I’m going to say it: bullet hells are more stressful than Souls-likes. Why are there 10,000 orbs approaching me, promising me misery and death! And I have to both tactfully dodge them while also staging a front myself? The visual information alone is enough to deteriorate the mind, memorising a list of attack patterns from some big dude with a sword seems like chump change by comparison. So this leaves me quite sweet on DeeSicks, a roguelike take on the game with physics-based dice rolling where god has died and you become your own boss.

Here’s how a run of DeeSicks begins: you choose your character (I only had enough time to play as a magicy moth creature that has the ability to fly), and then you roll some dice. This part is actually quite critical. In front of you at this stage is a spell board, where different spots represent different magics you can use. You roll a die, a convenient line of dots pretty accurately telling you where it will land, and then you can use the magical ability it lands in. This die then lets you boost particular stats, like strength, of said ability, with higher rolls offering bigger boons.

Ahah! Here is where more magic happens, as you can then use another die to knock the first one in hopes of getting a bigger number. A game of pool if you will, but with square blocks that can make or break a run. Once you’ve settled your dice, the fights begin, always one on one bouts against other, much more powerful, plentifully bullet stocked bosses. Navigation is based around a ring, you can only move left or right, so you must be tight in your movements so as to not get hit.

Over the course of multiple boss fights, you roll more dice, gain more abilities, buff them where you can, until ultimately, if luck and skill favours you, you become the bullet hell boss of your nightmares. Even building up those powers, DeeSicks is still ultimately a tough, kinetic bullet hell that forces you to constantly move, its breakcore soundtrack beating down on you with as many drumkicks as there are orbs of death.

There is certainly more to be uncovered here, the game’s demo can only offer so much, and there’s no release date just yet, but I am certainly hungry for more. If you’re curious yourself, you can check it out on Steam right here.