The Unliving Review

• Platforms: Steam
• Price: $16.99
• Release Date: October 26, 2023
• Genre: Fantasy, Roguelike, Action, Adventure, Zombies
• Developer: RocketBrush Studio
• Publisher: Team17

Heya folks, Shaun here, and I’m back wiht my latest review. In this one, I’m covering an indie game called The Unliving by RocketBrush Studio and Team17. A big thank you goes out to the developer and publisher for the chance to cover the game, it’s much appreciated, thank you.

Some of you may remember that I wrote up a preview article for this game when it went into its Early Access period on Steam. The game has been launched into full release as of October 26, and I’d been meaning to write up this review since. Thankfully, I finally found the time to write it up today.

The Unliving is an isometric action roguelike that puts you in the boots of a necromancer who has been brought back to life by an evil deity. The necromancer seeks to learn how he was ultimately defeated, which foiled his plot to destroy the world.

Being a necromancer has its perks because you can raise your dead enemies as zombified units that you have full control over and can direct where, and who, to attack. There are quite a few different types of zombies that you’ll come across, each based on enemies in the location that you’re currently in.

If the necromancer somehow dies at the hands of the peasants you’re fighting, then the current run ends and you’re reborn at your headquarters. The headquarters allows you to power up your character in various ways, including improving your survivability and stats, upgrading your weapons, and unlocking new powers to utilize in the field.

During each run you’ll come across portals which allow you to choose from one of three powers to utilize during the game. One of my personal favorites is the bone thrower, which is a fast shooting turret that shoots bones, it’s quite handy.

Overall, The Unliving is a pretty decent game, but I wouldn’t call it amazing or anything. It’s a pretty average game, I’d say. While it may not be the most impressive game that I’ve played this year, I will say that it’s still a lot of fun to play in quick bursts. I will also say that the game can be quite time consuming because if you fail a run, you have to start at the beginning of the game again, which definitely makes the game feel pretty repetitive after a while. So, you ultimately have to beat it in one go or you start over. In the end, I’ve decided to give the game a 6 out of 10, which is my middle ground score, not great, but also not completely awful either.

Pros

• Has Some Pretty Fun Gameplay
• The Pixel Art Style Looks Great
• The Soundtrack Is Quite Good
• Lots Of Upgrades And Powers To Unlock And Choose From
• Lots Of Zombie Types

Cons

• If You Fail A Run You Have To Start The Game From The Beginning Again
• The Game Gets Kind Of Repetitive After A While Due To Having To Restart From The Beginning
• I Ran Into A Bug That Froze The Game During Dialogue
• A Lot Of People Complain About the Game’s AI, So It’s Worth Mentioning That The Game’s AI Isn’t Very Smart