🎮 Katanaut – A Cosmic Horror Roguelite Where Every Death Brings You To The Truth

Katanaut is a fast-paced, Metroidvania-inspired action roguelite from Voidmaw, blending precision melee combat, cosmic horror, and procedural exploration into one unforgettable descent through the void. Set aboard a massive space station slowly tearing itself apart, the game challenges players to adapt, survive, and uncover the truth behind the catastrophe that twisted its crew into unrecognizable forms.

As Naut, a lone warrior equipped with advanced combat implants and the ability to manipulate time, you awaken to a station in chaos — its corridors flicker, its machinery moans, and the echoes of humanity are buried under static and screams. Each encounter tests your reflexes and resolve, combining soulslike intensity with roguelite progression. Death is never final; instead, it feeds the cycle. Memory fragments left behind by the fallen allow you to recover lost skills and evolve with every run.

Voidmaw has created a dark, immersive experience that thrives on contrast — graceful swordplay in the middle of unrelenting cosmic dread. With every floor you descend, the visuals grow more surreal, the music more haunting, and the enemies less human. Katanaut isn’t just about surviving; it’s about understanding what’s left when humanity slips into the void.

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🎬 Trailer for Katanaut

The official trailer showcases Katanaut’s seamless melee combat and haunting atmosphere — flickering lights, bloodstained corridors, and enemies that blur the line between human and alien. Each frame captures the tension of descending deeper into a station on the brink of collapse.

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🎮 Let’s Play Katanaut

Creator: SplatterCatGaming

Veteran indie curator SplatterCatGaming dives into Katanaut for ~30 minutes and calls it a “fantastic roguelite” with “very, very nice inputs, great feeling gameplay, [and] great feeling movement.” Highlights from the run and recap:

• “Dead Cells had a baby with Sonic… then they gave him a katana.” Fast, momentum-driven combat with stylish evasions and “Kurosawa-style” blood sprays.
• Praises the tight input feel and predictable controls (“no ambiguity when pushing a key and knowing what will happen”).
• Notes a real skill ceiling—his first run “lasted 24 seconds,” then the game “clicked” after revisiting the tutorial.
• Shouts out weapon variety (katanas with unique moves, shotguns, gravity guns), buildcraft (syringes, skills, perks), and biome diversity (gardens, markets, labs).
• Enjoys the meta-progression loop (biomass research, cyberware, unlocks) and Hades-style hub interludes that add story context.
• Final verdict: “An utterly fantastic game… very fun, very addictive. Everything feels fantastic while you’re playing it.”

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📝 What Players & Previews Are Saying

Steam players are calling Katanaut a standout indie roguelite — stylish, punishing, and endlessly replayable. Here’s what they’re saying:

• Gravell (Steam): “Katanaut conquered a place among my favorite games this year. The mix of cosmic horror and roguelike elements worked beautifully. Brutal, frenetic, and addictive — pure juice of the roguelike genre.”
• theonlynova911 (Steam): “This isn’t a good game — it’s a GREAT one. A hyper-violent horror-sci-fi experience with tight melee combat and incredible pacing. Hard to believe it was made by a single developer.”
• Misty (Steam): “The combat feels smooth and powerful, every swing is pure fun. There’s a nice variety of katanas, each feeling distinct. And yes, you can pet a cat — that alone makes me smile every time I play.”
• Valkian24 (Steam): “Katanaut doesn’t reinvent the action-roguelike, but it’s a fantastic debut from Voidmaw. If they keep making games like this, there’s a bright future ahead for the indie scene.”

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📰 Press Mentions

Critics and indie curators have also taken notice of Katanaut’s striking design and execution:

• 🧠 Qualbert praised the game’s intense pacing and cosmic horror tone, writing:
  “A cosmic-horror, sci-fi action-roguelike that slices through with ease, even if with its imperfections.”
  Read the full review on Qualbert
• 🌟 Clemmy’s Best Indie Games featured Katanaut’s trailer in the Summer Showcase 2025, highlighting it among upcoming indie roguelites to watch.

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👥 Developer Spotlight

Voidmaw is a rising indie studio known for their atmospheric design and love of dark science fiction worlds. With Katanaut, they push the boundaries of roguelite design, introducing time manipulation mechanics and a haunting narrative that builds through every failed run.

Their work emphasizes tight gameplay loops, player adaptation, and environments that feel both alien and intimately human. Learn more about their projects and philosophy at Voidmaw.com.

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💭 Final Thoughts

With its mix of soulslike combat, cosmic horror, and procedural storytelling, Katanaut stands out as one of 2025’s most intriguing indie action games. Each run through the collapsing station reveals new skills, new horrors, and new fragments of a past better left forgotten.

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