When it comes to roguelikes, my preference is always for a game that lets me lean into crazy combos. Unkillable Binding of Isaac runs, or blinding Vampire Survivors attempts that throw so much onto the screen that I can scarcely see my approaching enemies. To that end, Steam Next Fest has thrown me a bizarre gem in the shape of Apocalypse Party.
Currently sitting firmly in the top ten for daily active users, Apocalypse Party is a top-down roguelike that reminds me of a 3D Vampire Survivors. Hordes of enemies close in on your choice from a huge roster of characters, and it's your job to cut through them. You gain new skills every time you level up, and it's worth investing heavily in one or two ability types. So far, so vampiric.
But for all that I enjoy the gameplay, I very nearly bounced off Apocalypse Party hard. It's a game with no cohesive vibe, with a story to match. You start off in a noir zombie apocalypse, letting a plague-ending nuclear blast end your life after you're forced to put down your zombified wife as she devours your daughter. You then wake up in a medieval village, undead peasants shuffling towards you as an angelic capybara tries to lead you by the hand to whatever this game wants to show you next. The first time I died, I unlocked a new character, but rather than a spin on my grizzled agent, I was now playing as a gladiator. Next, I unlocked 'King,' but after him came 'Football Player.'
For its sins, however, Apocalypse Party is a lot of fun. It's not the first game to riff on the Vampire Survivors formula, but it is perhaps the most outlandish one I've seen. In one run, a level-up perk granted me a small barbecue that would follow me around doing fire damage to my foes. In another, I went for a full summon-based build and ended up with giants, dragons, gun turrets, and a kung-fu master joining me in my blast through the zombie hordes. I'm having lots of fun with reload-based builds, opting for perks that throw out AoE effects every time my clip runs out, then choosing to run around with a bolt-action rifle, ensuring I trigger those bonuses with every shot.
I cannot state enough how silly this game is. To reiterate, there is barely anything by way of a cohesive plot, any attempt to nail down a single aesthetic has failed miserably, and some dodgy localization has thrown up some extremely eyebrow-raising flavor text. But the sheer range of upgrades available means that you're free to continually adapt your run until you become some ridiculous killing machine. It's a cocktail of some of my favorite roguelikes from the last decade, from The Binding of Isaac to Hades to Vampire Survivors. And with co-op coming with the full launch early next month, I may have found my latest obsession.
Here's our rundown of the best Steam Next Fest demos.
