The Unliving

not good

The Unliving, developed by RocketBrush Games and published by Team17 Digital, is a dark fantasy roguelite that sets out to deliver the fantasy of being a true necromancer rather than a lone hero. Instead of focusing purely on personal combat prowess, the game centers on commanding, sacrificing, and rebuilding an ever-changing army of undead, framing death not as failure but as a necessary step in an endless cycle of power. From its opening moments, The Unliving establishes a grim tone, placing players in a war-torn world where the forces of life and death are locked in perpetual conflict, and your role is to tip the balance through sheer necromantic dominance. The core gameplay loop revolves around repeated runs through procedurally generated regions, where every fallen enemy becomes a potential asset. Defeated foes can be raised from the battlefield to fight at your side, and this mechanic forms the heart of the experience. Each resurrected unit retains traits tied to its former life, creating natural roles within your growing horde such as frontline fighters, ranged attackers, or support units. Managing this army adds a layer of tactical consideration that goes beyond simple action combat, as players must decide when to preserve their forces and when to expend them for powerful spells that consume undead minions to unleash devastating effects. This constant trade-off between short-term survival and long-term power gives The Unliving its distinctive rhythm. Combat itself blends real-time action with indirect control. While the necromancer is directly maneuvered around the battlefield, much of the damage and pressure comes from the surrounding horde. This creates moments of exhilarating power when your army overwhelms enemies, but it can also lead to chaos when battles escalate in size and intensity. Large encounters often fill the screen with enemies, minions, and effects, making spatial awareness and positioning increasingly important. When the systems align, combat feels like orchestrated carnage; when they falter, it can feel messy and difficult to read, especially during later stages where enemy density spikes dramatically. Progression plays a significant role in maintaining engagement across repeated runs. Between attempts, players return to a central hub where permanent upgrades, new abilities, and expanded options can be unlocked. This meta-progression gradually reshapes the experience, allowing future runs to start with greater power, more strategic flexibility, and access to stronger necromantic tools. Alongside mechanical upgrades, narrative elements are slowly revealed through interactions and environmental storytelling, hinting at the protagonist’s past and the larger forces at work in the world. The story remains intentionally fragmented, encouraging players to piece together meaning over time rather than presenting a straightforward narrative arc. Visually, The Unliving leans into detailed pixel art that reinforces its bleak fantasy setting. Environments such as ruined villages, cursed swamps, and corrupted strongholds are richly textured and atmospheric, creating a sense of a world already scarred by endless war. Character sprites and animations convey weight and brutality, particularly when undead minions swarm enemies or are violently sacrificed for spells. The sound design complements this presentation with ominous music and sharp combat effects that heighten tension, especially during prolonged fights where survival hangs by a thread. Despite its strong thematic identity, The Unliving has a divisive reception largely due to execution issues. AI behavior can be inconsistent, with minions sometimes failing to respond intuitively or getting caught in unfavorable positions without clear player input. This can undermine the strategic intent of commanding an army and occasionally make losses feel arbitrary rather than deserved. Additionally, repetition becomes noticeable over time, as enemy patterns and environmental structures begin to feel familiar, particularly for players who struggle to push beyond certain difficulty thresholds. Performance and balance concerns further complicate the experience. Larger battles can strain readability and, on some systems, technical stability, which disrupts the flow of combat. Difficulty spikes may feel abrupt, forcing reliance on unlocked upgrades rather than pure skill or tactical adaptation. For some players, this reinforces the roguelite loop in a satisfying way; for others, it creates frustration that overshadows the game’s strengths. Overall, The Unliving is an ambitious roguelite that succeeds most when it embraces its identity as an army-focused necromancer fantasy. Its core idea of turning enemies into expendable resources is compelling and thematically cohesive, offering moments of genuine empowerment as your undead legion grows from a handful of minions into an unstoppable force. While issues with balance, AI, and repetition prevent it from reaching its full potential, the game remains a distinctive entry in the genre. For players drawn to dark fantasy, unconventional combat systems, and the thrill of commanding chaos rather than mastering precision, The Unliving offers a memorable, if imperfect, descent into necromantic warfare. Rating: 6/10