REVIEW: ‘[REDACTED]’ Compels You To Make One More Run (PC)

Black Iron Prison floats in the orbit of Jupiter’s moon Callisto. As a guard, you were hoping for a quiet shift. That came to an end when a zombie virus broke out, sending the facility into disarray. Now, you are one of several individuals trying to fight through undead hordes, malfunctioning robots, and more to reach the last escape pod. Time is of the essence in [REDACTED], the sci-fi roguelike dungeon crawler developed by Striking Distance Studios and published by KRAFTON, Inc.

The more saturated a market becomes, the more an entry into it has to stand out to make an impact. A game in a crowded market like action roguelikes isn’t going to make it by delivering a good experience that apes the best of the genre. You have to offer players something unique to get hooked on with the level of quality they expect. [REDACTED] has plenty to offer players that will make them eager to keep fighting their way through Black Iron Prison.

At first glance, the setup seems like any other game of its type. Fight your way through four areas on your way to the end. Clearing rooms of enemies, you pick up resources and upgrades that help you in your current run or unlock permanent upgrades when you return to your spawn point. However, beneath the surface, there is a wealth of creative nuance that is easy to grasp but adds loads to the familiar gameplay formula.

[REDACTED] offers players a plethora of options with which to dispatch their foes. The core of their combat kits are a melee and range attack. Rather than focusing on one attack type as the main, the game gives both equal focus. Each has numerous weapons to unlock, allowing players to mix and match. Many players will look to balance their arsenal out with a powerful, slow attack and something quicker, but leaning into power or speed with both is viable.

In your early runs, it may feel natural to try to focus your upgrades solely on one attack type. Going for a ranged run or melee run would make sense in many roguelikes. [REDACTED] isn’t designed for this kind of approach. Melee and range are needed to fight your way through the threats to come, so it’s never good to focus on one at the cost of the other.

The weapons that players unlock on their journey range from the familiar to the exotic. While machine guns and power hammers are nothing new, the electro-whip offers unique gameplay and a fun challenge to master. With more than ten weapons between the two types, players will find options catering to their play style.

Also, the way the game approaches range combat itself is excellent. Using the right thumbstick on a control pad to aim and fire, the game projects a cone extending from the player when they are shooting. This helps the players always know precisely where their shots are going. This is useful with the camera angle being at the familiar slant these games typically use.

The cone also serves as a targeting aid. Just having an enemy in the cone will lock you in on them. This allows the game to utilize different range attack types. Duel sub-machines can split their fire between enemies but will only target ones in the cone. The tried and true shotgun’s spray fills the cone, allowing the player to always confidently know what will get hit.

Melee combat also gets a couple of flourishes in charge and dash attacks. Charge attacks require the player to hold the attack button before release, delivering a special, powerful move. These change from weapon to weapon, allowing the attack to work along with the theme of the weapon in use. As one may guess, dash attacks are triggered as the character dashes. This maneuver allows the player to close in fast and deliver a strong hit to an enemy.

While these two options create the core of the player’s arsenal, [REDACTED] gives them several other tools. The GRP fires a pulse that drives enemies and some terrain objects directly away from the player. This can push enemies into terrain hazards, off cliffs, or activate explosive barrels. There are limited charges; by default, you can only restore one charge when entering a new room. So careful use is required of this powerful ability.

Players also have access to a kick. This simple move knocks an enemy or explosive barrel away from the player. Despite not being flashy, it can come in handy in a pinch. Also, like melee, the kick can be combined with a dash. This sliding kick lets players knock over enemies as they slide under them. This can be a great way to escape corners or other clustered areas.

All of the above combat options can be improved throughout a run. Kicks can become far more important when they instantly freeze enemies. The GRP can be altered to draw enemies towards the player, making it a perfect combo with a powerful area melee attack. [REDACTED] looks to give players a virtually limitless toolbox of powers to mix and match, and it feels like they have succeeded.

This massive arsenal is countered by a wide range of enemies. Each of the game’s four areas has its opponents, with each offering unique challenges. And this goes double for the bosses. Each of these intimidating foes offers a highlight in every run. Learning the patterns and overcoming these larger-than-life obstacles is a rewarding feat. And then there are the rivals.

