Strafe

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 31

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 31

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 31

A summary of the critical opinion for this game will be provided after release or a minimum of 15 reviews have been aggregated.

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Critic Reviews for Strafe

Reviews

High Score - 85/100

Low Score - 30/100

Omri Petitte (PC Gamer)

72/100

“Strafe skillfully recaptures the look and experience of a full-tilt twitch 1990s shooter while faltering at building upon its potential.”

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Daniel Tack (Game Informer)

6/10

“The deadly dangers combined with randomization make for a frustrating inconsistent mix that’s more about ‘90s nods than entertainment”

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Peter Glagowski (Destructoid)

8.5/10

“STRAFE may not be a classic and it definitely has issues, but it’s fun enough for anyone who wants a nostalgia trip. Hopefully others feel the same way, but I kind of expect most people will pass on it. That is their loss.”

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Read the Reviews (31 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
AusGamers	Kosta Andreadis	5.8 / 10	05-15-2017	As it stands it’s still a few meaningful patches from becoming something that we’d recommend.	Read review
CGMagazine	Jed Whitaker	4.5 / 10	05-09-2017	STRAFE wants to be a shooter from the 1990s, but has worse mechanics than any of the games it hoped to imitate.	Read review
COGconnected	James Paley	72 / 100	05-16-2017	Strafe takes great delight in catching you off guard.	Read review
Destructoid	Peter Glagowski	8.5 / 10	05-09-2017	STRAFE may not be a classic and it definitely has issues, but it’s fun enough for anyone who wants a nostalgia trip. Hopefully others feel the same way, but I kind of expect most people will pass on it. That is their loss.	Read review
Eurogamer	Rick Lane	Not Recommended	05-09-2017	A gleefully gory throwback to 90s shooters wrapped in a rogue-like shell, Strafe is let down by uneven pacing and underwhelming guns.	Read review
Game Informer	Daniel Tack	6 / 10	05-10-2017	The deadly dangers combined with randomization make for a frustrating inconsistent mix that’s more about ‘90s nods than entertainment	Read review
GameCrate	Nicholas Scibetta	6.8 / 10	05-24-2017	An FPS roguelike wearing the suit of a 1996 shooter, STRAFE is a unique game that seems destined for a small but passionate following.	Read review
GameMAG	xtr	5 / 10	06-06-2017	Strafe tries to be a fun game in which player should laugh after sudden death and start again. But stupid AI, bland weapons and unbalancing system of random generated levels reducing the great idea to 30 minutes try out. So if you want to feel the crazy 90s again and refresh the feelings from old school shooters	Read review
Gameplanet	Leo Rae-Brown	6 / 10	08-11-2017	Strafe isn’t bad, but there are many better ways to satiate your nostalgia for ’90s FPS titles.	Read review
GameSpew	Kyle Bradford	5 / 10	05-20-2017	While there are hints of fun to be had if you search hard enough, I don’t think Strafe ever makes the small moments in between worth scavenging.	Read review
GameSpot	Michael Higham	8 / 10	05-09-2017	Strafe doesn’t do too much, but its exceptional execution and unique charm make for a truly intense, old-school FPS experience.	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Sean Colleli	7.4 / 10	05-09-2017	Strafe is a game where you need to know what you’re getting into before jumping in. It looks like Quake but it absolutely is not; it’s a roguelike FPS with a retro art style. It’s a harsh mistress, and masochistic players will love that, but Strafe personally left me frustrated and cold.	Read review
GamingBolt	Alex Jackson	7 / 10	05-10-2017	STRAFE gets a lot of presentational things right, and even though it undermines and contradicts its own mechanics in some places, the singular sense of style the game exudes is fantastic. Running through the swarmed halls of the dilapidated space station has a lot of appeal for classic shooter fans.	Read review
God is a Geek	Chris White	7 / 10	05-09-2017	As far as frantic FPS’s go, this is one of the best, but poor AI and a ramped up difficulty might prove too much for some.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	James Cunningham	3.5 / 5 stars	05-15-2017	Strafe falls short of greatness, but is definitely great fun.	Read review
Hey Poor Player	Jeremy Johnson	3.5 / 5 stars	05-17-2017	STRAFE is a game lost in time and space. It might have been revolutionary in 1996, but today it is a stark reminder that nostalgia can only carry a game so far. The game is polished like a fine jewel, but lacks ambition—a shine that might place it among the classics.	Read review
