$14.99The Citadel Dodge everything, kick cultists into lava
Descend a dark citadel through 30 levels of fast, gory 2.5D shooting, juggling 14 weapons and every incoming projectile.
Is The Citadel worth it?
The Citadel is worth it if…
- you grew up on Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Marathon and want a new take on that formula
- you like shooters where dodging matters and nothing hitscans you
- you enjoy managing magazines, jams and ammo under fire
- you want fast, gory levels you can clear in a few minutes each
Screenshots
Old bones, new trigger discipline
It looks like 1994: 2.5D corridors, sprite enemies, a retro palette. Then you reload. Weapons have iron sights, recoil, manual and tactical reloads, and magazines you can drop mid-fight to swap faster, losing the rounds still inside. Every enemy fires projectiles you can actually dodge, so survival is about movement and positioning, not soaking hitscan damage. Rushing works too, if your reflexes are up to it. Optional toggles add leaning and weapon jams for a second, harder run.
Fourteen ways to make a mess
The arsenal runs to 14 weapon types, each with a secondary fire, plus 3 single-use special weapons for when a room simply needs to stop existing. Some guns can be upgraded or swapped for superior versions as you go. Enemies explode into gibs of meat and metal, and the enemy roster keeps you honest: axe-throwing cultists, suicide drones, mecha tanks, flamethrower troopers. Light enemies can be kicked and stunned, and with the right footing you can send them over a ledge or into lava, which never stops being satisfying. Six bosses wait across the episodes, and they do not go quietly.
What should you know before playing?
Is it too hard for a first-time boomer shooter player?
It is demanding, but not closed off. Difficulty modes are adjustable, unlimited continues mean you can keep trying until a level breaks, and hub areas offer a breather if an episode gets overwhelming. The catch is that dying sends you back through the level, so a mistake on a platforming stretch over pits or lava can cost real progress. Start on a lower setting, learn the reload and dodge rhythms, and the climb stays satisfying rather than punishing.
What is the story about?
You play the Martyr, a Battlesister sent down into a dark citadel to let the sleeping god die. The tone is grim sci-fi with religious and Lovecraftian imagery, told mostly through what you see rather than long exposition, and it ends abruptly. The atmosphere and the eerie, violent world carry more weight than the plot itself.
How does the survival side work?
Alongside health, three status meters for blood, oxygen and food drain as you play, pushing you to keep moving and manage supplies. There is also trading: sell resources you do not need and buy the ones you do, so hoarded odds and ends turn into ammo and gear. It adds a layer of planning between firefights without slowing the pace down.
