As is the case with all games purpose-built to be as cutthroat as possible, 17-Bit's space-shooter roguelike is one that doesn't demand you die over and over, but ensures you will anyway by skewering you with random difficulty spikes. The entire thing is set up to let you explore huge expanses of space, retrieving ship upgrades and salvage as you blow apart enemy ships and aliens in the process. You get access to a huge amount of abilities to keep things fresh, such as in-air dodges and even a mechsuit with laser-sword to decimate foes in close-quarters, but the game can always turn on a dime and wipe out all your progress if you're not careful. Therein lies the rub - and the reason more people haven't played this - but there's something in the Asteroids-style flight controls and the tight melee combat that belies a sense of genuinely learning your ship alongside your pilot, A-Tak. 'Flow' in games is a hard thing to define, but when Galak-Z clicks and you're evading attacks, returning fire, letting fly a handful of missiles and finishing off any stragglers by slicing them in half, it's perfect.