IGN	Leif Johnson	6.3 / 10	05-09-2017	When it works, Strafe is a generally entertaining retro-styled shooter that mixes procedurally generated levels into an experience strongly reminiscent of Quake. It’s a great concept that usually comes together, but between the quirks of randomization, powerful enemies that run almost completely silent, lethal bugs, and hefty costs for vital armor and ammo powerups, a lot of the time it feels as challenging as rolling the dice and coming up with double sixes.	Read review
IGN Italy	Davide Ambrosiani	7.5 / 10	05-09-2017	Strife hides a merciless challenge behind his well crafted Nineties costume. Not only old-style FPS lovers can find death on Icarus but also who’s searching for a	Read review
IGN Spain	Antonio Gila	6 / 10	05-12-2017	Unfortunately, Strafe is no more than an attempt of tribute to the FPS of 1996.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	4 / 10	05-10-2017	A loveable slice of 90s nostalgia, but compared to shooters both new and old it’s surprisingly limp and inappropriately difficult.	Read review
New Game Network	Eric Hall	42 / 100	05-24-2017	Strafe has the look and style to stand out, but Pixel Titans should have been focusing on making sure the game was not only fully functional, but actually fun to play, as well.	Read review
Paste Magazine	Cameron Kunzelman	8 / 10	05-12-2017	As I shoot robot enemies and monsters who want to slice me up, I am delighted. The screen goes red every time. I hit the restart button with a smile on my face.	Read review
PC Gamer	Omri Petitte	72 / 100	05-09-2017	Strafe skillfully recaptures the look and experience of a full-tilt twitch 1990s shooter while faltering at building upon its potential.	Read review
Rocket Chainsaw	Andrew Cathie	1.5 / 5 stars	05-26-2017	If you feel like playing an old-style game brought to today’s standards, there are plenty of other games that are more deserving of your money.	Read review
Saving Content	Scott Ellison II	4 / 5 stars	05-24-2017	STRAFE doesn’t quite do everything you expect, but being able to go into a game that looks like Quake that is infinitely replayable keeps the challenge up where memorization wouldn’t. I was never able to finish STRAFE, but that’s all well and good for its mindless and nostalgic return to classic-feeling FPS in the modern day era. STRAFE feels like a game that would have existing alongside Quake and Doom, but was accidentally sent forward in time and has learned the ways of 2017 gaming.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Justin Janitzek	4 / 10	05-16-2017	STRAFE as of now feel unfinished, and is too reliant on its successful marketing campaign. If you are an absolute diehard for these type of games, I implore you to look up Brutal Doom instead. It is a free mod that gives the original Doom a bit more oomph and visceral feedback, while changing some of the controls to feel both familiar and fresh.	Read review
Slant Magazine	Matt De Azevedo	3 / 5 stars	05-09-2017	Where it sets itself apart from actual ‘90s-era shooters is with its light sprinkling of procedurally generated elements.	Read review
SomHráč.sk	Ľubomír Samotný	65 / 100	06-14-2017	This throwback to 1996 isn’t what we hoped for. The underdeveloped roguelike aspects and lack of variability can’t be salvaged even by the awesome soundtrack. In short bursts, it can be enjoyable, but continuous playtime will suffer from massive repetition.	Read review
SpazioGames	Naomi Volpe	7 / 10	05-30-2017	If you are an ingenious nostalgic and at the same time are not afraid of the difficult challenges we advise you to give it a chance; ’96 is here.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Dave Irwin	6 / 10	05-09-2017	I really tried with Strafe, spending a good six hours with it and getting only as far as the fourth level before dying. I liked the overall tone, and the gunplay is solid fun, but really this is one of the more punishing Rogue-Lites out there, with a high skill ceiling that sets you right back to the beginning once you die without any meaningful progression unless you somehow find the key to a teleporter. A lot to admire, but for most it’ll seem utterly impenetrable.	Read review
WellPlayed	Aza Hudson	6.5 / 10	05-08-2017	If you want a 90s game like how Kung Fury was an 80s movie, give Strafe a go. But if you want a more fleshed-out 90s game…just play a 90s game	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Strafe is a singleplayer 3D action experience where the player can pick up a gun and shoot hordes of things in the face. The developers have created technology that changes the levels every time you play for endless replayability. There are billions of experiences to be had with crazy secrets to find! We give you the levels, you paint them red.

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