Underplayed Gems

Malicious Payload (2021)

Malicious Payload cover
Developer
Last Howl
Platforms
Windows
Genres
Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie
Rating
2.2 of 5, 9 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 10 minutes
Where to get it
Steam

More by Last Howl

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A fast-paced arcade shooter with a simple story about fighting space pirates and robots in a drifting ship, mixing survival and action roguelike elements.

arcade shooterstory-drivenaction-packedfast-pacedsci-fisingleplayersurvival modevr compatible

What players say

Players report the game is a broken VR wave shooter with no tutorial, no manual reload and broken controls on Valve Index and Quest 2. The story mode is about 25 minutes long, and some players cannot leave the first room. Players are split on whether the synthwave aesthetic and slow-motion dodge are fun enough to overlook the rough state.

Screenshots

Malicious Payload screenshot 1Malicious Payload screenshot 2Malicious Payload screenshot 3Malicious Payload screenshot 4Malicious Payload screenshot 5Malicious Payload screenshot 6

More games like this

More by Last Howl

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.