Retro shooter ALARIC just launched on GOG

Dominik Grigoras's retro-style dark fantasy shooter ALARIC launched on GOG today. The game originally released on Steam on June 15 and is now available as a DRM-free download.

ALARIC falls into a specific niche of modern retro shooters that borrow heavily from Metroidvania design. Instead of progressing through a series of linear levels, players navigate a massive, interconnected castle. Finding new gear and powerups allows you to access previously blocked areas and uncover more of the map. The game relies on traditional movement shooter mechanics, keeping the pace fast even when you backtrack to explore old corridors.

The Metroidvania structure means backtracking is a core part of the experience. As you unlock new traversal abilities, you return to early areas of the castle to reach platforms or doors you had to skip before. This design choice forces the combat to remain engaging during return trips, which is where the varied enemy types and weapon upgrades come into play.

The visual style uses pixelated 3D graphics to build a gothic atmosphere. It leans into medieval elements, backed by a custom heavy metal soundtrack that dynamically shifts based on the onscreen action.

Four years of development

Dominik Grigoras developed the game solo over the course of four years under the Grigoras Games banner. Launching a self-published indie shooter in a crowded market requires finding a specific hook. The boomer shooter space has plenty of competition, with new titles dropping weekly. Tying fast-paced shooting mechanics to a non-linear map structure gives the game a different pacing than a standard level-by-level shooter.

Players have to manage their resources and plan their routes. The launch trailer highlights the core combat loop and progression systems that support this structure. You can dual-wield energy pistols against skull-faced enemies in library corridors, mixing ranged combat with fast movement.

A brief look at the upgrade menu shows an RPG-lite progression system. Players can spend resources to increase damage and fire rates for weapons like the revolver, shotgun, and crossbow.

Castle bosses

The castle houses several large-scale boss fights that break up the standard horde encounters. The video shows a battle with "The Overseer," a giant owl-like creature fought in a dark cathedral.

Another segment shows a closer, more claustrophobic fight against a shadowy, red-eyed enemy named "The Warden."

These encounters test the player's movement skills and upgraded arsenal. The game requires relatively modest hardware, asking for an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 alongside 8GB of RAM to run.

Expanding storefronts

GOG often picks up indie retro shooters a few weeks or months after their initial Steam debuts. ALARIC fits the storefront's catalog of classic and modern DRM-free titles well.

The PC release is currently available on both Steam and GOG. The developer has not announced any console ports at this time, keeping the focus entirely on the PC ecosystem for now.