Steam’s Early Access has welcomed an intriguing new entry: Guidus Zero, a top-down dungeon crawler with roguelike elements, brought to us by the indie South Korean studio Izzle.
The narrative unfolds in a world where war has raged for endless years without anyone emerging victorious. Once the conflict ended, the central continent was declared a neutral area. However, a colossal sinkhole, ominously named The Scar, suddenly appeared, giving rise to an enigmatic substance known as Black Blood, which corrupts beings. Its origins and the mysteries lying in the deepest parts of The Scar remain unknown. That’s where your journey begins.
In The Scar, you team up with a colorful cast of characters, diving deeper below the surface and battling foes corrupted by Black Blood. You’ll have the option to control various characters, each boasting unique strengths and skills. The combat is real-time, but with an interesting twist: both you and your enemies maneuver across a grid, limited to four cardinal directions.
When a foe is readying an attack, an exclamation point appears above their head, and the ground lights up to indicate where the blow will land. Each enemy features distinct attack styles—some aim directly ahead, others strike along a line, or hit a wider portion of the grid. You’ll often find yourself up against multiple adversaries, prompting you to dodge swiftly and react quickly.
Movement allows you to roll for invincibility, though this uses up stamina. Since diagonal navigation is off-limits, strategic movement is crucial to avoid being cornered by an unavoidable barrage.
But combat isn’t just about evasion. Striking back is essential, and how you approach it varies with your character choice. Before each venture, you select a character and a starting trait. Classic RPG mechanics are in play here, as defeating enemies earns experience leading to level-ups.
Gaining levels unlocks skill upgrades tailored to your starting trait, shaping your playstyle for that specific run. Even with the same character, runs can feel fresh depending on the trait you begin with and the upgrades you select. However, know that these levels and choices reset upon death.
Not everything resets, though. During runs, ore veins can be mined to gather stones with specific stats. All stones in your inventory contribute to these stats, and reaching thresholds provides buffs. Some slots allow you to equip stones, preserving them post-run. Any unequipped stones convert into fragments, usable as currency or for reforging new stones with the help of a blacksmith NPC.
As you explore, special rooms containing treasure chests with artifacts offer unique buffs, boosting your abilities. These artifacts can accumulate elemental stacks over time. Reaching five stacks bonds the artifact with a spirit, unlocking special elemental attacks and effects.
Bonding with Ignis, the fire spirit, grants a burn debuff dealing ongoing damage. Atlen, the water spirit, can slow enemies or freeze those with a wet debuff. Rathorus, the lightning spirit, inflicts shock, adding damage. Enryl, the wind spirit, offers increased movement speed and enhances attacks with a sprint boost. Terrania, the earth spirit, causes petrified foes to fragment when attacked.
It all combines to deliver that classic roguelike “just one more run” sensation. While stones encourage lasting growth, each run feels distinct through your character selection, starting traits, and ability upgrades. If Guidus Zero piques your interest, you can jump into its Early Access on Steam right now.
To celebrate the launch, there’s a 10% discount available until December 9th. The game may venture onto Xbox and Nintendo Switch in the future, though no official console release announcements have been made yet.
