RoguedexPart 3 (Apr 2025) · #10 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (0:08:39)
Archons
- Developed by
- BulletHell Studios
- Published by
- BulletHell Studios
$0.99
Archons is a Roguelite/Survivor game where you control two characters, the Archons- simultaneously! Customize your build and abilities to fit your own unique playstyle and blast your way through enemy parasites and bosses!
Consensus
B75.3/100
Steam players92.3% positiveVery Positive428 reviews
VG Insights estimate ↗≈16K copies · ≈$79.1K gross
What creators say
What players say
A short roguelite/survivor bullet-hell from BulletHell Studios in which one player controls two characters at once, one per hand/stick, with weapons that fire in time to the music.
Archons is a small, cheap indie (Steam, Windows only, Dec 6 2024) that sits at Very Positive on Steam (about 92-94% of roughly 430 reviews). Players love the two-character control hook, the tight positioning-focused combat and the music that syncs with weapon attacks. The recurring complaints are that it is short (around 3 hours for the main story, 3 bosses/levels), that content and enemy variety are thin, and that solo play is very mentally taxing while the game is clearly tuned for a controller or local co-op. It has no Metacritic or OpenCritic entry, so there is no critic consensus; reception is entirely player-driven. A few reviewers feel it is under-supported, and one said it seems abandoned, but I found no public patch notes confirming or refuting that. It is frequently discounted to about $1 (90% off the $9.99 base).
Players love
- The dual-character mechanic is fresh: controlling two Archons at once is hectic but 'just works' and creates a flow state
- Weapons and attack animations are synced to the soundtrack, praised as a standout (composer Oliver Orand is named in a review)
- Movement and positioning matter more than spamming abilities; you cannot stand still or circle-strafe and win
- Polished and respects your time: a short run-based experience, with endless mode and a hard mode for replay
- Spectacular boss fights and satisfying build combos when rolls line up
- Great value at its frequent steep discounts; StarCraft references delight some players
- Full controller support and local split-screen co-op
Common complaints
- Very short: main story is only 3 stages/bosses, and reviewers call it short or a bit short
- Limited enemy variety; reviewers say many enemies use the same attack pattern and there are few maps
- Maps are too dark and hard to read; some players had to raise brightness
- No camera control and a rotating camera that adds to the stress
- Mouse and keyboard play is poor or problematic; a controller is strongly recommended
- Weak ability synergies and lackluster ability evolutions; the Archon ultimate is a static barrage
- Polish and optimization issues reported, plus poor translation and UI complaints in one negative review
- Ultimate is hard-coded to F even after rebinding (one reviewer)
Can feel tedious
- Solo play demands a lot of mental juice and is described as stressful; one reviewer called it the most stressful roguelike they had tried
- Some unlocks/research feel grindy ('after a few grind sessions') and one reviewer said difficulty collapsed once a certain research was unlocked
- Healing pickups are time-limited and released by breaking containers, so they get wasted when damage breaks them at random
- Dark maps and lack of camera control are frustrating
- Reported bugs: freezing after reroll, an ice-ground mechanic problem in Endless Hard mode, and an achievement (Heartache) not unlocking
What's unique
- You control two characters simultaneously, one per hand, as a survivor-style bullet hell, compared by one reviewer to It Takes Two meets Furi
- Attacks and weapons are rhythm-synced to the music
- Bloodrunes let you sacrifice health for power, and there are multiple currencies to spend
- Local split-screen co-op where each player pilots one Archon, versus solo where one player pilots both
- Positioning-first design rather than screen-filling particle chaos or auto-fire snowballing
Players want
- Add a real single-character or AI-companion mode so solo players are not forced to control two characters
- More content: more bosses/stages, maps and enemy types with distinct attacks
- Give abilities real synergies with the Archon ultimate and stronger ability evolutions
- Improve map brightness/visibility and add camera options
- Fix mouse and keyboard support, rebinding bugs (ultimate on F) and UI/translation rough spots
- Add online co-op (requested in Steam discussions) and New Game+ / quality-of-life features
- Differentiate the two characters visually (color suggestion in discussions)
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
ActionAction RoguelikeBullet HellRogue-liteAction-AdventureControllerRogue-likeAdventureRPGAtmospheric
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Tier list Part 3 (2025)
Arkins is a horde-like (vampire survivors / bullet heaven) game where you control two characters at once, which he says he has never seen done before. He treats the single-player two-character setup as the more interesting way to play and calls it a pleasantly amazing surprise. The music-synced sound design and slow, forgiving onboarding win him over. The main complaints are the short length (three levels, repeated bosses) and that many abilities do nothing in single-boss fights. He places it in A tier.
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