Cicadia

makes me feel like orson lannister, 10/10

suprisingly good, and hard. just the way I love it

Cicadia is a free first person roguelike shooter that has a pretty simple idea behind it. I am heading into the temples of an ancient alien species and fighting through swarms of mutated insects while trying to work out what happened to the civilisation that built the place. The setting is strange in a good way, because the game mixes dark science fiction with giant bugs and old alien ruins. I like that the game gives me something to be curious about while I am shooting everything in sight. The combat is the main reason I would keep coming back. The game is built around fighting large groups of alien insects, and I can collect Bile from them to improve my character during a run. I can use upgrade terminals to genetically modify myself and build skills around the weapons and items I find. I like this because it gives each run a little bit of its own identity. I am not just getting stronger in exactly the same way every time, because I have to work with what I actually find. The roguelike structure also fits the setting nicely. The labyrinths use procedurally generated layouts made from handcrafted rooms, while the floors become harder as I go deeper. That gives me a reason to learn the combat and improve my decisions instead of simply memorising one fixed level. There are bosses to deal with as well, and the whole thing is built around trying to push further before eventually losing a run. I like that kind of structure when the combat is good enough to make restarting feel like part of the fun rather than a punishment. I also like that there is a little more to the game than just killing bugs. I can collect Lore tablets as I explore, and finding enough of them helps me piece together the story of the Cicadians and what happened to their empire. There are also multiple endings and six achievements, so there are a few extra reasons for me to keep exploring after I understand the basic gameplay. The story is not what I would call the main attraction, but I think it gives the shooting a useful purpose and makes the strange setting more interesting. The biggest weakness for me is that Cicadia is still a fairly small game. The basic combat loop is fun, but there is only so much variety I can get from running through alien temples and fighting insect enemies. The procedural system can keep the layouts changing, but it cannot completely solve the problem of seeing similar rooms and combat situations repeatedly. I also think the upgrade system could eventually use more variety because the idea of building a different loadout every run has a lot of potential. The presentation is another part I have mixed feelings about. I like the dark alien atmosphere and the contrast between the strange creatures and the old temples, and the game has a deliberately retro feeling that suits it. At the same time, it is clearly an indie project rather than a huge polished FPS, so some parts feel rough around the edges. I can forgive that much more easily because the entire game is free, and I think the developer has made a good effort to build something with its own identity rather than copying a more familiar shooter. Overall, Cicadia is a fun little FPS roguelike that I think benefits from having a clear idea of what it wants to be. I like the insect combat, Bile based upgrades, changing labyrinths, bosses and the mystery surrounding the Cicadians. The limited scale and potential repetition stop it from reaching the really high ratings I give to games with much more variety, but there is enough here for me to enjoy a run and want to see how much further I can get. Considering it is completely free, I think it is a very easy game for me to recommend when I want a quick bit of strange science fiction shooting. Rating: 7.3/10

This game really makes you FEEL like a bug, 10/10

A little slow and floaty but fun enough. I coul see myself spending more time with it with a little more polish.

games really fun to play, love the cicadian fight when it divebombs you😭 what a diva we love cicadia. also love the horrifyingly cute enemies, the ants eyes are everything i need it on a necklace right now