Galactic Glitch | Steam Deck Review
Last year, I reviewed the Early Access release of Galactic Glitch. Even though it wasn’t fully released, I loved it enough to place it on my top 10 for 2024. The game released into 1.0 last month, and it’s all I’ve wanted to play recently. The subtle changes they made capitalized on what was already a fantastic twin-stick shooter roguelike. Now I have to convince my team that it belongs on my personal favorites list for 2025, because I’m still very much in love with this game. If you have even a passing interest in rogues, you owe it to yourself to give this super slick edition to the formula a shot.
Here’s to the Golden Moon
If you missed my Early Access review of Galactic Glitch, let me catch you up. You navigate through a computer as a small ship tasked to hack the network. A mysterious female character named Siren sends you out into the unknown, and for some reason, you just do what she asks. This computer network is comprised of amoeba-like bubbles that act as mini arenas. Think of similar dungeon crawler rogues like Moonlighter or Ember Knights (two personal favorites of mine). Enter a bubble, destroy the enemies, collect any upgrades, choose a path to the next bubble, rinse/repeat until you confront a boss. It’s a very familiar formula, but a couple of features make this title stand out.
First off, the game is very much focused on physics. The bubbles themselves have a “spongy” quality to them, making your barriers feel more organic than your standard static walls. This might seem like a small difference, but it actually comes somewhat of a strategy for dodging enemies. You’ not confined to the walls of a room, but can extend slightly past the barrier to stretch the limits of the area in order to evade an attack. I’ve quite literally never seen anything like it.
The physics also play into the combat. Not only do you have a plethora of weapons with which to start each run, but you also have the ability to grab items and hurl them at your foes. This includes rocks scattered in rooms, but also includes broken pieces of ships you destroy and even missiles fired at you. It makes for a very unique experience once you get the hang of it.
Here’s to the Silver Sea
What’s a good roguelike without a proper progression system? One of Galactic Glitch‘s shining achievements is how you’re constantly moving forward with upgrades, making your next run impossible to resist. The mark of a solid game in this genre (in my humble opinion) is one that doesn’t make you feel bad when a run ends. The way Crunchy Leaf Games refined this progression for its 1.0 release is exquisite. The deeper you go into the network, the more orbs you’ll collect, which can be turned in for weapon upgrades (provided you find blueprints), permanent boosts, and even new ships with different attributes for each. Almost every run yields some kind of improvement for the next one, so it respects the player’s time a great deal.
One particular change from the Early Access release is how the developer simplified the “chip” upgrades on each run. In the past, you more or less had to commit to a certain color of upgrade based on the power-ups you acquired along the way. Now those chips act as stat increases for that particular run. Depending on which ones you collect, you’ll increase your ships durability, speed, firepower, or throw damage. This means you’re never wasting an upgrade. On top of that, you still have the ability to upgrade your power-ups one or two times, which give you a significant edge. As expected, all of these drops are completely random. Some runs won’t be great, but when the stars align and you have that one build that makes you feel like a god? Chef’s kiss.
It’s so much fun trying a new run, because each one feels wholly unique. I don’t think I ever used the same starting weapon twice in a row, because learning new combinations is always a blast. The power-ups are super fun to experiment with as well. One might increase the damage you do to enemies from behind, while others might unleash a barrage of homing missiles every time you enter a room. You’ll develop a different strategy or playstyle every time you play, and I’m here for it.
Galactic Glitch Final Verdict
There’s not much negative I can say about Galactic Glitch. I’ve had some minor stutter issues on occasions and some audio hiccups, but nothing that’s detracted from my experience. It’s an impressive title, especially for its price point. The controls are snappy and responsive, the visuals and color palette are appealing, and the variety of gameplay just keeps coming. I can’t get over how there are so many moving parts going on at once, but I never feel overwhelmed by the mechanics. If you’re not into rogues or twin-stick shooters, it might not be for you. Let me put it this way: if this and Minishoot’ Adventures won’t do it for you, then nothing will. I can’t put it down, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I am.
To hear me talk more about Galactic Glitch, be sure to listen to the June 4th, 2025 episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 43:09 time stamp.
This review is based on a Steam copy of Galactic Glitch provided by Jesus Fabre for coverage purposes. As of this writing, it is exclusive to that platform.
Galactic Glitch
$14.99
Pros
- Slick, Precise Controls
- Satisfying/Rewarding Gameplay Loop
- Fun/Varied Builds
- Fitting/Engaging Music
- Crisp Visual Style
Cons
- Minor Framerate Stutters
- Slight Audio Crackles on Occasion
