Nuclear Throne is a post-apocalyptic roguelike-like top-down shooter. Not 'the final hope of humanity' post-apocalyptic, but 'humanity is extinct and mutants and monsters now roam the world' post-apocalyptic. Can you reach the Nuclear Throne?
Nuclear Throne is a chaotic, fast-paced top-down bullet-hell shooter that he sees as a key game in the modern roguelike revival. He loved it at release and still finds it very enjoyable, with distinct characters and quick runs you can finish or drop easily. He says it would have been S tier years ago, but he rates it on what he recommends to people today. It lands in a 'high' tier without a stated letter, and he would play it over Neon Abyss.
Liked
Super chaotic, explosive, fast-paced gameplay
Characters each have pretty unique abilities
Short runs are easy to finish or drop and return to later
Gameplay is fun enough that repeated weapons don't matter
Many secrets, unique events, unlockables and secret bosses
Looping the game gives unique, very different bosses rather than just harder enemies
Real effort put into late-game content
Disliked
Weapon pool is small; you keep finding the same weapons after a few runs
Would have roughly three times more weapons if made today
Starting to show its age by roguelike standards
Tier list Part 2 (2024)
Nuclear Throne is an older, chaotic action shooter roguelite. It is one of the re-reviews from his previous tier list, where he had it in B. After replaying it following viewer comments, he reversed his earlier complaint that it needed more content. He found it a blast, full of secrets, and with a looping endgame that adds unique bosses. He bumps it up to A tier and recommends it as an entry point for people new to roguelikes.
Liked
Chaotic nature of the gameplay is super fun and enjoyable
Full of secrets that can still be discovered hours into playing
Looping after the final boss adds unique bosses only found by looping
Holds up well over time despite its age
Easy to understand even though it is hard, making it a good roguelike entry point
Disliked
Previously felt it was an older game that needed more content (he now backs off this)
Vlambeer's fast, brutal top-down roguelike shooter where a cast of mutants fights through irradiated wastelands toward the Nuclear Throne.
Nuclear Throne is widely treated as a genre landmark of arcade-style action roguelikes: Metacritic 89 from 15 critics, Steam Overwhelmingly Positive (about 96% of roughly 19.8k reviews), and the last-30-day snapshot on the store page still Very Positive (92%). Players and critics praise its gunplay, game feel, sound and soundtrack, and run-to-run variety, and many reviewers describe it as addictive. The recurring complaint is difficulty that feels cheap to some players: near-instant deaths, no invincibility frames after a hit, and luck-heavy spawns. It spent over two years in Early Access (launched fully Dec 2015), went quiet for years, then got a surprise 10th-anniversary Update 100 in Dec 2025 (13th character, four-player co-op, widescreen, higher frame rate), which brought a wave of warm Steam reviews. The Metacritic user score (7.7 from 294 ratings) is noticeably lower than the critic score.
Players love
Gunplay and game feel: weapons feel punchy, with screen shake, audio feedback and fast movement (Steam reviews repeatedly mention 'juice' and crisp sound effects)
Jukio Kallio's soundtrack and sound design, frequently singled out as a major reason the game resonates (an IGF audio honorable mention in 2015)
Distinct cast of mutant characters, each with a special ability that changes playstyle, giving strong replay value
Short, pick-up-and-play runs with an arcade score-chasing feel, plus daily challenges and loops past the final area for long-term play
Clear readable action, bright pixel art and strong presentation; reviewers call it stylish and chaotic in a good way
Weapon variety and mutation choices that add variety rather than making success mandatory, per several positive reviewers
Modding community (e.g. Nuclear Throne Ultra mods mentioned by players) extends life of the game
Developer goodwill: players highlight the studio reuniting years after disbanding to ship the anniversary update
Common complaints
Perceived cheap deaths: many enemies and explosions can kill very fast, and the lack of post-hit invincibility frames is the most repeated Steam complaint
Heavy reliance on RNG: spawn positions next to enemies or explosive objects, bad starting weapons, and chest-gated secrets can doom a run outside the player's control
Final area difficulty, including a final boss that some players say can kill them before the fight properly starts
Difficulty spike between mid areas (3-1 to 4-1 cited) and a progression where upgrades feel underwhelming compared to broken-build roguelikes
Input feel issues: one reviewer says it cannot decide between controller and keyboard/mouse, each favoring shooting or dodging
Technical roughness: complaints of clunky legacy engine quirks (melee through walls, fire passing diagonal tiles), Steam Deck/Proton startup trouble, and Remote Play Together co-op issues
Limited depth compared to knowledge-heavy roguelikes; one fan review concedes it lacks the depth of other roguelikes and leans arcade
Can feel tedious
Death feels sudden and often uninformative, so players say they must die repeatedly just to learn what kills them
Restarting to chase specific secret areas or required items when a chest roll misses
Hazards placed next to objectives (e.g. explosive car beside a portal) that punish piercing weapons or allies
Keyboard versus controller trade-offs and some clunky legacy behaviors
Reflex-driven gameplay with limited learnable strategy frustrates players who prefer planning (comparisons to Noita and Enter the Gungeon appear in negative reviews)
Too much damage too quickly: players say 6-10 'HP' is effectively 1-2 hits, so levels feel unfair for casual players
What's unique
Extremely lean, bullet-hose arcade design where aggression and reading chaos matter more than build theory or item synergy
Each character has a signature mechanic (e.g. Melting, Robot eating weapons, Fish rolling), making character choice a core part of identity
Mutation pick per level-up as the primary build system, with weapons found in the run rather than meta-progression power
Loop mode after beating the game, escalating enemies into harder cycles, offers a second layer of endgame
Created from a 2013 48-hour charity game jam and developed with live 'performative development' on Twitch, which helped build its audience
Stylized post-apocalyptic mood paired with a western-tinged guitar soundtrack
Players want
Add post-hit invincibility or a more forgiving damage model, or at least clearer telegraphing for enemy attacks and explosive hazards
Reduce RNG cheapness: safer level-entry spawns, and less luck-gated secret and route access
Better information presentation and level transitions, and more meaningful or powerful perks and passives
Quality-of-life fixes and bug cleanup (Steam community has a huge bug report subforum); Steam Deck/Linux stability
Steam Workshop support for mods (repeatedly requested in Steam discussions)
More content updates; fans treated Update 100 as a rare positive exception and want more
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Tier list Part 1 (2023)
Nuclear Throne is a chaotic, fast-paced top-down bullet-hell shooter that he sees as a key game in the modern roguelike revival. He loved it at release and still finds it very enjoyable, with distinct characters and quick runs you can finish or drop easily. He says it would have been S tier years ago, but he rates it on what he recommends to people today. It lands in a 'high' tier without a stated letter, and he would play it over Neon Abyss.
Liked
Disliked