Killsquad Key

Killsquad is a top-down, twin-stick action RPG built around quick co-op contracts where you and up to three friends drop into hostile alien environments, carve through dense enemy hordes, and collect whatever loot survives the carnage. It sits somewhere between Alienation and a budget Torchlight, which is both a compliment and a warning label depending on what you want out of the genre. The core loop - pick a bounty, fight through waves, grab gear, upgrade your hunter, repeat - is snappy enough to swallow an hour without noticing. The roster of playable hunters each carry a distinct combat identity. You have characters who lean into close-range brutality, others who kite from range or lean on skill-based cooldown rotations, and the weapon customization system layers on top of that with upgrades, talismans, and gear rolls that give you something to chase between sessions. Build variety exists, and in the early-to-mid game it genuinely feels like your choices shape how fights play out. Whether that holds up past the forty-hour mark is where the community starts to fracture - the mixed Steam score reflects real tension between players who found a satisfying grind and those who hit a wall of repetition and called it a day. The writing and worldbuilding are functional sci-fi window dressing, not the draw here. Nobody is booting up Killsquad to follow a character arc or parse lore documents. The story exists to justify the next contract, and that is fine - just know what you are signing up for. What the game does sell reasonably well is atmosphere: the alien designs are varied enough, the environments have some visual personality, and the boss encounters spike the tension in ways that make the filler waves feel earned. Filler waves there are, though. Some contracts lean hard on quantity-over-quality enemy design, and solo play exposes the pacing problems that co-op adrenaline normally masks. Multiplayer is clearly where Killsquad finds its footing. Four players in a good session, each leaning into different hunter roles, creates genuine chaos that the mechanics support. The problem is that the player base has thinned since launch, and finding a full lobby through matchmaking can be inconsistent depending on when you log on. If you have a dedicated group to bring in, that calculus changes entirely. With friends, Killsquad punches above its budget. Solo or with strangers, it can feel like a lesser version of games that do the same thing with more polish. For an RPG specialist like me, the narrative depth is basically nonexistent and I will not pretend otherwise. But as a pure mechanical exercise - loot-driven progression, co-op synergy, twin-stick feel - it delivers enough to justify a cautious recommendation for the right audience. Go in with friends, lower your story expectations to zero, and you will probably have fun. Go in looking for systemic depth or a reason to care about the universe, and you will be disappointed by hour ten.

Monika · Scout Team

RPGs

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