Seraph's Last Stand for Windows

A free-to-play roguelike

Seraph's Last Stand is a free-to-play action game that puts you in the shoes of the titular wizard. You get to create a character and fight against the bad guys. Every wave you clear gives you an item that helps you face increasingly difficult challenges. It is similar to Galaga, the arcade game, in the sense that you are locked in a single level as you and your enemies are becoming stronger.

It features a simple premise and game design, yet this simplicity makes Seraph's Last Stand incredibly addictive. It’s like a more static version of Risk of Rain.

Simple and addictive

In terms of graphics, Seraph’s Last Stand doesn’t have much to offer. It features a mostly black and white screen, with colors reserved for certain in-game effects such as items and projectiles. Your character and most of your enemies are crudely drawn and pixelated characters. Basically, they fly down from the sky and you exchange projectiles, trying to survive each round.

However, the game is strangely fun because you get to customize your character to an extent. Your headgear and your weapon can be changed to get certain advantages such as homing projectiles and getting double jumps by default. Additionally, as you complete every stage, you get to pick from a random set of cards to give you an upgrade. These items are sorted and color-coded based on rarity.

One small addition that makes this game addictive is its use of an online leaderboard. Once you die, it’s game over. However, a score is displayed and those with the best scores among all players worldwide get to see their names on the leaderboard. Lastly, as it is a roguelike game, there’s no progress that can be carried over. Once you die, you start all over again.

Take your last stand

Seraph’s Last Stand is definitely one of those games that, despite its overwhelming simplicity, manages to become incredibly addictive. It has customizable options right at the start, giving you different gameplay options, and every wave you clear gives you access to a more powerful version of yourself. It works exceptionally well for a casual game. Overall, this game is fun to check out at least once.