OVIS LOOP is a dark action roguelike about robotic sheep versus wolves and it's a real surprise

Set in some sort of post-apocalypse with various robotic animals, OVIS LOOP is a tale of sheep versus wolves and it's a genuine delight. Disclosure: a key was provided to GamingOnLinux.

It's all a bit mysterious, at least at the start as you're piecing together info about the world. Why is everything in a complete state? What's with all the robots? Why are the wolves so damn mad at you - what did you do? I need answers. Some really nice design went into this for the story, as well as the characters with the excellent pixel-art. It's the action of it that really helps to sell this one though, with a Dead Cells-like feel to it on the basics.

You get a sort-of deck-building element to it with how you power-up your sheep, Omega, during a run. You start off with a basic weapon and ability, but you unlock other special abilities. After that, you continually beat various enemies to end up taking your pick from their abilities to add to your own as if you're some sort of Borg. So you can end up with some really wild combinations.

It's all about the loop, repeating runs to learn more about the world and try all the many different combo attacks you can end up doing. Especially once you finish your first run you then see how the game expands, with a starter hub area where you can spend resources you've earned during a run to continue to power up Omega with meta upgrades. The run progression is a bit like Slay the Spire, with a map where you pick nodes to travel between with each being a different encounter.

The actual levels where you fight are a bit small though, especially compared with the sprawling areas in Dead Cells and others similar. Lots of enemies at the same time too, it gets to the point that it becomes a lot more of a button-masher as you're just trying to mass-damage enemies as quickly as you can.

So it is perhaps a bit more like Skul: The Hero Slayer than Dead Cells. Not a bad thing, the combat is a lot of fun once you've gone through and built up the special combo attacks because it's a real flashy spectacle. Landing hit after hit, leading into your special attacks one after the other with combos you've built through the run. That's the good stuff right there.

Check out the launch trailer:

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Made by Korean indie team LIFUEL, it's impressive work for two people. A spokesperson for the LIFUEL team said: "We know this isn’t a battle a single sheep can win, but we hope you will. Our love for pixel-action is shown in every element, from the detailed backdrops to the satisfying combat. Ovis Loop is the culmination of four years of hard work".

Game Highlights:

• Step into the dark sci-fi world as Omega, a robotic sheep on a mission to repel the wolf threat.
• Face diverse packs of wolves, each with distinct attacks, skills, and behaviours.
• Embrace your inner hacker by downloading skills from fallen enemies and adapting them to suit your needs as you see fit.
• Experience richly detailed pixel art that brings the sci-fi world of Ovis Loop to life, inspired by classic sci-fi aesthetics.
• Enjoy full keyboard and controller support, including customizable keybindings to suit your preferred playstyle.

If you love games like Dead Cells, Skul: The Hero Slayer and other action-roguelikes this should be an absolute no-brainer to pick up. Very impressed with all parts of this one. I've been thoroughly enjoying my time with it and I'm seriously looking forward to the added content planned for it.

It's currently 20% off on Steam until September 29th. It works perfectly on Desktop Linux with Proton. Valve also rated it Steam Deck Verified.