Gennady Review (Xbox Series X|S)

There are roguelikes, there are platformers, and then there's Gennady, a game that seems to have crawled out of a fever dream after a late-night binge of Earthworm Jim, Dead Cells, and the sketchbook of someone with a serious obsession with body horror. Developed by Feed 64 and published by Sobaka Studio, Gennady throws players into a grotesque alien nightmare where survival means punching, dashing, and raging your way through horrors while wearing nothing but your underwear.

The setup is delightfully absurd. One moment Gennady is minding his own business, the next he's trapped inside a hellish alien meat factory packed with monstrous creatures and fleshy industrial landscapes. Storytelling is intentionally minimal, with notebook pages and environmental details gradually revealing what's happening rather than delivering lengthy exposition. It won't satisfy players looking for a deep narrative adventure, but the bizarre world is intriguing enough to keep you moving forward.

Gameplay is where Gennady truly shines. At its core, it's a fast-paced roguelike platformer built around momentum. Movement feels snappy, and the dash mechanic quickly becomes your greatest weapon. Rather than simply using it for traversal, you'll hurl yourself through enemies, hazards, and obstacles like a human cannonball. The result is a gameplay loop that feels chaotic, aggressive, and incredibly satisfying once you start mastering its flow.

Adding to the carnage is the game's Rage Mode, which temporarily transforms Gennady into an unstoppable force of destruction. The better you perform, the longer your rampage lasts, encouraging aggressive play and rewarding players willing to take risks. Combined with collectible artifacts, weapon upgrades, and build customisation, every run feels slightly different as you experiment with new combinations and strategies.

The roguelike progression system is equally clever. Procedurally generated biomes keep exploration fresh, while the "Alley of the Dead" mechanic softens the sting of failure by allowing certain progress and upgrades to carry forward between attempts. Even so, this is not an easy game. Bosses hit hard, enemies can overwhelm you quickly, and platforming sections demand precision. Players who enjoy punishing but rewarding games will likely love the challenge, while others may find the difficulty occasionally frustrating.

Visually, Gennady leaves a lasting impression. Its hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation, stark black-and-white presentation, and occasional bursts of colour create a unique pseudo-noir comic-book aesthetic. The world is disgusting in all the right ways, packed with nightmarish creatures and grotesque environments that are both repulsive and fascinating to look at. Few indie games launching this year have a visual identity quite as memorable.

Sound design complements the unsettling visuals perfectly. Every squelch, crunch, and impact reinforces the game's grimy atmosphere, while the constant sense of unease makes each new biome feel genuinely hostile. It's not a comfortable world to inhabit, but that's exactly the point.

Pros

• Distinctive hand-drawn comic-book visual style

• Fast, satisfying dash-focused combat

• Strong roguelike progression systems

• Memorable enemy and boss designs

• Excellent sense of speed and momentum

Cons

• Difficulty can feel overwhelming at times

• Story takes a backseat to gameplay

• Some runs depend heavily on upgrade luck

• Grotesque aesthetic may not appeal to everyone

Gennady is wonderfully weird. It combines challenging roguelike progression, fluid platforming, inventive combat mechanics, and a striking art style into a package that refuses to play it safe. The story may take a back seat to the action, and the high difficulty won't be for everyone, but players who enjoy demanding indie experiences with strong personality will find plenty to admire here.

Like its permanently underdressed protagonist, Gennady doesn't care much about convention. It's messy, ugly, brutal, and occasionally frustrating, yet beneath all the grime is one of the more memorable indie action-platformers to hit Xbox this year.

XPN Rating: 4 out of 5 (GOLD)

Gennady is available now!