Steam launch: New action-roguelike RPG lands on Steam with 98% positive reviews and launch discount
If you have spent any time on Steam lately, you know the "survivors-like" genre is incredibly crowded. It takes something special to stand out, and solo developer MarvinWizard might have just found the secret sauce with Vital Shell. Launched on January 7, 2026, the game wraps the roguelike-RPG genre in a thick, nostalgic layer of PS1-era polygonal graphics and mechs.
The first thing you’ll notice is the vibe of the game. It feels like a lost 1997 classic, complete with a lo-fi ambient jungle soundtrack and chunky, satisfying mech designs. But under that retro cover is a surprisingly deep modular build system. Instead of just picking a new gun when you level up, you’re socketing weapons with gems to create synergies that can completely change how a run feels.
Despite the genre's saturation, the community seems to be loving Vital Shell so far. According to SteamDB, the game hit an all-time peak of 333 concurrent players within its first 48 hours, which is quite a respectable showing for a solo project with zero marketing budget. More impressively, it holds a 98% Positive rating on Steam. Early players love the "fantasy-mecha" archetypes, like the Paladin-inspired Koenig Shell, and the tight 20-minute loop that makes the game perfect for a quick break.
Pricing wise, the game is currently sitting at a launch discount of $4.79 (regularly $5.99), making it one of the best "bang for your buck" titles of the new year. MarvinWizard has already been active on the forums, pushing out a Day 1 patch to balance proc rates and fix a few controller bugs (the game has full controller support by the way), showing a level of care that often gets lost in bigger releases. You can check out Vital Shell here.
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