Guidus Zero, a Top-Down Roguelike, Debuts in Early Access

Steam has just added an intriguing new title to its Early Access lineup: Guidus Zero. This top-down dungeon-crawling roguelike hails from indie developers at the South Korean studio, Izzle.

The game unfolds in a realm ravaged by endless warfare, with no clear victor emerging. Eventually, the central continent was declared a neutral zone where a colossal sinkhole known simply as The Scar mysteriously appeared. From this abyss flows a curious substance dubbed Black Blood, giving rise to corrupted creatures. The origins of The Scar, its depths, and the source of the Black Blood remain a mystery. And that’s where your adventure begins.

You’ll step into the shoes of various characters tasked with exploring The Scar’s hidden depths. As you venture forth, you’ll confront a variety of foes tainted by the Black Blood. The game gives you command over multiple characters, each boasting unique strengths and abilities. Fans of real-time action combat will find a twist here: movement and attacks occur on a grid system, restricting navigation to the four cardinal directions.

When enemies gear up for an attack, a warning exclamation mark flashes above them, and the targeted area on the ground is highlighted. Each enemy boasts its own attack pattern—some strike directly ahead, others aim for an entire line, and a few target vast areas of the grid. Battling multiple enemies at once will keep you on high alert as you dodge their assaults.

In movement, you have the ability to roll, rendering you temporarily invincible, but each roll drains stamina. With movement restricted to four directions, strategic planning of your moves and rolls becomes crucial. The last thing you want is to find yourself cornered between unavoidable attacks.

While evading damage is important, dealing it out is equally vital. How you wreak havoc depends largely on your chosen character. Before each run begins, you’ll select a character and a starting trait. In classic RPG fashion, defeating enemies nets you experience points, allowing you to level up.

As you gain levels, you’ll unlock special skill upgrades tied to your initial trait selection, influencing the run’s playstyle. Even with the same character, the gameplay can vary dramatically depending on your choices at the onset and the upgrades you opt for. Bear in mind, all your levels and progress are limited to a single run, resetting upon death.

Not everything vanishes, though. As you make your way through the game, you’ll encounter ore veins you can mine for stones with unique stats. The collective stats of these stones can unlock character buffs. You can slot these stones into available slots and keep them across runs. Any stones left unequipped at the end of a run convert into stone fragments, useful as currency or for reforging by an NPC blacksmith.

During your escapades, you’ll stumble upon special rooms hiding treasure chests, housing artifacts that enhance your abilities. Stack up these artifacts, and you can build up elemental effects. When an artifact hits five stacks, it bonds with a spirit linked to its element, enabling unique elemental attacks.

Bonding with Ignis, the fire spirit, lets you set enemies ablaze with a burn effect. Atlen, the water spirit, slows foes and can freeze those drenched by a wet debuff. Rathorus, the lightning spirit, unleashes a shock debuff for additional damage. Enryl, the wind spirit, boosts your speed and multi-hit capability. Terrania, the earth spirit, petrifies enemies, causing fragments to shoot out with each strike.

All these elements combine to offer a roguelike experience that’s irresistibly replayable. With stones fostering permanent advancement and varied character and skill selections ensuring every run feels distinct, Guidus Zero beckons you for just one more dive into its depths. Now available on Steam’s Early Access, it’s a game worth exploring.

Right now, they’re celebrating the launch with a snazzy 10% discount running up until December 9. While there’s buzz about potential Xbox and Nintendo Switch releases, nothing official has been confirmed just yet.