Serpent's Gaze Review — Co-op Soulslike Roguelite in a Sunbaked Mirage
A punishing 1–4 player co-op soulslike with roguelike runs, striking art and loads of build variety. Feeble Minds' Early Access gem is rough around the edges but already delivers addictive boss fights and memorable co-op moments.
I jumped into Serpent’s Gaze expecting a competent indie soulslike with some roguelite trimmings — what I found was a surprisingly soulful, social take on punishment and progression. Feeble Minds mixes heavy, tactical third-person combat with random blessings, curses and an ‘Awareness’ system that keeps runs fresh. It’s not perfect — there’s jank, UI rough spots and Early Access wobble — but the art, sound and cooperative moments kept pulling me back for one more run. If you like methodical fights and playing with friends, this one’s worth a look.
Surviving the Dunes: Tactical, Slow-Burn Combat
Combat in Serpent’s Gaze is deliberate rather than flashy. You pick an aspect and a weapon, learn three weapon attacks and a handful of archetype abilities, then slowly dance around enemy tells to land hits that actually matter. Runs often feel like learning a choreography: study, punish, retreat, and sometimes brute-force a stagger with the right relics. Dodgerolls have i-frames and many players swear by mastering their timing, although occasional hit-registration hiccups can make tight encounters feel unfair. Heavier weapons trade speed for oomph and range, shields and blocks exist but are more situational than panic-buttons. Bosses are built to be fought multiple times — they teach you patterns and then demand execution. Playing solo makes the game harsher and more methodical; in co-op you can lean on teammates for crowd control, revive shenanigans and hilarious wipe recovery moments.
Blessings, Curses and Build Roulette
What sets Serpent’s Gaze apart is the marriage of a soulslike framework with roguelite card-style upgrades. Along your pilgrimage you choose from blessing options, pick up seeds and relics, and occasionally are slapped with a random Curse that reshapes the run. These modifiers — and the Awareness system that ratchets difficulty — force adaptation and reward creative synergies: bleed+on-hit catalysts, ranged-heavy builds, summoner jank or stun-lock teams all feel possible. There’s real joy in discovering a combo that turns a slow run into a steamroller. The game also features shortcuts that remain open between runs, which reduces the grind and gives a sense of tangible progression. Meta-progression exists but is modest in Early Access: archetypes, weapons and a handful of unlocks give goals between sessions without trivializing the loop.
Sand, Sound and Shader Love
Visually Serpent’s Gaze leans into a cell-shaded, mythic desert aesthetic that I can’t stop staring at — ruins, nomadic camps and cathedral silhouettes sell a believable world. The soundtrack is atmospheric, often minimal until it hits during boss intros and those moments feel cinematic. Performance has been surprisingly solid on many rigs, though some players report particle spikes and framerate dips in crowded scenes; I saw that too on certain settings and the developers have been hotfixing issues. UI and tooltip clarity are areas that need polish: some stat descriptions and tiny charge counters are hard to read in the middle of a run. Accessibility options are limited but basic — remapping works, FOV options are modest, and co-op join-in mechanics are a joy: friends pop into your run instantly and it rarely feels tacked on. Overall the presentation sells the world while leaving room for polish and QoL improvements.
Serpent’s Gaze is an ambitious Early Access love-letter to co-op soulslikes with a roguelite twist — imperfect but already very fun. It rewards patience, experimentation and team play, and I had countless memorable boss wipes and clutch revives with friends. If you want polished perfection, wait, but if you crave a fresh co-op souls experience and enjoy tinkering with builds, buy this one and support the devs — you’ll get a lot of playtime for the price.
Pros
- Excellent co-op design — seamless drop-in for up to 4 players
- Deep build variety with meaningful synergies between relics and blessings
- Striking art direction and atmospheric soundtrack
- Punishing but rewarding boss encounters
Cons
- Early Access rough edges: occasional hit-registration and jank
- Limited meta-progression and some sparsely populated areas
Player Opinion
Players I read and chatted with praise the combat’s bite and the creative freedom of builds — many call it the best co-op soulslike they’ve played lately. Common compliments point to the art direction, boss design, and the instant-join multiplayer that makes late-night runs painless to organize. Criticisms are consistent: some encounter jank (dodges or iframes behaving oddly), sparse reward density in large rooms, and occasional performance or readability issues on certain rigs. Several voices also stressed how promising the dev responsiveness has been; hotfixes and open communication keep the community hopeful. If you like Nightreign-lite or Hades-adjacent loop design but want a more deliberate combat cadence, reviewers agree Serpent’s Gaze is worth trying with friends.