyber-themed games and aggressive shooters.
- Game is good (weight 0.02): Some reviewers simply state that the game is good and recommend it without going into much detail. This suggests a general positive sentiment towards the game.
- Potential price increase (weight 0.02): There is a mention of a potential price increase in the future, suggesting that it might be worth buying the game sooner rather than later to avoid higher costs.
- Recommended for shooter fans (weight 0.01): The game is recommended for all lovers of shooters and roguelikes. This indicates that it appeals to a specific niche of gamers who enjoy these genres.
- Best on keyboard and mouse (weight 0.01): The game is rated highly for its keyboard and mouse controls, suggesting that this is the optimal way to play and enjoy the game.
- Not recommended (weight 0.01): A few reviewers strongly advise against purchasing the game, indicating significant dissatisfaction or issues with the game.
- Suitable for quick sessions (weight 0.01): The game is considered suitable for quick gaming sessions, making it a good choice for casual play rather than serious progression.

Other player notes:
- Bundled in Humble Bundle (weight 0.01): The game was included as part of a Humble Bundle, which may have influenced the volume of reviews and player experiences.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players are frustrated by the game's high difficulty, which is exacerbated by the lack of weapon variety and the RNG-dependent upgrade system. The steep learning curve, repetitive gameplay, and the grind required for progression, especially in the initial hours, contribute significantly to this frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.21): The primary cause of disappointment is the lack of content and variety, leading to a repetitive and shallow gameplay experience. Players feel that the game is undercooked, with limited replayability and a lack of significant changes since Early Access, making it feel not worth the value.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.15): Players find satisfaction in the game's chaotic and satisfying gameplay loop, which includes enjoyable shooting mechanics and dynamic combat. The variety of weapons, customization systems, and the overall progression and challenge contribute to a satisfying experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Enjoyment stems from the game's fast-paced and frenetic shooting mechanics, which are described as fun and engaging. The dynamic gameplay, variety of enemies, and the overall smooth performance contribute to a highly enjoyable experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): The game's high mobility, strategic gameplay, and fluid movement create an exciting experience for players. The fast-paced combat, immersive atmosphere, and dynamic gameplay mechanics keep players engaged and excited.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players feel frustrated due to the game's time-consuming elements and the overall exhausting experience. The feeling of being held back by the game mechanics contributes to this frustration.
- Joy (weight 0.01): The fast-paced and chaotic gameplay brings joy to players, who find the addictive gameplay loop and variety in enemies and weapons particularly enjoyable.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Disappointment arises from the game's low replayability and the lack of significant changes since its Early Access phase, making it feel stagnant and unworthy of its genre.
- Interest (weight 0.01): The game's unique and interesting gameplay mechanics, coupled with beautiful graphics, spark interest among players, drawing them into the experience.
- Discomfort (weight 0.01): Some players experience discomfort due to the game's speed and color scheme, which can cause epileptic-like symptoms, detracting from the overall experience.}