Jupiter Hell Gameplay Preview – If Doom was a Turnbased Roguelike

Jupiter Hell is an interesting mashing of genres that one could assume would result in an abomination of game play design. The aesthetics of the game are inspired by Doom, the combat is turn based, and the game is a roguelike. Most surprising of all, it actually works well together!

Even with the turn based combat, the game in action feels pretty fast paced and closer to a tactical shooter. Exploring the dark and gloomy levels does require some caution as there can be some very hostile creatures just around the next corner waiting for unsuspecting victims. Once you do get into shootouts, they end pretty quickly, hopefully with you surviving.

The key to survival is proper preparation and positioning. For Jupiter Hell, the direction you or the enemies are facing do not matter at all for aim. It’s all based on line of sight and whether you are near cover or not. Running haphazardly into a large group of enemies with no cover in sight is a surefire way to end your run prematurely.

The game will let you have up to three weapons equipped. They all have different optimal ranges, damage, and clip size so you can pick up the ones that suit your play style. As you level up, you can also level up skills which give you passive bonuses. There’s a nice balance between offensive, defensive, and technical bonuses so there’s a degree of freedom in how you can approach the game. My personal favorite is the Son of a Gun trait because once you level up it high enough, you can use two guns at the same time. More guns is definitely the solution here.

The game also has a nice ambient heavy metal sound track to accompany all the senseless violence and destruction. The voice acting of the marine is well done but the overly sarcastic one line quips do get a bit grating. Thankfully you can modify how frequently it occurs or just turn it off all together.

Overall, Jupiter Hell is an interesting mashing of different genres that actually works. The action is fun and fast paced. It’s a nice balance and mix of just enough strategy to get slightly stressful and brainless destruction.