TOXICANT is a paid adventure game with roguelite elements. This horror game throws you into a series of increasingly challenging levels, letting you pick up and upgrade your gear in the process. All these elements are randomized, with every run offering a new experience. Its story is told through notes and documents that drop hints about a conspiracy gone wrong at a mining site. 

Rendered entirely in 3D, TOXICANT uses a first-person perspective to give that immersive experience, although the overall design feels dated. You can think of it as a cross between Doom 3 and Hades.

Explore the deepest part of the mines

The first thing players would love about TOXICANT is its overall design, which is refreshing and uncommon. It embraces a toxic core aesthetic, with its general darkness and glowing green elements everywhere. Additionally, it uses slightly dated graphics that give off a retro appeal. Overall, these elements make the game feel unpredictable and inherently unsettling. It’s up to you whether you’d rush headlong into the darkness or take extra precautions.

Also, it’s worth noting that the protagonist in this game is a female character, brought to life with superb voice acting, from interacting with the environment to combat. With its randomized maps, there’s no fixed location for key items such as a compass or any other type of weapon. The same can be said for the enemies, although still restricted by the difficulty progression.

Still, the game retains its largely linear playstyle, although it doesn’t have a full ending scenario yet. There are parts that are not yet polished, but it’s worth noting that the game is generally well-made, with virtually no game-breaking bugs, even when there are a lot of resources on-screen. This is also true in terms of controls, with support for the gamepad on top of the traditional keyboard and mouse.

Fun and partly unpredictable

If you’re looking for a cave caping activity with action and conspiracy, TOXICANT is the perfect entry. It has a unique aesthetic that is equal parts curious, unsettling, and refreshing. Its color scheme and design choices capture the conventional toxic mine but make an entire game out of it instead of a small, localized biome. The game could use more content, but it’s ready to bring you some roguelite fun.