In each run of [REDACTED], three other individuals will also be racing for the escape pod. Whether they are freed inmates or other staff members, each will stop at nothing to reach freedom. Even before the player manages to confront them, they will make their presence felt.

At random times throughout a run, one of the player’s rivals will pop up on the screen at the start of a room. Delivering a quick comment, the rival then activates an environmental effect that changes how the upcoming battle plays out. Chill may slow the player’s movement, and regenerating shields on foes may necessitate defeating an opponent completely before moving on to a new one. The effects add another unpredictable wrinkle to the combat.

The rivals are trying to reach the same escape pod as the player. A bar across the bottom of the screen lets the player keep track of where the enemies are in relation to them and the end of the map. Just as the rivals can hinder the player, so too can the player hinder their rivals’ progress. Four abilities on a long, shared cooldown allow the player to hamper their progress or damage them, giving the player an added chance to take the lead or confront one directly.

When a rival is confronted, they provide some of the most frantic battle moments [REDACTED] offers. Utilizing weapons from the same arsenal as the player, they fire and strike at them with impressive force. The first couple of run-ins will not end well. But there is hope. Special computer rooms can be found that house the rivals’ redacted files. Each time the player finds one, they can unredact a section, giving them a boost to subsequent fights against that rival.

Fully revealing the file has another important function, but we won’t spoil that. Suffice it to say that Striking Distance utilizes these colorful characters to add another layer of strategy and depth to complete the journey before you. The added wrinkle these characters bring was an exciting revelation that made my fights with them feel far more personal.

The final component of gameplay that must be mentioned is the ability to fight yourself. When you die, your corpse will remain on the map. When you return and the room is cleared, the player can fight their previous character for a reward. Your zombified former self will have access to all the perks they did in life and a little something extra. These fights are harrowing but deliver a special kind of vindication. They let the player feel more certain that they are doing better than before when they actively beat their former self.

Between runs, [REDACTED] takes the player back to a central hub where they can rearm their newest guard to make their next run. Outfits can be bought or upgraded here. Several other upgrades can also be bought to help players survive the horrors of Black Iron. Your first time at the hub is also when you are introduced to your mysterious benefactor.

Appearing on monitors and heavily shadowed, this figure directs the player in the broad strokes of their mission, though not with much understanding or care. During early runs, much of what they have to say is put-downs and insults about your lack of forward progress. While the snide comments never fully stop, your successes eventually bring praise from him. Having endured run after run of his cutting remarks makes his eventual acknowledgment of your gains that much sweeter. He also provides humorous observations about your rivals as elements of their past get unredacted.

The tongue-in-cheek comedy doesn’t stop at these moments, either. The entirety of [REDACTED]‘s presentation leans into an irreverent, punk-rock style. This leads to a few less-than-successful jokes dropping throughout the game. Happily, it doesn’t go as hard on the cheap laughs as some games that deliver a similar vibe. Beyond the humor, the punk energy reverberates throughout the game’s overall aesthetic. The music drives this energy forward with loud, exciting tracks, and contributes to gameplay.

Whenever a player gets hit in [REDACTED,] the ever-present electric guitar misplays, making a harsh, unmistakable note, signaling to the player that they’ve taken damage. With how busy the screen gets, it’s easy to miss the damage number popping up over your character’s head. Players are far less likely to miss the audibly disruptive cue.

Combined with the music, the visual presentation feels perfect for it and the game’s humor. Bright, neon colors and lots of great contrasts make everything pop off the screen. The monster designs flow wonderfully with the tone as well. Mishappen shambling corpses, slug-like monstrosities, and runaway robots all bring their special spice to the visual meal. It’s unlikely many players will tire of the presentation.

[REDACTED] is one of the best games to enter its genre. Despite some humor that falls short of the mark, its punk-fueled energy helps keep players ready to make one more run into the bowels of Black Iron. With great enemies to battle, unique elements that shake up the formula, and some of the genre’s best-ever gameplay/customization, [REDACTED] is a must-play for enthusiasts and casual players looking for a great time.

[REDACTED] is Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.