Noobs Are Coming Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-08-30
  • Inferior clone of Brotato
  • Highly entertaining and addictive
  • Wide character variety
  • Game is too easy
  • Numerous bugs and issues
  • Play Brotato instead
Noobs Are Coming header

Emotions

Archetypes

Hardware

Windows <8GB VRAMnegative

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

Steam review verdict

An entertaining and addictive Brotato clone with wide character variety, but it's too easy, plagued by bugs, and ultimately inferior. Play Brotato instead.

What players like

Highly entertaining and addictive: The game is widely praised for being super fun, addictive, and engaging, with simple yet satisfying gameplay that keeps players hooked. It is described as chaotic, quick, and enjoyable for casual sessions.

Wide character variety: Players highlight the large number of playable characters, each with unique skills and gameplay styles. The diversity of characters adds significant replay value and keeps the experience fresh.

Great music and sound: The soundtrack and sound effects are consistently praised, with some calling the music the best part of the game. The audio quality adds to the overall enjoyment and polish.

Better visuals than Brotato: The game's graphics, art style, and UI are considered superior to Brotato's, with cooler artwork, cuter sprites, and a more eye-catching presentation. This visual appeal is a key positive point.

Many unlockables and upgrades: The game offers tons of upgrades, items, characters, and achievements to unlock, providing a sense of progression. The abundance of unlockable content is a major draw.

Common complaints

Inferior clone of Brotato: Players overwhelmingly compare this game unfavorably to Brotato, citing worse balance, less variety, and a lack of tension. The game is seen as a low-end, less polished version of the original.

Game is too easy: A significant number of players find the game too easy, even at the highest difficulty settings. This lack of challenge reduces the sense of accomplishment and long-term engagement.

Numerous bugs and issues: Players report a variety of bugs, including game-breaking glitches, AI problems, and poor optimization. These issues significantly harm the overall experience and can make the game unplayable.

Gameplay and performance

Roguelike with unlockable content: The game is a roguelike/roguelite with many unlockable characters, items, and weapons. Progression involves grinding to unlock new content, and each run offers different builds and synergies.

Play as boss against noobs: Players take on the role of a boss character, fighting against waves of 'noobs' or other players. This unique perspective is a central theme, with the player defending against heroes or adventurers.

Variety of builds and synergies: Players can create many different builds with weapons, items, and character abilities. Synergies between weapons and stats are important, and each character offers unique playstyles.

Supports solo and co-op play: The game can be played solo or with friends via local co-op, supporting up to four players. This makes it suitable for family and social play.

Bullet hell with boss mechanics: The game is a bullet hell where the player, as the boss, must dodge and attack. It features danmaku-style gameplay and is described as a simple bullet-hell roguelite.

Endless mode lags heavily: Multiple players report severe lag and slideshow-like performance in endless mode, particularly around wave 50. This is a common and specific issue affecting high-wave gameplay.

Poor optimization on PC: Users report general poor optimization, frame drops, and lag on various PC configurations. This suggests the game is not well-tuned for performance.

Steam Deck performance issues: While some users report smooth performance on Steam Deck, others note significant framerate issues and performance problems on the device. This inconsistency is concerning for portable play.

Freezes and unrecoverable states: The game can freeze completely, becoming unrecoverable, and sometimes shows a white or black screen requiring restart. These issues are severe and game-breaking.

Launch issues and black screens: Some users report the game failing to launch, showing a black screen at startup, or getting stuck at the loading screen. These issues prevent access to the game.

Recommendations

Play Brotato instead: Many reviewers strongly advise players to choose Brotato over this game, calling it the superior experience. This advice is especially directed at those who have not yet played Brotato.

Recommended for Brotato fans: The game is frequently recommended to players who already enjoy Brotato or similar arena roguelite games. Reviewers suggest it as a good fit for fans of the genre.

Worth the price: Several reviewers highlight the game as a good value for its cost, especially at its low price point. Some recommend waiting for a sale before purchasing.

Buying context

Community fair range: $4.00 - $6.00.

Game completion: 40.0h.

Session length: 0.5h.

Endgame: 100.0h.

The game initially feels like a Brotato clone with early friction, but becomes highly enjoyable once players unlock characters and learn the perk/upgrade system, leading to a 'clicks after' experience.

Friction: lack of upgrades early; reroll system giving same options; knocking system bad design; controller tedious; shop frustrating.

Unlock drivers: unlocking characters; learning perks and upgrades; getting used to the game; unlocking upgrades.

Player profiles

Brotato Enthusiasts: Experimenting with builds, playing solo or co-op, seeking synergies and unique character quirks. Motivation: To find a worthy successor to Brotato with new twists and variety. Stance: buy.

Casual Co-op Socializers: Co-op, casual, not optimizing heavily, enjoying the chaos and laughter. Motivation: Social fun, relaxation, and spending time with friends or family. Stance: buy.

Achievement Hunters: Systematic, playing all characters, optimizing runs, and using guides if needed. Motivation: To unlock all achievements and complete the game 100%. Stance: buy.

Platform notes

The Windows <8GB VRAM cohort reports poor performance, with the only included review being not recommended due to hardware limitations.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. The sole included review (2GB VRAM, 8GB RAM) is not recommended, indicating the game performs poorly on this hardware.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck experience is highly inconsistent. While some users report smooth gameplay, many encounter severe performance degradation, overheating, long loading times, and crashes, especially in endless mode. The game often requires tinkering with Proton versions to improve stability. Overall, the friction is high, with frequent technical barriers that make the game feel broken for a significant portion of players.

Linux and Proton: The game shows mixed Linux/Proton compatibility. While some users report smooth gameplay on Steam Deck, several others experience severe performance issues, long loading times, and input detection problems. A mention of Proton-GE suggests that some users may need to switch Proton versions to improve stability. Overall, the game is playable but requires tweaks and has notable performance friction on Linux/Proton.

Extra review signals

Monetization: Reviews explicitly mention no microtransactions.

Other review notes

Heavily compared to Brotato: The majority of feedback draws direct comparisons to Brotato, with many calling it a clone, reskin, or worse version. Some reviewers see it as an improvement or a worthy tribute, but the overwhelming sentiment is that it closely mirrors Brotato's mechanics and UI.

Active developer support: The developer is frequently praised for constant updates and good support, with some noting generous content additions. This responsiveness is a key positive point in reviews.