SULFUR Review: The Roguelite Shooter That Earned Its 1.0

What it is

SULFUR has been sitting in Early Access on Steam since October 2024, quietly racking up a Very Positive rating from thousands of players. Today, October 28, Perfect Random takes it to 1.0 and, in one go, also launches it on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and Switch 2. It is a first-person roguelite shooter: you dive into hostile, goblin-infested levels, scavenge loot, upgrade your weapons and try to get back out alive. Die, and the gear you brought with you can be gone.

How it plays

This is the part SULFUR nails. Guns feel heavy and loud, enemies hit hard, and every encounter has weight because you are carrying things you do not want to lose. The core loop is all about guns: you combine weapons with attachments, gear, tools and enchantments until a rusty starter rifle turns into something absurd. I have had runs where a single lucky enchantment rewrote how I approached an entire floor, and that feeling of discovery is what keeps the "one more run" itch alive.

The areas - caves, a town, sewers, a dungeon and a castle - each have their own enemy mix and loot, and the full release adds new maps, tougher challenges and more weapons and trinkets on top of what Early Access players already knew. The extraction-style tension, without the PvP sweatiness of the genre, is SULFUR's best trick: the only one punishing your greed is the game itself.

The lows

There is no multiplayer. Perfect Random says co-op is in development as a post-launch update, but right now this is a solo experience, and a game this chaotic is crying out for a friend. The early hours are also harsh in a way that will bounce some players: losing a favourite gun to a cheap death stings, and the game does not always explain its systems clearly. On older hardware the Switch version is the one I would be most curious about; on PC it ran fine for me.

Price

The 1.0 launch raises the price from $24.99 to $29.99 in the US, and Early Access buyers already own the full game. Steam was listing it at €24.50 in Europe before the bump, so if you catch it on sale, grab it. The game supports 13 languages, German included, and there is a demo to try first.

Verdict

SULFUR is what Early Access is supposed to look like: a smart, confident roguelite that used its two years to grow rather than stall. The gunplay and crafting are among the best in the genre, and the stakes make every run matter. Lack of co-op keeps it from greatness for now. If you love shooters with teeth and builds that break the game, this is an easy buy.

Score: 8/10

Image: darkday from Brisbane, Australia / CC BY 2.0, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dark_Light_(16233813885).jpg