Nuclear Throne

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Nuclear Throne might not be a super complex game, but it is a compelling one. Its action is brutal, over-the-top, and rewarding; a hyperactive arcade-style shoot-em-up with enough dynamism to keep me captivated moment to moment, but a strong sense of strategy to give me something to invest in over longer playthroughs. Whether you want to sink your time methodically making it to that elusive throne or play in quick, punchy bursts, Nuclear Throne is an excellent choice either way.

If you’re the sort who shies away from bullet hell twin-stick shooters, or finds the permadeath of roguelikes to be too punishing, I think Nuclear Throne might be the game to try. It might well ease you into those troubling waters. I tend toward those instincts too, but this is so immediately accessible, so ridiculously replayable, and so satisfying to get better at, that it transcends. And if those sorts of games are your thing and you’ve not already delved in during development, then flipping crikey, get this immediately. And blimey, I'm tired.

Another perfectly constructed neo-arcade game from the makers of Luftrausers, which perfectly marries twin stick shooters with roguelike punishment.

While an older entry in the genre, Nuclear Throne is still creative and fun and feels totally fresh in the sea of bullet hells. It has just enough to it to keep you going, though, by comparison to more robust roguelikes, it has the potential to dry up after a while if you’re not mastering it fast enough. Nonetheless, it’s well worth a dive into, especially with its appearance on Xbox Game Pass.

Indie developers love making rogue-likes and twin stick shooters. Sometimes, they craft a hybrid of the two. Here we have Nuclear Throne: an action-intense shooter with the promising premise of post-apocalyptic mayhem, but is it any good?

It’s level 3-2 and your triple machine gun is out of ammo, but your wrench just isn’t going to cut it on the next boss. Backed into a corner, you furtively mash buttons and trigger your special ability, a reflective shield that pops a few errant blasts back toward the boss, taking him out. Sucked into a portal, you lose your last point of health when a random explosion takes you out as soon as you enter the next floor. You’re back to 1-1, but hey, maybe you unlocked a new character to try this time.

Nuclear Throne proves to be an enjoyable and devilishly challenging roguelike shooter that no fans of the genre will want to miss out on, even if it does tend to become more frustrating if you add in a second player. Though the visuals and music are rather disappointing, the core gameplay of Nuclear Throne more than makes up for any deficiencies through its variety and feedback loops; it’s the kind of game that’s so easy to jump into, you just can’t refuse having ‘one more go’. If you’re a fan of Enter the Gungeon, roguelikes, or difficult games in general, Nuclear Throne is going to be right ...