This game is a hidden masterpiece, and honestly deserves more attention. Deep Rock Galactic is a (primarily) co-op PvE survival shooter similar to Left for Dead or Vermintide. However, it feels like a spiritual successor that improves upon the former in almost every regard. The gameplay mechanics are smooth and polished to a shine. The graphics are great at times, breathtaking at others. Similar to Left for Dead, there's also great enemy diversity (and by enemies, I mean giant alien bugs) that all have unique abilities that force you to adapt your playstyle.

While levels and missions are procedurally generated, there's very rarely any impossible RNG that you can't overcome with the right tools. The game also features tons of cosmetics, upgrades, and other forms of customization, so there's almost always something to be working towards. You can work towards whatever goal you want at your own pace, either working solo or with up to 3 other players in a team (which nicely accommodates the 4 available classes).

However, while there is a Solo Mode (which even gives you an adorable helper drone named Bosco), the co-op is where this game really shines. The 4 classes (Gunner, Scout, Engineer, and Driller) all work beautifully with one another, and are designed to play off of each other's strengths, and cover their teammates' weaknesses. Pulling off tactical combos with your teammates is extremely rewarding, and often necessary, to survive the horrors of Hoxxes IV. Furthermore, the community is generally very friendly and helpful (although if you're new, I'd suggest not using Quick Join, and look for servers with friendly names, like 'All welcome')!

The art style, aesthetic, and music of the game are also beautifully intertwined. It has a very 70's/80's sci-fi feel, pitting Dwarves (you) against horrific aliens, using (mostly) good 'ol military-grade weapons; All with an amazing synthwave/industrial soundtrack that adapts to what's happening to make hyped moments feel even more powerful! Speaking of art style, the game is also incredibly charming.

For every gritty armor plate and scary bug, there's tiny reminders that the Dwarves have personalities - either through animations or (more commonly) the great selection of voice lines. Seriously, this game is fully voice-acted, and it's amazing. The Dwarves especially are hilarious, swearing like sailors one moment, then lamenting about how bad they feel having to kill a cute, innocent Loot Bug the next.

I'd suggest picking up this game if you need a nice "Weekend Filler"-type game. I'll be honest, after a while, doing the same mission type over and over can get a tad bit repetitive, so I'd say this game is best played for short periods of time, preferably with friends. Don't let that give you a bad impression, though - this game is addicting - It's just that, like all addictive substances, it'll last longer if you take it in moderation! It's a great game to play to wind down after a hard day. Or, if you're hardcore, there's definitely enough of a challenge in the higher difficulty settings, if you wanna get sweaty.

The last thing I'd say about this game is that the developer team is very promising. GSG has put a lot of love into this game, and it shows. And they continue to put hard work into it, even after the 1.0 release, consistently updating the game with a clear Roadmap, and taking player feedback seriously. I'm not going to defend them religiously - But I'm just saying, so far, they haven't stooped to any sort of low cash-grabby tactics like those of AAA developers. For once, it's an Indie Early Access project that actually succeeded and, with any luck, will make it big soon.

Also, yes, there is DLC. But no, it's all purely cosmetic, and really just there if you want to support the devs. Go ahead and try this game out, they sometimes have Free Weekends where you can try it out at no cost - If you like it, buy it. And if you really like it, get some of the cosmetic DLC's! They're actually really cool looking. The soundtrack is also especially worth it. This game's music is an ear-gasm if you're listening with headphones!

Overall I give Deep Rock Galactic a solid 9.5/10 stars, and as they continue to improve the game, add content, and iron out any remaining issues, I'll probably bump it up to a solid 10/10. Easily my favorite game consistently over the last couple years, and only shows more promise with each coming year.

This game is a hidden masterpiece, and honestly deserves more attention. Deep Rock Galactic is a (primarily) co-op PvE survival shooter similar to Left for Dead or Vermintide. However, it feels like a spiritual successor that improves upon the former in almost every regard. The gameplay mechanics are smooth and polished to a shine. The graphics are great at times, breathtaking at others. Similar to Left for Dead, there's also great enemy diversity (and by enemies, I mean giant alien bugs) that all have unique abilities that force you to adapt your playstyle. While levels and missions are procedurally generated, there's very rarely any impossible RNG that you can't overcome with the right tools. The game also features tons of cosmetics, upgrades, and other forms of customization, so there's almost always something to be working towards. You can work towards whatever goal you want at your own pace, either working solo or with up to 3 other players in a team (which nicely accommodates the 4 available classes). However, while there is a Solo Mode (which even gives you an adorable helper drone named Bosco), the co-op is where this game really shines. The 4 classes (Gunner, Scout, Engineer, and Driller) all work beautifully with one another, and are designed to play off of each other's strengths, and cover their teammates' weaknesses. Pulling off tactical combos with your teammates is extremely rewarding, and often necessary, to survive the horrors of Hoxxes IV. Furthermore, the community is generally very friendly and helpful (although if you're new, I'd suggest not using Quick Join, and look for servers with friendly names, like 'All welcome')! The art style, aesthetic, and music of the game are also beautifully intertwined. It has a very 70's/80's sci-fi feel, pitting Dwarves (you) against horrific aliens, using (mostly) good 'ol military-grade weapons; All with an amazing synthwave/industrial soundtrack that adapts to what's happening to make hyped moments feel even more powerful! Speaking of art style, the game is also incredibly charming. For every gritty armor plate and scary bug, there's tiny reminders that the Dwarves have personalities - either through animations or (more commonly) the great selection of voice lines. Seriously, this game is fully voice-acted, and it's amazing. The Dwarves especially are hilarious, swearing like sailors one moment, then lamenting about how bad they feel having to kill a cute, innocent Loot Bug the next. I'd suggest picking up this game if you need a nice "Weekend Filler"-type game. I'll be honest, after a while, doing the same mission type over and over can get a [i]tad[/i] bit repetitive, so I'd say this game is best played for short periods of time, preferably with friends. Don't let that give you a bad impression, though - this game is [i]addicting[/i] - It's just that, like all addictive substances, it'll last longer if you take it in moderation! It's a great game to play to wind down after a hard day. Or, if you're hardcore, there's definitely enough of a challenge in the higher difficulty settings, if you wanna get sweaty. The last thing I'd say about this game is that the developer team is very promising. GSG has put a [i]lot[/i] of love into this game, and it shows. And they continue to put hard work into it, even after the 1.0 release, consistently updating the game with a clear Roadmap, and taking player feedback seriously. I'm not going to defend them religiously - But I'm just saying, so far, they haven't stooped to any sort of low cash-grabby tactics like those of AAA developers. For once, it's an Indie Early Access project that actually [i]succeeded[/i] and, with any luck, will make it big soon. Also, yes, there is DLC. But no, it's all purely cosmetic, and really just there if you want to support the devs. Go ahead and try this game out, they sometimes have Free Weekends where you can try it out at no cost - If you like it, buy it. And if you [i]really[/i] like it, get some of the cosmetic DLC's! They're actually really cool looking. The soundtrack is also especially worth it. This game's music is an ear-gasm if you're listening with headphones! Overall I give Deep Rock Galactic a solid [b]9.5/10 stars,[/b] and as they continue to improve the game, add content, and iron out any remaining issues, I'll probably bump it up to a solid 10/10. Easily my favorite game consistently over the last couple years, and only shows more promise with each coming year.