Guidus Zero: Top-Down Roguelike Debuts in Early Access

Steam’s Early Access lineup just got a little more exciting with the addition of Guidus Zero, a top-down dungeon crawler with roguelike elements from Izzle, a talented indie studio from South Korea.

The game whisks players away to a world scarred by an unending war, where eventually a truce was called, and a central continent was designated as a neutral zone. But peace was short-lived when a gigantic sinkhole, ominously named The Scar, appeared out of nowhere. From its depths, a mysterious substance known as Black Blood emerges, spawning corrupted creatures shrouded in mystery. No one knows how The Scar came to be or the origins of the Black Blood, let alone what horror lurks in the depths. And so, your adventure begins.

Your mission is to delve into The Scar with a team of vibrant characters, battling waves of foes tainted by the Black Blood. The game offers a selection of controllable characters, each equipped with unique abilities and strengths. Adding a clever twist to real-time combat, movement and fighting both occur on a tile-based grid, where you and enemies can only move north, south, east, or west.

Combat is brought to life with visual cues—a telltale exclamation mark and highlighted ground signal where enemies will strike next. Various foes come with their distinct attack styles: some launch direct blows, others hit in long lines, and a few target large grid areas. You’ll often face multiple adversaries, making quick reflexes and agile maneuvering imperative to dodge incoming attacks.

Rolling is your best move on the battlefield, granting you brief invincibility. However, each roll burns stamina, and with the restriction of non-diagonal movement, you need to strategize every step carefully to avoid trapped situations.

But surviving isn’t your only goal; you’ve got to fight back too. Each character offers a different combat experience. Before each dive into the dungeon, you’ll select a character and choose a starting trait. True to RPG form, defeating enemies earns you experience points, allowing you to level up.

Leveling up unlocks skill upgrades tailored to your initial trait choice, shaping your combat style per run. Even replaying the same character can feel fresh due to varied starting traits and upgrades. But remember, character levels and progress are tied to the current run and reset upon defeat.

Not everything vanishes after a run ends. As you traverse the dungeons, you’ll discover ore veins rich in stones with unique stats. These stones accumulate bonuses for your character when reaching specific thresholds. Slot equippable stones to keep them for future runs, while unbound stones convert to fragments, usable as currency or to forge new stones via a blacksmith NPC.

Through your journey, you’ll stumble upon treasure-filled rooms featuring artifacts that boost your abilities and stack elemental effects. Once an artifact hits five stacks, it binds with a spirit of the corresponding element, unlocking potent elemental powers.

For example, bonding with Ignis brings a fiery debuff causing continuous damage. Atlen, the water spirit, will slow and freeze enemies with a wet debuff. Lightning spirit Rathorus applies an electrifying shock debuff causing extra damage. Enryl, the wind spirit, boosts speed while enhancing combo hits. Finally, the earth spirit Terrania unleashes destructive fragments when petrified enemies are struck.

All these elements collaborate to create a classic roguelike with that irresistible “just one more run” allure. Deciding which character to play, picking starting traits, and selecting ability enhancements ensure each journey into The Scar feels unique. Interested gamers can dive into Guidus Zero now—it’s available in Early Access on Steam.

And don’t miss out on the celebration sale! They’re offering a 10% discount until December 9th. While there’s chatter about bringing Guidus Zero to Xbox and Nintendo Switch, official announcements for a console release are still pending.