Sometimes, all you need to have a good time is something simple. There's no need for complicated plot with various twists and turns. There's no need for controls that require a trip to the options screen so you can memorize a portion of an extensive list of options. There's no need to keep a map open that's littered with icons or fast-travel to get something done. You just need the classic arcade approach of a straightforward objective and tasks you can perform. Impaler follows this to the letter and, for the most part, the developers accomplished what they needed to do.

Impaler is an arena shooter with roguelike elements. You have a gun from the beginning and try to survive waves of enemies while collecting as many coins as you can. Every so often, you'll choose a temporary power-up that appears with more frequency in subsequent runs. While the game boasts 10 rounds culminating in a boss fight, the high level of difficulty means that getting to the fight is a big feat, let alone being good enough to defeat them. Depending on the feats and coins collected, you have the chance to unlock another gun, with a different enemy layout each time.

After selecting a starting weapon, players are sent to a tutorial that's integrated as part of the first run. This is where you learn about the main gimmick: the spike gun. Pull the trigger to determine how far the spike goes, and let go of the trigger to unleash that spike from the ground. The spike acts as a dependable gun, as it typically impales enemies from underneath in one shot. It also breaks apart items like columns and boxes in one hit. The weapon spends no ammo, but it has a cooldown timer that feels balanced. It isn't quick enough to let you spam the area with spikes, but you won't spend a considerable amount of time waiting before you can launch another one.

It is also a versatile tool. Taking a page from the 2016 iteration of Doom, enemies killed by the spike give back a sliver of health that automatically flies toward you instead of relying on you to pick it up. Aim directly at the ground in front of you, and you can use the spike like a rocket jump from Quake, launching you high into the air before you land with a big shockwave to hurt or kill some ground-based enemies in the vicinity. The leap is important, as it can take out the few enemies that are invincible against bullets.

Aside from the spike gun, the weapon selection is standard: machine gun, shotgun, etc. They all feel good to shoot with in that old-school way, where recoil isn't a thing and it isn't necessary to aim down sights. There is one thing that might throw you off: the presence of a cooldown meter for guns. No matter which one you choose, every shot adds to a heat meter that slowly dissipates, and filling up the meter is akin to reloading your gun in a normal game. The idea is that you'll want to constantly switch between using the primary gun and the spike gun, but with the incentive of refilling your lives via the spike gun, it feels arbitrary to have this mechanic. Arena shooters feel like the one place where the old method of lacking reloads is a good thing, and while the use of the spike gun somewhat makes up for this, it is a little disappointing for those who are expecting something more mindless.

Aside from the cooldown for guns, one other issue with the game has to do with leaping. The act is slower to pull off with a controller versus the trusty keyboard and mouse, but it isn't so slow that you'll be more susceptible to getting hit or killed. The problem comes from the fact that jumping with any sort of precision has always been tricky from a first-person perspective, and it is made even more difficult in Impaler because everyone is rendered as flat polygons. Trying to jump directly on top of them is almost impossible, since it feels like you need to have pixel-perfect accuracy to hit them, and the need to do so multiple times to one enemy can be a frustrating exercise until it finally clicks. It's only when you discover that you can land near their face when ascending or landing that you can compensate for this, but it doesn't make up for the tinge of disappointment when you see that the next wave contains enemies that can't be shot.

Like many games chasing the boomer shooter crowd, the presentation in Impaler leans heavily on nostalgic simplicity. The soundtrack goes for a gothic metal approach and hits it quite well, while the sound effects are rather punchy. The graphics are good enough, with the heavily pixelated flat polygon guns and enemies mixing well with the 3D environment. The frame rate holds up nicely no matter how many enemies are on-screen, so there's barely anything to complain about here.

The game has already been marked as Verified for Steam Deck, and after trying it out, it feels like a near-perfect fit for the system. The game runs at a constant 60fps, while the battery life is roughly around five hours from a full charge. There's really no other way to extend the battery life any further, since there are barely any options to tweak.

Impaler is a fun game if you know what you're getting into. It's a simple enough arena shooter that plays fast and is short enough to ensure that you can squeeze in multiple runs in a short play session. The need to kill airborne enemies with a stomp can put a damper on things, but the rest of the gameplay is solid. Impaler is priced at $2.99, so it's worth a look for shooting fans who want a quick fix.

Score: 7.5/10