We had the opportunity to play the early pre-alpha version of Intergalactic Battle Roosters, a bullet-hell roguelike developed by a duo with experience in art direction for major studios like Riot Games, Telltale, Blizzard, and Netflix. So, is Intergalactic Battle Roosters worth your attention? After spending about 45 minutes with the game, exploring various bosses, stages, and two different modes, here are our thoughts.
As expected from a bullet-hell roguelike genres, the game features all the familiar mechanics: progressively getting stronger, selecting builds and combos, and surviving each stage. However, this game introduces a twist with time challenges and specific enemy kill requirements. On your way to the main boss, you’ll encounter mini-bosses, each offering unique challenges. Despite its potential, the current state of the game feels somewhat unpolished, leaving me with the impression that it might struggle to attract a broad audience.
One aspect I appreciated was the fluidity of movement and shooting. The ability to dash and slow down time as a special move adds strategic depth, allowing for both evasive maneuvers and aggressive play. Unfortunately, the enemy design felt lackluster. Many of them appeared visually similar, with only a few providing any real challenge. The sea shell enemies, for instance, swarm you with projectiles, but dodging their lasers quickly became repetitive rather than fun. Most enemies just felt really generic, simply moving around and dealing different types of damage, while unkillable enemies, although present, were easily avoidable.
On the other hand, the bosses stood out as intriguing, though they might not appeal to everyone. You must figure out how to defeat them without any guidance, and they require multiple rounds to take down. This added a layer of strategy, almost like a fair galactic duel to determine the victor, which I found quite engaging.
After each stage, you get to choose two upgrades for either your ship, weapons, or a powerful mod you select before the run—like black holes, electricity, or poison. These options add variety to the gameplay and offer interesting ways to take down enemies. As a bonus, you can destroy chests that spawn for additional gold after completing certain tasks. While this mechanic had potential, it lost its appeal in later stages when chests took too many bullets to destroy within the short time limit. However, I never felt short on gold for upgrades, which is a positive.
My biggest complaint lies with the feel of graphics. It was challenging to differentiate your bullets from the enemies’, as everything seemed too small and lacked color. The same goes for the enemies—my eyes strained to distinguish between them, and the chaotic swarm of foes on screen often felt overwhelming. This game tests your reflexes more than anything, with the sheer number of enemies disorienting you in most cases.
The art style didn’t particularly impress me either. The characters and enemies moved with minimal animation, making them feel like stickers pasted on the screen (which they technically are). While some might appreciate this simple aesthetic, I found it lacking in life and vibrancy. That said, it’s important to remember this is an alpha build, and there’s still room for improvement.
The standout features of this game are the weapons, mods, and upgrades. Without them, the gameplay would be somewhat dull. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the sound effects complemented the experience. I also hope the final version includes different pilots to play as, given that varied playstyles could elevate the game further.
These are just my first impressions. While the energetic music added to the excitement, I can’t see myself playing or purchasing this game. I might not be the target audience, but the simplicity of the game, along with the developers’ apparent willingness to experiment, could intrigue me enough to check in on its progress from time to time.
You can also find Intergalactic Battle Roosters on Steam.
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