AFTERBLAST Review : The Most Anticipated Roguelite FPS Is Out (Early Access)

AFTERBLAST is a first-person shooter roguelite developed and published by the indie gamedev Lumino Games. The game officially launched as Early Access on November 26, 2025 on Steam.

The premise is bold: you’re thrust into the realm of evil gods, armed with weapons, magic-infused loot, and immortality — tasked to fight hordes of monsters, delve through randomly generated dungeons or venture into open areas, and ultimately save your home world. AFTERBLAST offers both solo and co-op gameplay, promising frenetic action, loot-driven builds, and replayability via procedural generation.

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Gameplay & Core Loop

Roguelite + FPS action: Each run involves entering procedurally generated dungeons, fighting waves of monsters, collecting weapons, items, and perks, then reaching a boss or exit. Loot, weapons, and upgrades you find change each run.
Solo or Co-op: You can play alone or team up with friends online — co-op allows sharing loot, coordinating builds, and tackling challenges together.
Diverse Loot, Skills, Weapons: The game features a wide arsenal: many weapons, magic chests, passive/active items, and a skill tree. Over 100 items, dozens of weapons, and many possible builds are part of the loop.
Bosses & Open-Area Mode: There are boss encounters, and beyond dungeon runs, open map areas where you can fight relentless waves — testing survival skills and build optimization.
Progression & Replayability: Permanent upgrades (e.g. via crystals) and unlockable perks/weapons help mitigate the roguelite “start over” — building gradual long-term progress.

In short: enter → fight hordes → loot/weapons → upgrade/build → optional co-op → die or win → repeat with variation.

We Indie Games Tavern will make this indie game review short, this is simply the super hooked core loop that will burn your time so fast. Great work from the indie gamedev Lumino Games.

What Works Really Well

Strong “Run-and-Loot” Hook
Because of randomized dungeons, variety of loot and weapons, each run feels different. For players who enjoy experimenting with builds, items, and magic-powered weapons — there’s a lot to explore and combine.

FPS + Roguelite Fusion
Combining the immediacy of FPS combat with roguelite randomness gives a satisfying mix: reflex-based shooting + long-term progression. This hybrid appeals if you like action + unpredictability.

Solo & Co-op Flexibility
Having the option to go solo or play co-op with friends adds flexibility. Co-op also means shared loot and shared chaos — good for players who enjoy social gaming. While preparing for this indie game review article, our team at Indie Games Tavern had a great time playing AFTERBLAST.

Modest Requirements & Indie Spirit
The system requirements are relatively light (e.g. GTX 1050 / RX 560 as minimum), so many PCs can run it smoothly. Also, being an indie title, there is potential for evolving based on community feedback, which can keep the development dynamic and interesting.

Early Access Means Room for Growth
The indie gamedev Lumino Games has stated their intent to expand the game: more maps, biomes, bosses, weapons, runes / artifacts, better story, secrets, etc. This gives reason for optimism — especially if you enjoy following a game’s growth.

Areas for Improvement & Considerations

Early Access / Work-in-Progress
As a newly released roguelite in Early Access, AFTERBLAST is still incomplete. Some planned features are not yet implemented (more content, runes, artifacts, expanded maps/biomes, story depth). If you expect a “finished” game, you might experience roughness or missing polish.

Potential Repetition / Grind
With roguelite structure and randomized looting, there’s always a risk of repeated runs feeling similar, especially if variation (weapons, enemies, environments) doesn’t scale as promised. Without sufficient variety, the loop may get stale.

Difficulty & Randomness Risk
Roguelite + FPS means difficulty spikes; depending on luck (loot drops, enemy distribution), runs may feel unfair or excessively punishing to some players. Newcomers to roguelites or FPS-looters might struggle.

Unknown Longevity & Content Depth
Because the full scope of future updates (new biomes, bosses, story content) is still promised but not yet delivered, it’s unclear how deep or long-term the gameplay will be. Players seeking a story-rich, deep campaign might be disappointed.

Co-op or Population Risk
The co-op mode depends on having an active community. If player numbers drop, finding parties or enjoying co-op could become harder — possibly limiting the social aspect.

Final Thoughts

AFTERBLAST is a promising FPS roguelite — a game with legit potential for players who enjoy loot-driven shooters, die-and-repeat loops, and fast action with random variety. For its price and indie scale, it delivers a satisfying “run, shoot, loot, repeat” foundation, especially when played co-op with friends.

To us at Indie Games Tavern, because it’s in Early Access, there are rough edges and uncertainty about long-term polish and content depth — but for players open to those trade-offs, it’s a worthwhile entry into 2025’s indie FPS roguelites. If you enjoy experimenting with builds and don’t mind pushing through randomness and repeated runs, AFTERBLAST is a good bet.

Who Should Play It?

Fans of Roguelite + FPS combos — if you like games that mix fast shooting with loot and procedural generation.
Co-op Players & Friends Groups — those who enjoy teaming up and sharing loot / chaos together.
Indie Game Supporters — players who like to support small teams and enjoy seeing games evolve over time.
Loot-Driven / Build-Experimenting Gamers — if you enjoy trying new weapon-perk combos, experimenting with builds each run.
Budget-Conscious Players — especially if you’re okay with Early Access and want a cheaper, experimental game.

Who Might Wait or Skip It?

Players wanting a polished, full-featured game — if you dislike Early Access roughness or incomplete features.
Gamers who dislike repetition or random loot dependency — if you prefer stable progression or story-based games.
Solo Players seeking deep narrative — as of now, story appears minimal; focus is more on action & looting.
Those sensitive to difficulty spikes or RNG frustration — roguelite randomness can lead to frustrating runs.

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