Jupiter Hell Review: A Turn-Based Triumph

Jupiter Hell Review: A Turn-Based Triumph

Jupiter Hell, created by developer ChaosForge, is a direct descendent of DoomRL, a classic roguelike heavily inspired by id Software’s classic FPS series. Following a successful Kickstarter, legal action from Bethesda, and two years in Early Access, the final product is a mature evolution of the original that captures the essence of going against an army of demons as a lone space marine. Jupiter Hell does sometimes find itself at odds with genre conventions, but it’s hard to deny how impressive it is to make a slower strategy game feel just as exciting as its frenetic, fast-paced inspiration.

While many may only be familiar with roguelikes that expand out over time like The Binding of Isaac, these are arguably one step removed from the genre’s original design. Instead of hiding away content behind completed runs, Jupiter Hell is an open book from the jump, giving players access to every secret and weapon if they’re able to find it. Combat also plays out in turn-based battles that require complex thinking, especially on the game’s higher difficulties. It’s easy to find situations where standing still and staring at the screen for a solid minute is the only way to escape a horde of incoming demons. Thankfully, Jupiter Hell‘s constant heavy metal soundtrack keeps up the hectic atmosphere even during the slowest of encounters.

A lot of Jupiter Hell‘s appeal comes from its advanced presentation when compared to classic roguelikes of the past. It splits the difference between simplistic grid graphics and modern flourishes, although it’s not an even part. The soldiers and monsters all have full 3D models, but it’s hard to tell in-game because of a camera that’s permanently zoomed out far above the action. This makes it hard to notice some of the more subtle graphical elements, and most of the humanoid enemies simply blend together into one type of target on two legs.

Jupiter Hell Review: A Turn-Based Triumph

The sound fares much better, with the player’s space marine ready to shout out one-liners at a moment’s notice, like the quip while tearing a demon to pieces that might see him give praise to the “blood god.” These over-the-top elements can be switched out for a more serious narration or turned off entirely, which is a nice option to have for players more used to a simplistic gameplay experience.

Jupiter Hell is also great at giving players options regarding how they want to explore the moons of our galaxy’s biggest gas giant. The straightforward campaign features randomized rooms and story elements in the form of emails, but there’s also a Pure experience that strips it back down. There’s also a horde-type experience that reaches toward Crimsonland‘s signature gameplay but doesn’t quite make it. As expected, the default mode is where the real action is, but fully exploring what each mode has to offer is quite rewarding thanks to unlockable difficulty settings and other bonuses.

Jupiter Hell Europa Concourse Demon Gameplay

All this would be wasted effort if the act of pulling out a shotgun and firing into a crowd of robots and zombies wasn’t engaging, but Jupiter Hell has really hit the nail on the head. Thanks to an excellent translation of traditional dungeon crawling controls onto a gamepad – and an intuitive interface – Jupiter Hell is probably the most approachable roguelike of this style ever conceived. Guns, grenades, and crowbars all act as players expect, occasionally making the turn-based aspect fade into the background. When it’s one fully loaded player versus a pair of drones, the bullets fly just as quickly here as they would in DOOM and games like DUSK that take direct inspiration from it.

While there is definitely room for improvement, Jupiter Hell is one of those Early Access projects that really used its time well. Two years of development make this finished product feel like a polished and definitive roguelike experience. Imminently approachable and nostalgically fulfilling, Jupiter Hell slays all expectations and provides a potent combination of action and strategy that shouldn’t be missed. Everyone from veteran rogues to boomer shooter diehards will find something to appreciate in these bloodstained halls.

Jupiter Hell is available now on PC. Screen Rant was provided a copy on Steam for the purposes of this review.