ANVIL (v1.5.3)

Hostile planets, swarming alien creatures, and screen-filling boss attacks give this top-down sci-fi shooter a fast, arcade-like intensity. ANVIL casts players as mechanically enhanced Vault Breakers, operatives sent by a mysterious organization to investigate the remains of ancient civilizations scattered across dangerous galaxies. Each expedition is a self-contained roguelike run through procedurally assembled worlds where survival depends as much on smart upgrades as accurate shooting. The mood is colorful but punishing, mixing chunky futuristic machinery with the constant pressure of being one mistake away from a failed run.

Combat revolves around twin-stick shooting, aggressive movement, dodging, and making the most of each Breaker’s distinct weaponry and active abilities. Players clear monster-packed rooms, earn experience during a run, select temporary power boosts, and hunt for relics that can radically change how a character performs. Weapons and artifacts stack into powerful combinations, whether that means turning a defensive bruiser into an unstoppable close-range tank or building a fragile shooter around critical hits, elemental damage, and rapid-fire effects. Death ends the current expedition, but returning to the hub allows Breakers to be rebuilt and strengthened, giving the game a familiar roguelite rhythm of failure, learning, and gradual improvement. Solo play is viable, though online co-op is where encounters become more tactical as teammates coordinate damage, healing, revives, and boss-focused loadouts.

Its strongest feature is the sheer number of build interactions packed into relatively brisk runs. More than a simple loot chase, ANVIL asks players to adapt to whatever relics, weapons, planets, and enemy types appear, while several selectable characters ensure that the basic feel changes between runs. Randomized stages and distinctive bosses keep repetition from becoming entirely predictable, although the challenge can be steep when a build fails to come together. Fans of Risk of Rain 2’s escalating item synergies or Hades-style run-based progression should find plenty to enjoy, especially if they have a regular co-op group; newcomers can jump in easily, but veterans will get more from experimenting with high-level combinations.