Lia: Hacking Destiny

This game will remind you of Neon Abyss... minus the annoying string of Easter eggs trailing behind you. I love it. There are plenty of permanent upgrades and items to unlock between runs, which keeps progression satisfying. The music is fantastic, combat feels great, enemies are unique, and the bosses offer a solid challenge. My only real gripe is the lack of mid-run saving. Each session demands a full time commitment. If you quit during a dungeon, you’re sent back to the Colony (main base). That can be frustrating if you need to step away. Even a checkpoint between dungeons would go a long way. That said, I still highly recommend it.

Lia: Hacking Destiny is a vibrant and fast-moving 2D action game from Orube Game Studio, published by Orube Game Studio in collaboration with GoGo Games Interactive, and it confidently blends classic arcade sensibilities with modern roguelite structure. Set in a future where machines have seized control of Earth, the game places players in the role of Lia, a determined young fighter pushing back against an oppressive robotic regime. From the outset, the game establishes a tone that mixes high-stakes resistance with playful charm, balancing its post-apocalyptic premise with humor, color, and an almost breezy sense of momentum that keeps the experience from ever feeling bleak or oppressive. The narrative serves as a flexible backbone rather than a rigid focal point, providing motivation and flavor without slowing the pace. Humanity has been reduced to scattered remnants, automated facilities dominate the landscape, and Lia’s task is to infiltrate these hostile environments to disrupt the system from within. The story unfolds gradually through brief encounters, environmental cues, and small narrative beats, never overstaying its welcome. What makes the storytelling stand out is its w…

when i first played this game i played it for 6 hours straight and the only reason i stopped was because of human responsibilities. it then went into my favorites instantly. solid 8/10, would recommend to any hollow knight enjoyers who are fine with some learning curves. my only gripe is that there's no 7 hour lesbian love scene where we get to romance samantha but the gameplay makes up for that. just don't go in expecting a super deep story, it's a little mid i'll be honest. all the story cutscenes get skipped once you complete an area though so the gameplay gets even more focus. yay.

This is a really well put together and polished roguelite. It has gadgets and mechanics that make rerunning the same levels over and over pretty enjoyable as you ramp up difficulty and change the experience even though you're in the same level. Got quite a few hours out of it. My biggest complaint is that one run I found an iconic weapon called Gjallarhorn and it was so crazy OP I was able to just clear the whole game with it. I hadn't been even half way through but this missle launcher had homing and auto-aim and it just made the game trivial. Still, very worth playing. Good music too. There seems to be a bug where it counts time your steamdeck is on sleep as time played, I got about 25 hours out of Lia.

This is a 2D action game with roguelite elements. At first areas are difficult, but the stat boosts from level up are huge and eventually you'll be shredding through the early areas like a ninja. Each run is long and somewhat cumbersome. I ended up playing this by doing 1 run per day until I beat it. It's definitely on the harder end each time you get into the new areas. Ended up beating the semi-final boss with a sliver of HP left, but if I had lost it would have been easy after a few more runs.

Cave Story but with a bangin' synthwave soundtrack and a fun selection of roguelike elements and weapons!