Review — REMEDIUM: Sentinels

Survive hordes of vicious mutants as you try to defend the last cities of humanity with your Sentinel mech in REMEDIUM: Sentinels.

REMEDIUM: Sentinels is a roguelite “auto-shooter” game, and as that name implies the game does half of the work for you. The main thing you’ll need to do as a player is navigate your character around the game map, and it will shoot at any incoming enemies all by itself. This premises sounds deceptively simple, and to some (including myself) it might even come across as “boring”. However, the one game that really propelled this genre to the top is Vampire Survivors, which saw huge success due to its simplistic but rewarding gameplay. REMEDIUM: Sentinels is not too different from Vampire Survivors, as the main premise of the game is to survive as long as possible against constantly incoming hordes of enemies, until you are eventually overrun.

Mechanical

There isn’t much of a story to the game, aside from the fact that it is set in the same universe as the REMEDIUM game, which is yet to be released on Steam and is labelled by developer Sobaka Studios as set in a “grim post-apocalyptic Renaissance” setting. What that actually entails is not terribly clear, but Sentinels at least provides a bit of insight in how that setting might look. The world is engulfed by a deadly plague and overrun by eldritch monsters and robots. The game seems to go for style over substance, as there is no introductory cutscene or much exposition explaining to the player what is going on. All you know is that you must kill everything you see in sight and survive for as long as possible. The graphics give off a true late PlayStation 1, early PlayStation 2 vibe, with its pixelated style and darker colouring scheme.

The gameplay itself is straightforward. As the player you control a mech which automatically shoots bullets at intervals at enemies. You start of with a slow firing cannon, but as you defeat monsters you’ll eventually pick up better gear. Defeating monsters grants experience which in turns levels up your character, providing access to additional skills and weapons. All you need to do is move around and evade the enemy attacks. This sounds simple, but at a certain point you’ll understand why the genre is affectionally referred to as “bullet hell”. At some point you’ll eventually succumb to the incoming onslaught, and you’ll have to start over again. While progressing you’ll also unlock additional areas to explore and mechs to utilize, providing you with some much needed variety.

More Than the Eye Can See

Despite the game only allowing the player to move around a mech without actually choosing what weapons to shoot at what enemies, the game is not just a mindless auto-shooting snore-fest. I was terrible skeptical about how engaging the game could be if the only option is to move around, but REMEDIUM: Sentinels does provide some strategic level of play. As you progress and level up you’ll have to decide what kind of upgrades to choose for your mech, which can greatly increase your survivability. The longer you survive, the better extra gear and skills you get, and the better your next run throughout the next level will be. The game allows you to create a variety of loadouts to keep you engaged.

It is an art to create a game of this genre and to keep it engaging for players to keep coming back and playing more and more. While the success of Vampire Survivors will be hard to match or even surpass, REMEMDIUM: Sentinels does a great job by keeping up. There is something unique about roguelite games that keep many players engaged and coming back for more, and that is no different here.

The Verdict

REMEDIUM: Sentinels is certainly an enjoyable experience, and it is an easy game to take up if you need to unwind for just a bit. Most rounds last for several minutes, and after each death you’ll be wanting revenge, taking your upgrades mechs for another spin. REMEDIUM: Sentinels is fun enough in short bursts, but for players seeking truly engaging gameplay, this might not be for you. The small price tag of €5 might convince people to check it out though. And if you are fan of the genre than REMEDIUM: Sentinels will certainly scratch that itch.

4/5

Reviewed on PlayStation.
Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.