Tough new roguelike Katanaut makes Dead Cells look kind, and you can try it now

There's something particularly appealing about horror games set in space stations. From Dead Space to Alien Isolation, the sense of being trapped not only in a branching, monster-infested building but also being stranded out in the unlivable expanses of outer space makes every threat especially terrifying. Katanaut understands this, and now, thanks to the launch of a new demo on Steam, players can get a feel for both its demanding, Dead Cells style roguelike action and its foreboding, blood soaked space station setting.

Katanaut has been on our radar for months now due to its combination of horror and roguelike game design. In it, players control an undying warrior called Naut who explores a dilapidated science fiction space station that's mysteriously become haunted by monsters who used to be human.

The conceit is that advanced technology allows Naut to be revived every time they're killed, which gives them the ability to explore the station and uncover its past through downloadable memories contained in the setting's many corpses. Finding these memories also unlocks new skills, carried over from one run to another, that are important to possess if the player wants to survive the game's demanding, fast paced combat encounters.

Aside from these skills and abilities, players can unlock new weapons and perks as they progress through the game, using them to create different builds that might help them delve further into the space station.

Katanaut is due to launch sometime in Q3 (July to September) of this year. You can wishlist the game or download its demo now, though, by heading to its Steam page right here.

Otherwise, you might want to find other games in Katanaut's orbit with our picks for the best horror games and best action-adventure games out now on PC.

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