PLAGUN: The Plague Goes On Review

Video GamesReviews

Feb 6

Side-scrolling arena shooter Plagun doesn’t offer much in the way of novelty beyond its compelling setting.

Side-scrolling arena shooter Plagun from Talkinguns and publisher indie.io is a fast-paced roguelike arena shooter with a compelling post-apocalyptic plague setting, but its gameplay doesn’t stand out from similar action titles.

The game casts you as a plague-mutated doctor fighting through wave after wave of grotesque enemies in brief, intense runs lasting around 15 minutes. The core gameplay loop blends auto-shooting bullet-hell action with tight platforming movement, forcing you to stay on the move as enemies swarm from all directions. Fallen enemies drop corpses that fuel your progression, letting you unlock new weapons, passive abilities, and permanent upgrades between runs—typical genre fare. Cursed masks play a central role in shaping each run’s strategy, altering stats and abilities in ways that push you toward aggressive, defensive, or hybrid playstyles. Weapons offer diverse firing behaviors, from rapid-fire bursts to unpredictable close-range effects, adding some variety to encounters. However, gamefeel doesn’t compare to some similar, earlier titles like Hell is Other Demons.

The game’s metaprogression provides a satisfying sense of growth over time and encourages experimentation with different mask and weapon combinations. Still, these systems don’t diverge much from now-standard roguelite conventions, and Plagun doesn’t do it particularly better than other games.

The game’s gritty pixel-art features a palette dominated by stark contrasts and unsettling enemy designs, reinforcing its grotesque theme. The limited color scheme helps readability to an extent, but during peak chaos, the screen can become a frantic mess that obscures clarity. This is especially true because the pixel art isn’t very clean, perhaps due to scaling.

Plagun is fun in short bursts and offers good value at its $4.99 price point, particularly for fans of compact, intense roguelite shooters. Its evocative setting and distinctive aesthetic set it apart thematically, but players seeking something more innovative than the typical game in the genre won’t find it here.

Plagun: The Plague Goes On is available now on Steam.