Geometry Survivor – You Got 20 Minutes

Yet another rogue-lite auto-shooter?

Welcome To The ’80s…

Geometry Survivor had me hooked almost instantly. I was craving a quick go-to game, ideally something with a retro arcade vibe, as I’m completely burned out on the endless open-world grind that has become the standard for today’s AAA games. These days, most of my gaming time is spent in VR, retro games, or a mix of both. The more I think about “non-VR / flat gaming”, the more I long for the simplicity of gaming’s earlier days—when you didn’t need massive worlds or countless side quests to stay entertained. I just want to dive straight into a game, play, and, most importantly, have fun while doing it.

An inviting menu with a killer soundtrack, no tutorial in sight—just press X and jump straight into the game. That’s the message Geometry Survivor conveyed to me in seconds, without saying a word.

I had no idea it was a rogue-lite, one-stick auto-shooter or that it didn’t even require a fire button. I simply bought it on a whim based on its price ($2.99 on sale) and the screenshots on the PlayStation Store.

Once I got used to the gameplay—much like Army of Ruin, where you only move around and don’t have to press any buttons—the smile crept in. It’s simple yet incredibly rewarding, offering pure fun as you dodge enemies, collect loot, and upgrade your weapons. That’s all it needs to keep you hooked.

Upgrading Your Gear Is Your Only Hope…

I won’t ruin the fun by telling you which weapons are the best to upgrade—you’ll need to discover that by playing the game. Learning through trial and error will make the game last more than just a couple of hours. While it’s theoretically possible to beat the game in 20 minutes, doing so would either require incredible luck or feel like cheating.

There are two ways to upgrade:

1. In-game upgrades: As you play, you’ll earn upgrades that reset upon death. Each time you level up, you’ll be presented with a random selection of three weapons to choose from. Once a weapon reaches its max level (four upgrades), you can evolve it into a significantly more powerful version.
2. Permanent upgrades: Following the rogue-lite tradition, every time you die, you can spend your collected loot on permanent upgrades. These upgrades are crucial for eventually beating the game and give you a real sense of progression.

The balance between temporary power-ups and permanent progression is what keeps the gameplay exciting and rewarding.

The game also provides surprisingly detailed statistics on everything you do. At times, it almost feels like the developer believes they’ve created an exceptionally challenging game when you look at all this data. After beating the game, though, it feels a bit excessive for something of this scale, especially since there’s no leaderboard or competitive element to justify all those stats.

The Visual Art Part…

Geometry Survivor is a visual spectacle—everything glows, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. There are no bullets to dodge, so you can fully focus on the enemies and the action around you. The more I played, the more it felt like I was immersed in an 80s music equalizer or a vibrant laser light show.

The game runs flawlessly, with no slowdowns, delivering a clean and visually stunning experience. Best of all, any time I lost a life, it was purely my own fault—never because of bad design or something unfair. It’s as straightforward as that.

The wireframe laser-style graphics exude retro vibes, and the color palette feels like a perfect match for the game. The arena you’re “fighting” in is spacious enough—probably around 8 or 12 screens in total—so you never feel too cramped. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself circling around enemies anyway, as your ship automatically shoots at foes nearby.

You Can Almost Hear The Visual Effects…

While playing, I found myself humming along to the music and often getting lost in the mesmerizing visuals—there’s something truly magical about it all. Some of the upgrades you receive create impressive light show effects, and though they might be a bit overwhelming at first, you’ll get used to them. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate the visual impact of the weapons and loadouts.

Shooting enemies and collecting loot is a blast when it’s done right, and in my opinion, this game would have made a great coin-op arcade title with just a few minor adjustments. If the developer ever decides to make a sequel, I’d suggest adding things like leaderboards, a single-life mode, and incorporating the rogue-lite elements into the core mechanics.

The Final Verdict…

First and foremost, it’s important to note that this is a small game, one that will likely only appeal to fans of retro arcade titles or Vampire Survivor-style games. What it delivers in terms of price and quality exceeded my expectations. Like many, I’m tired of the shovelware cluttering the PlayStation Store, and I believe this game is worth its regular price of $7.99.

Will it change your life or keep you hooked for weeks? Probably not. You won’t have much to brag about either, as the Platinum trophy is something most players will unlock automatically due to the rogue-lite nature of the game.

If you enjoy Shoot ‘Em Ups as much as we do at the AmigaGuru Blog, then pick this up now or wait for a sale—but definitely make sure to get it someday. You won’t regret it.

A complete playthrough video done by me is attached below, beware of spoilers.