Jupiter Hell (2021) [PC]

“Where we’re going, we won’t need eyes to see.”

–Event Horizon

If you want to talk about enduring franchises, you’d be wise to consider DOOM. The granddaddy of modern first-person shooters hit PCs in 1993, eventually changing the games industry as we know it. Today, thanks to DOOM’s ancestors Half-Life, Quake, Unreal, and so on, first-person shooters come in a variety of flavors for all your gun-wielding needs. Maybe DOOM wasn’t the first, but for many, it’s the FPS that mattered most.

Meanwhile, when we’re talking about roguelikes – turn-based procedurally-generated dungeon-crawlers with permadeath – there are a few different standout games we might want to discuss. Rogue itself, for instance, and its follow-ups Hack and Nethack helped to define the genre. Roguelikes have seen a renaissance these days as indie developers and AAA publishers alike noted the success of titles like The Binding of Isaac and decided to get their piece of the pie.

What do these two things have in common? Well, let’s mix them together and find out. The result is Jupiter Hell, a DOOM-based roguelike which recently emerged from the infernal pits of Steam Early Access.

Jupiter Hell has its origins in DOOM RL – which is called DRL these days thanks to the litigation-heavy nature of ZeniMax media. This was a turn-based, ASCII-styled take on DOOM that earned quite a bit of attention back in the 2000s. Naturally, it wouldn’t be feasible to sell a DOOM-based roguelike if your name isn’t Bethesda, but it just might be possible to sell an off-brand DOOM-based roguelike. Thus, a Kickstarter was made, funds were raised and, eventually, we ended up with Jupiter Hell.

You awaken on a space station near far-flung Jupiter. There’s probably a reason for that. We’re not worried about it. What we are worried about is the army of the demonic, the robotic, and the undead that stands between you and safety – and, later, between you and saving humanity from the horde. You’re going to have to make your way through these obstacles with the power of diplomacy. It’s fortunate that your associate, Mr. Shotgun, has such a way with words.

The 8-bit Review

Visuals: 7/10

Jupiter Hell’s graphics are generally easy to understand. That’s the key here, really, and it’s more important than looking especially impressive. If you’ve ever tried to play an ASCII-based roguelike as a newcomer, you wouldn’t be faulted for getting lost in the jumble of letters, numbers and other characters flooding the screen. Sure, it’s possible to get used to it after a while, but your first couple runs are going to consist in no small part of learning to read what’s going on.

Meanwhile, in Jupiter Hell, we’ve got what roguelike players would call a tiles-based system. It’s the same idea but represented with actual graphics so you don’t have to read Matrix code to wrap your brain around on-screen events. The environments you battle through look nice, though characters and items tend to be a little small and difficult to discern at first.

It’s also worth noting that Jupiter Hell’s animation system is a little odd at times. In an effort to translate tile-based movement in a turn-based system into something that looks dynamic, for instance, the game will combine diagonal movements into a single animation. The game makes it clear that this is a transitional behavior that’s combining two moves into a single animation, but it’s still a little jarring the first few times you see it.

Audio: 8/10

You can probably guess what you’re in for here: heavy metal and plenty of explosions. Both are present and accounted for. It’s like my average Saturday. In particular, the music in Jupiter Hell is fantastic for the vibe the game’s going for and the firearm sound effects are just as sharp and recognizable as those in DOOM itself.

Gameplay: 9/10

This is where you’d expect both DOOM and a roguelike to shine. Jupiter Hell manages to achieve this in sterling fashion by combining the aspects of each that make them great. From DOOM, you’ve got your giant hordes of enemies, your tense exploration of complex levels, your wide array of weapons that each have their own niche and so on. Meanwhile, the roguelike aspect of Jupiter Hell powers its strategy, encouraging you to think about the ramifications of each action during a pitched battle rather than just relying on twitch reflexes.

It’s two great tastes that taste great together, like peanut butter and granola, and it’s likely that many players are going to be surprised at how well a DOOM-based roguelike can work. There’s inherently a greater variety of options here, particularly given the expanded armory and selection of gadgets to use compared to regular DOOM. The same rush inherent in taking out a giant roomful of imps and pinky demons is present in Jupiter Hell, you’re just spacing it out a bit more.

Accessibility: 9/10

As a homage to a series known for its accessiblity, Jupiter Hell does its best to bring in roguelike newcomers. It’s kind of like the way a spider does its best to bring in flies, sure, but the point is that this is an easy game to learn but not the easiest to master. There’s an extensive tutorial to teach you basically everything you need, from using cover to switching weapons to activating skills, so it’s unlikely that newcomers will find themselves lost when they actually get to playing. Jupiter Hell would prefer killing you with demonic hordes rather than flubbed keystrokes.

Challenge: 8/10

It’s a roguelike, what’d you expect? The early game in Jupiter Hell isn’t especially lethal if you play slowly and carefully, using cover to advance and rationing the ammo for your better weapons. As you progress, though, you can expect to be put in some pretty nasty situations. Armored enemies might pose a particular problem depending on your choice of weapon, for instance, with the Slash-based damage of many early firearms proving incapable of piercing their thick shells. Prioritizing armored foes might therefore make sense…but what are you going to do about the horde of other baddies coming up on your flank? Later, you’ll also have to consider how to prioritizes enemies with special abilities, status effect infliction, and more. Don’t get cocky early on. Jupiter Hell’s just luring you into a false sense of security.

Replayability: 10/10

And, again, it’s a roguelike, what’d you expect? Roguelikes are all about getting as far as you can, dying, then taking the lessons you learned back to the start of a new cycle of gameplay. Figuring out how to best use new weapons and deal with different kinds of foe proves to give Jupiter Hell a lot of longevity. What’s more, the fact that there are multiple classes, each with their own perks and specialties, means that you essentially need to learn numerous different ways of approaching any given situation. Replayability is core to what makes Jupiter Hell a worthwhile game.

Uniqueness: 9/10

Well, the idea of turn-based DOOM isn’t entirely unique thanks to the existence of a couple of DOOM RPGs back on ancient mobile phones, but it’s certainly not something you see every day. Jupiter Hell’s ability to really land what makes DOOM such an addictive experience while also adhering to the concepts that power a turn-based roguelike is what sets the game apart from the rest.

Personal: 8/10

I had a great time with Jupiter Hell. As a big fan of both the high-octane action of DOOM and the creeping, inevitable doom found in roguelikes, combining the two turned out to be a match made in…Hell, I suppose. Coming up with different builds and approaching each playthrough in varying ways offers Jupiter Hell a lot of replayability, but even when your build falls apart and you get devoured by the demonic hordes, the game never feels especially unfair. Likewise, while the randomized level generation isn’t necessarily going to serve up whole episodes worth of memorable shooting like the hand-crafted levels in DOOM might, it also means you’re exploring a new world with new dangers each time you play.

The bottom line is that Jupiter Hell’s got that critical “just one more game” aspect that’ll keep you staying up too late for weeks to come. Check it out.

Cory G. believes the pen is mightier than the sword…well, depending on how sharp the pen and sword are. A child of the ’90s and a prolific writer, he strews his work about like Legos made of words, just waiting for your brain to step on them. He enjoys a devilish challenge, so when it comes to talking about some of the more difficult games out there, you might just run into the Infernal Accountant Mage. Some advice: hold on to your soul around this guy, and don’t sign anything. Read more at popzara.com.