Deathrun TV

Genre: 2-Stick Shooter

Players: 1

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Review:

Deathrun TV is a 2-Stick Shooter with some light Roguelike elements released in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. This game seems inspired by the classic Arcade game Smash TV, with a similar premise that you are an entrant in a TV Show that has players going from room to room fighting masses of enemies in an over-the-top bloody deathmatch, though where Smash TV had players fighting for “big prizes”, here the satire is modernized and players are fighting for audience “likes”.

The presentation here doesn’t live up to the extravagant and bloodthirsty themes this game is trying to present, with simple cartoony characters that are little more than flat stick figures, backed by an energetic soundtrack that to its credit works well enough for the game’s action and “game show” theme.

Even beyond my disappointment at the low quality of the visuals, this causes other problems due to how the the game isn’t visibly clear when it comes to what is an enemy, what is a “prisoner” needing rescuing, and what is just a random person walking around the arena for seemingly no reason. The feeling of not being able to visibly parse everything going on is then made worse when enemies can spawn right on your position, damaging you without you ever realizing you were in danger.

It’s not like this is the game’s only problem, though. The weapons you gradually unlock aren’t satisfying to use, and enemies are often bullet sponges that take a while to subdue. And while this game advertises itself as a Roguelike, you don’t really get a sense of gradually becoming more powerful like you tend to do in the best Roguelikes.

It’s a shame that Deathrun TV just can’t seem to live up to its inspiration, because a modern take on Smash TV would be pretty great to see. Unfortunately, the lacking presentation and underwhelming combat make this game hard to recommend, especially when there are so many better 2-Stick Shooters on Nintendo Switch.

tl;dr – Deathrun TV is a 2-Stick Shooter with light Roguelike elements inspired by the classic Arcade game Smash TV, that has players competing in a TV Show going from room to room fighting numerous enemies in a bloody deathmatch. Unfortunately, this game’s simple visuals make it hard to parse enemies from noncombatants, and the combat is unsatisfying due to numerous issues. With so many better options in the genre, I can’t recommend this game.

Grade: C-

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