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About Retronaut
Retronaut is a cosmic action-roguelite where you play a stranded star pilot battling alien hordes while upgrading your ship and scavenging ancient relics. Set between galaxies, it blends fast-paced combat with resource management and permadeath stakes. Developed by GrassyAss Studios, it released May 1 2026 on PC. Single-player only, the game focuses on randomized runs where each death resets progress but keeps earned upgrades. Think of it as a space-based roguelike with bullet-hell shooting and gear-building elements. Players start with a basic ship, then use salvaged materials to boost weapons and armor. The goal? Survive as long as possible against escalating waves of enemies.
Gameplay
Each session begins with a stripped-down ship. You navigate procedurally generated sectors, fighting waves of aliens using a mix of lasers, missiles, and weaponized artifacts. Upgrades are crucial, spend credits on shields, ammo capacity, or damage multipliers. Controls are tight, with keyboard/mouse or controller support, emphasizing quick reflexes during boss fights. Between runs, you unlock permanent ship modules like auto-repair or crit boosters. Combat is chaotic but fair, balancing dodge mechanics with skill-based aiming. The roguelite loop means experimenting with artifact combinations, as each run’s loot pool and enemy types shift. Sessions last 20, 40 minutes, with later waves introducing environmental hazards like black holes or radiation storms.
What Players Think
PlayPile users rate Retronaut 4.3/5, with 82% positive reviews and a 78% completion rate. Average playtime is 12 hours, though hardcore players log 20+ hours chasing endgame content. Community moods are split: 65% "thrilled" by the upgrade variety, 35% "frustrated" by aggressive difficulty spikes. Achievement stats show 15 total unlocks, with 1200 gamers (4% of players) earning all. Critics praise the "addictive randomness of loot drops but note the grinding becomes tedious after 10 hours." One user wrote, "It’s like Spelunky in space, but the bosses feel unbalanced." Another said, "The artifact system is genius, it changes every run."
PlayPile's Take
Retronaut is a solid pick for roguelike fans who like incremental upgrades and bullet-hell action. At $29.99, it’s reasonably priced for the content, though the 12-hour average playtime suggests it’s more of a short-term challenge than a long-term grind. The 15 achievements add replay value, but don’t expect a forgiving experience, early deaths are common. If you enjoy tough but fair systems where each upgrade feels meaningful, this one’s worth the $30. Skip it if you hate permadeath or prefer slower-paced strategy. It’s not perfect, but the core loop of fight, die, improve is satisfyingly tight.
Game Modes
Single player
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