Guidus Zero: Top-Down Roguelike Debuts in Early Access

Steam’s Early Access library has welcomed a fresh addition with Guidus Zero, a top-down dungeon-crawling roguelike crafted by the indie South Korean team at Izzle.

The game’s narrative unfolds in a world scarred by a prolonged war, which ended without any side claiming victory. In the aftermath, the central continent emerged as a neutral zone, but peace was short-lived as a massive sinkhole known as The Scar appeared. From its depths comes a mysterious substance named Black Blood, giving rise to corrupted creatures. The origins of this sinkhole, the source of the Black Blood, and what lurks in the deepest reaches of The Scar remain unknown, setting the stage for your adventure.

In Guidus Zero, you join a diverse group of characters delving into The Scar, battling enemies tainted by the Black Blood along the way. You’ll have different characters to control, each showcasing their unique strengths and abilities. The game’s combat unfolds in real-time with a distinctive twist: movement and attacks occur on a grid, and you can only navigate in the four cardinal directions.

As you face foes, you’ll notice an exclamation mark appear when they’re about to attack, and the ground lights up to indicate where their strike will land. The variety of enemy attack patterns keeps you engaged—some target right in front, others span a long line, and a few cover a broader area on the grid. Tackling multiple adversaries at once means quick reflexes and careful movement are crucial to avoid their blows.

Rolling provides a way to dodge attacks by rendering you momentarily invincible, but each roll consumes stamina. Since diagonal movement is off the table, choosing your path wisely is key to avoiding being cornered.

Combat isn’t just about dodging; dealing damage is equally important. Your approach changes with your character choice. At the beginning of each run, pick a character and their starting trait. True to RPG traditions, defeating enemies earns you experience points, helping you level up.

Leveling grants access to unique skill upgrades tied to your initial trait, shaping your playstyle for that run. Even if you stick with the same character, each venture can unfold differently based on the chosen trait and upgrades. Remember, these levels and progressions are confined to the run, resetting upon your demise.

Not everything vanishes, though. During a run, you’ll discover ore veins to smash, yielding stones with specific stats. Combining stones in your inventory reaches certain thresholds, providing buffs. Equip these stones in slots to save them for future runs, while any unequipped ones convert into stone fragments at the run’s end, usable as currency or for reforging by an NPC blacksmith.

Exploration also leads to special rooms with treasure chests containing artifacts. These items offer unique buffs, stack elemental effects over time, and, once stacked five times, bond with corresponding spirits, unlocking unique elemental attacks.

For instance, bonding with Ignis, the fire spirit, grants a burn debuff inflicting continuous damage. Atlen, the water spirit, can slow enemies and freeze those with a wet debuff. Rathorus, the lightning spirit, delivers a shock debuff for extra damage. Enryl, the wind spirit, boosts movement speed and enhances multi-hit capabilities. Terrania, the earth spirit, inflicts a petrify debuff and unleashes fragments when attacking petrified foes.

This combination creates a classic roguelike experience with that irresistible “one more run” element. While stones offer lasting progression, your choices of character, starting traits, and upgrades ensure each run feels fresh. If Guidus Zero intrigues you, it’s available in Early Access on Steam now.

To celebrate its launch, there’s a 10% discount running until December 9. Though not officially announced, future versions for Xbox and Nintendo Switch are under consideration, expanding its potential reach.