Strafe
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Strafe
When it works, Strafe is a generally entertaining retro-styled shooter that mixes procedurally generated levels into an experience strongly reminiscent of Quake. It's a great concept that usually comes together, but between the quirks of randomization, powerful enemies that run almost completely silent, lethal bugs, and hefty costs for vital armor and ammo powerups, a lot of the time it feels as challenging as rolling the dice and coming up with double sixes.
A gleefully gory throwback to 90s shooters wrapped in a rogue-like shell, Strafe is let down by uneven pacing and underwhelming guns.
Strafe skillfully recaptures the look and experience of a full-tilt twitch 1990s shooter while faltering at building upon its potential.
A loveable slice of 90s nostalgia, but compared to shooters both new and old it's surprisingly limp and inappropriately difficult.
The deadly dangers combined with randomization make for a frustrating inconsistent mix that's more about ‘90s nods than entertainment
Strafe doesn't do too much, but its exceptional execution and unique charm make for a truly intense, old-school FPS experience.
STRAFE may not be a classic and it definitely has issues, but it's fun enough for anyone who wants a nostalgia trip. Hopefully others feel the same way, but I kind of expect most people will pass on it. That is their loss.
I really tried with Strafe, spending a good six hours with it and getting only as far as the fourth level before dying. I liked the overall tone, and the gunplay is solid fun, but really this is one of the more punishing Rogue-Lites out there, with a high skill ceiling that sets you right back to the beginning once you die without any meaningful progression unless you somehow find the key to a teleporter. A lot to admire, but for most it'll seem utterly impenetrable.
