Sublight, released on September 15, 2026, for PC (Steam, priced at 38.49 reals), is a space roguelike where the player controls a combat spaceship against waves of increasingly powerful enemies. The game also incorporates elements of the bullet heaven genre, known as survivors, as the player navigates through sectors of a hostile galaxy. The game was tested on PC for 12 hours using a key provided by CODEBREW SOFTWARE LTD.
Sublight successfully combines spaceship control, roguelike, and survivors, and this combination yields positive results, especially in aspects that differentiate it from other games in this subgenre.
The game integrates core elements of roguelikes and survivors: automatically firing weapons and upgrades obtained on levels or found on the map, alongside enemy waves that grow stronger as the player progresses. Unlike traditional games, the firing direction of each weapon depends on its placement on the spaceship. Each ship has slots for mounting weapons, and the larger the ship, the more armament slots it provides. The player must choose between rotation and speed, or between a large health pool and a greater number of weapons.
Movement truly resembles piloting a spacecraft due to rotation and acceleration, creating a sense of flight in space. Speed and maneuverability vary depending on the chosen ship size, emphasizing whether it is light or heavy.
Destroying enemies grants experience, and upon entering each new level, the player gains access to weapons or upgrades. These types of weaponry can be placed in different slots, and identical weapons can be combined for enhancement. New weapons and upgrades are also acquired by defeating bosses, completing missions, or in shops (using resources accumulated during the current session).
As in other games of this genre, all progress is lost after each gaming session. However, in return, the player is provided with new resources to upgrade their weapons and enhancements, as well as the opportunity to unlock new starships and captains, which eases the start of each new game.
Sublight features nine starships, categorized into light, medium, and heavy classes. They unlock as the player advances, and each differs in terms of health, movement speed, rotation speed, and number of weapon slots. It is also possible to unlock stat upgrades on every level achieved.
Furthermore, there are seven captains. Each one provides a bonus to one of the ship's stats and unlocks three additional bonuses during the game.
During matches, players can re-roll weapon and upgrade options multiple times, the number depending on the situation (the first time free, then for a small resource cost). This feature simplifies gameplay and, along with other elements, expands build possibilities and adds dynamism to the matches.
Sublight also has its drawbacks. Despite the large number of options, some elements become repetitive, and the simple yet engaging mechanic faces challenges.
Each session includes few different types of missions: typically, it involves perimeter defense for a set amount of time, destroying a satellite, or a specific ship. This lack of variety makes the game tiresome after several hours, giving the impression that the player is simply flying from point to point.
Enemies also show limited diversity: generally, they use only a few attack patterns or simply move forward against the ship. The same applies to bosses: they are very similar to each other, including their attack patterns. All of this exacerbates the mission problem and makes the gameplay monotonous over time.
Despite the simple and dynamic mechanics, what is happening on screen is hard to distinguish. The weapons in the game do not have distinct enough shots, making it difficult to determine the most effective and damaging weapon type. There are few types of weapons whose shots are noticeably different—and noticeable enough for the player to identify—whereas weapons of the same type (e.g., turrets) blend into the player's vision.
The most serious issue relates to collisions, which can damage both the player's ship and the enemy's. It is difficult to tell when the player is dealing damage versus taking it, while suspicions of hitbox issues (the collision boxes of each ship or other interactive elements) persist throughout the match.
In conclusion, Sublight is an entertaining and, like any survivor, quite addictive game with an attractive and original concept. For the price of 38.49 reals, it is worth the attention of survivor fans and even those who enjoy space games, especially due to its unique and straightforward mechanics, despite long-term repetitiveness.
