Oh boy, oh boy! This game reminds me of when I was playing Unreal Tournament 3 competitions back in the ''barely alive in a hospital bed'' days of LAN parties (which is all I got to witness of that era, sadly)! They're such good memories and it's good to have a new game to fill that gap, even though in a singleplayer way.

Deadlink is far from being an uninspired tribute or ''boomer shooter'' though. It surely takes influence from that stuff (Painkiller?), but it also puts its own spin onto it, giving it a contemporary edge too. How do you make it in step with the times? Well, you do by making it rogue-lite and by taking inspiration from the biggest games in the modern arena shooter revival scene as well.

As a result, Deadlink is a super-fast arena shooter that feels relentless and unforgiving, but never unfair! It's got the right amount of challenge (easy enough to get far, unlock stuff and get excited, while at the same time tough enough to make you work hard and truly earn your achievements). This is what I meant with reviving that ol' PvP arena FPS thrill! The combination of constant practice + long-term upgrades makes you feel like you're constantly improving... and it's true! This is a nice contrast to other rogue-lite games which just keep on smashing you and keeping you to the ground, despite all your best efforts and improved skills!
Once you get the hang of things you're going to feel like a cyber-augmented John Wick!

It's the kind of game that builds character in the best way possible, being 100% fun throughout... I've never felt so motivated by a rogue-lite game and I don't think I ever lied to myself this much about ''ok, just ONE more run!'' (to then play 5-6 more instead). It gets you having lots of fun and leaves you always desiring to come back for more (and to further improve yourself). Admittedly it takes a while to get used to its gameplay loop (particularly if you haven't played many recent FPS games), but once you do it just feels mindblowingly great!

For this reason, Deadlink is the definition of addictive: most of the hours I played so far have been in the span of a week... I was totally hooked in! Obsessed until I beat it the first (and so far only) time at roughly 19 hours (27 runs). I don't remember feeling this satisfied about my personal growth with a game (or anything else) ever before! So yeah... the gameplay definitely checks out!

Even from a presentation standpoint, the game looks awesome! And it's the only rogue-lite I know in which the premise, lore, characters and dialogue are genuinely interesting and well-developed. Of the hours I've played so far, a considerable deal have been spent reading the codex entries to get some insight into the game world! The, dare I say, ''plot'' also serves as the perfect excuse for the rogue-lite mechanic. Overall the devs created an engaging and very captivating surrounding to all the cyberpunk mayhem you're going to unleash inside the simulation! I just hope someday we'll see the actual strike to the megacorporation (maybe in a PvP multiplayer format...).

Being able to save mid-run to then resume playing later on is a nice touch! Definitely a quality of life inclusion that more rogue-lites should have. What's weird, though, is warning you before saving the match, but instantly killing yourself (with no warning) as soon as you click ''abandon run'' when you're not allowed to save. The only other downside I can point out is that the framerate goes down a bit during the most action-packed moments, even though luckily it never goes to unplayable levels, with my system at least. Still a pretty demanding game, hardware-wise!

Ultimately, Deadlink is an exciting, modern and fresh take on the old arena FPS formula of the likes of Unreal Tournament, Painkiller and Quake 3 Arena. The cyberpunk world, the great sound design and a banging soundtrack ensure that everything (from the gunplay to the immersion factor) feels convincing and addictive. You can really feel the passion, talent and creativity involved in the game's development in every little thing!

So... miss that frantic feeling of speed and excitement that you used to experience playing Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament? No worries! Deadlink (particularly as the soldier) will surely bring back that old, long lost familiar feeling that you cherish so much! If I were you (and into fast arena FPS gameplay), I'd make sure not to miss this!