Jupiter Hell Classic Preview

At first glance, Jupiter Hell Classic doesn’t look like the type of game that I usually play, and there is a bit of history with this title. The base Jupiter Hell game originally released in 2021; developers ChaosForge, who are known for their ASCII-based roguelike reimagined version of Doom called DoomRL, created Jupiter Hell as a spiritual successor to that title. This new game is actually a demake of the original, and instead of the 3D-style graphics, it now has a more retro-pixelated look. I’m excited to try out a title that seems different from anything I have played before. 

 When you begin a new game, the first thing you need to do is select the difficulty you want to challenge. Easy is for players with no experience with turn-based roguelike games; the enemy danger level, aggressiveness, and accuracy are reduced. You will also find twice as much ammo as in Medium mode, you will gain 50% more HP, and the power-ups you acquire last twice as long. There are also Medium, Hard, Ultraviolence, and Nightmare! (you know it’s going to be hard when they include the “!”), but since I am new to this, I started on Easy.

You select the class of soldier you want to play as in the demon-infested science base located on the moons of Jupiter; there are 97 different ones! Choose between a marine, a technician, or a scout, each with their own strengths and abilities to use in battle. The game is shown from a top-down perspective, and each of the labs you visit are procedurally generated and tile-based.

With your character’s class selected, you learn the unique way of moving around the stage. Your character moves one tile at a time; you select where you want to go and hit a button to confirm it. However, you aren’t the only one moving; every time you move, the enemy does, too. Reloading your gun also counts as a turn, requiring you to be strategic with your weapon selection. Using a shotgun that needs to be reloaded after every shot won’t work well in rooms with multiple grunts, as you’re sure to get hit while trying to reload.
The first stage is located on the first floor of the lab on Callisto. The goal is to defeat all the enemies you find, collect loot, and gather as much ammo and as many medkits as you can so you’re ready to battle demons and head to the stairs. You will also pick up useful items to equip, like armour, knives, and mod packs that can improve your accuracy for a specific weapon. Red spots on the floor restore some of your health; these are incredibly useful, so you don’t have to waste all of your medkits.

On the bottom of the screen, you will see the amount of health you have, your character’s level, and the type of weapon you currently have equipped. To collect ammo and new items, bump into a bag to open it, which is quite different from simply opening a chest in other games. The top left of the screen tells you what you’ve collected. In the bottom right, a map is generated based on where you’ve explored so far. It’s nice to have this guide, but its placement can get annoying when you’re in an area located in that section of the screen.
Each time you perform an action, like picking up ammo or defeating an enemy, text appears at the top of the screen narrating what you’re doing. At times, this game reminds me of playing an old text-based adventure. When your run is done, you are shown the post-mortem (mortem.txt) page that displays the level you reached, your rank, where you died, and the number of turns you survived. I had 26,967 turns for my best run, which lasted 49 minutes and 14 seconds. It also includes a log showing everything you did up until you died. It’s pretty cool to see!

Jupiter Hell Classic is an addictive turn-based title full of strategy and exploration. It can be quite creepy exploring the dark areas of the labs where you can’t see the enemy, but you know they’re waiting for you when you hear angry growling sounds. There is a demo for the game to check out before it comes to Early Access, so it’s worth trying out for yourself. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing Jupiter Hell Classic!