Gravelord Review

The return of fast-fire chaos in a modern boomer shooter revival.

Gravelord is a modern boomer shooter, very clearly inspired by their love of old-school first-person shooters like Doom, Quake, and Duke Nukem 3D, from the tiny independent developer Fatbot Games. What I find interesting about the game’s history is how it went from Early Access to full-blown 1.0. The game didn’t continually change course or reinvent itself as it was built; it just slowly became more itself over time.

When it finally ships, it’s not an experimental indie prototype anymore; it’s a finished, confident shooter with a defined target. During its Early Access period, the game has garnered a small but passionate following, with players appreciating the fast-paced action, unique features, and bold blend of old-school first-person shooter style and newer elements.

The full version adds a lot to that base, with extra episodes, enemies, weaponry, and even a level editor that the community can contribute to. This change shows that Gravelord was not simply attempting to mimic old-school shooters; it wanted to be something that could stand shoulder to shoulder with them in spirit while still feeling modern in its structure and systems.

Gravelord isn't trying to be a rehash of something from the past.

It’s a simple question: what if old-school boomer shooters were produced today, with some more modern trappings — like deeper progression systems and more expressive movement tools? Gravelord’s story is straightforward, but the attitude is anything but. You play the role of a gravedigger called Quido. He is huge, temperamental, and not very bright, but he is a really good fighter.

The dead start rising, and his world is swiftly turned upside down. Not only is it a supernatural nightmare, but there is also a bizarre artificial “anti-death” system set up by someone connected to his own tragedy. In some versions of the story, Kieran Husk is the evil guy. In some others, someone like Sharon Husk is depicted as the one corrupting death itself.

The name is always the same, whatever they go by. Control freaks who have turned death into a system and kept the dead from their natural rest. The story is told in a way that should be funny, but this personal link gives Quido’s rampage emotional weight. And most of all, as Quiddo himself. He looks and feels like a mash-up of old-school action heroes like Duke Nukem and a Frankenstein monster.

He exaggerates events that happen to him, typically through stylized HUD animations; for example, his face contorts into furious or humorous grins when he gets harmed. His speech is purposely nasty, vindictive, and exaggerated, but it suits the style of the game. The worldbuilding is not especially intricate in the normal meaning of the word, yet it has a surprising taste.

There’s a lot of complexity to the game for those players who want it, with stuff like weird organizations that deal in soul transportation and comic-book-like lore pages scattered across various levels. These pages of informative comics provide you with more knowledge about the world, the groups in it, and Quido's ambitions, but you don't have to read them. The game is friendly to folks who want a story and to folks who want to shoot everything that moves.

In Gravelord, gameplay centers on speed, violence, and constant movement. These days, shooters can focus on cover systems or precise pacing, but Gravelord requires players to always be moving. If you stand still, you get in trouble at once. The grounds are packed, the adversaries are fierce, and your ability to strafe, evade, and apply forward pressure will determine how long you can stay alive.

One of the game's great features is the ease of movement.

It’s heavy enough to make a difference, but light enough to move fast. This balance is really important to maintain, because the game is not only about shooting, it’s about flow as well. As soon as everything is working, the players begin moving, and it almost feels acrobatic as they shift between locations. The primary mode of transport is the Spectral Shovel. It can serve as a close-combat weapon, a mobility assist, and a fighting tool all at once.

You can sprint across vast distances, teleport to specified areas, escape out of danger fast, and find shortcuts within stages. It can be used to get around in combat; it changes everything about how you approach enemies. Players aren’t just dodging attacks; they’re repositioning themselves on the battlefield.

Weapons are a huge element of the experience as well. It starts simple, with a feeble rifle that's more of a backup than a major tool. It also grants players access to more powerful weapons like shotguns that pack a big punch and feel great to use in a way that instantly makes you think of classic arena shooters. Each weapon has a different impact, weight, sound, and rhythm.

The upgrades to weaponry and the multiple fire modes make things much more difficult. These aren't just nice-to-have extras; they fundamentally alter how guns work. Used alongside other approaches, they allow you to develop diverse battle builds, motivating you to try new things.

The game really shines when you fight in Gravelord. Encounters are all movement-based chaos, enemies attack from different angles, and the player has to keep changing how they play. There are no set battle cycles in the game; instead, it generates ever-changing venues where positioning, timing, and aggression are all important factors.

And the various enemy types are a large part of making fights interesting. Basic zombies and armored infantry are early enemies. Later levels introduce tougher adversaries that change how players fight. Some adversaries are close and personal, and you have to keep moving. Others fill up space, making it difficult to move. There is a range of experiences; thus, none are the same.

The way you fight is also very related to the way you use tarot cards.

The tarot cards' advancement and build system modifies the game in major ways. Players collect cards across levels and select from a random set of choices. But they can only play a limited number of cards at a time. These cards can increase damage, affect how weapons work, help you remain alive, or altogether transform how battle works.

This adds a level of skill to a shooter that is typically very fast-paced.  Some combinations promote aggressive close-range playstyles, while others support approaches focused on crowd control or survivability. It’s flexible enough to experiment with new ideas, but not so flexible that it gets too complicated.

Note that Gravelord does not employ the typical XP grinding methods. There’s no RPG notion of “grind” to level up. Instead, you make progress by exploring, getting new tarot cards, upgrading weapons, and eventually getting new skills. This shifts attention to gameplay over the number systems used for progression.

Level design also includes puzzle-like elements. Maps aren’t really puzzles, but they often have locked areas, secret paths, environmental switches, and a fast way to go back to earlier parts. Keys work like in other first-person shooters, but the excitement is in finding secrets, upgrades, and new ways to explore. This lends the levels a semi-Metroidvania vibe, enabling players to revisit earlier locations with new skills or insights.

The art style is dark and detailed, a blend of grim fantasy, horror, and comic-book exaggeration.

 It is not meant to be realistic. It's a style comparable to Darkest Dungeon, with a significant emphasis on mood, featuring muted colors, deep shadows, and exaggerated character designs.

The foes are highly diverse, ranging from ordinary zombies to unusual demonic army and ugly monsters with bizarre details. The visual direction makes combat easy to interpret while still maintaining a strong sense of theme. The visual effects of explosions, gore, and battle feedback are all loud, making confrontations feel even more intense.

All the settings are styled the same way. The levels are not realistic; they are designed to be easy to play. You will find impossible constructions, maze-like patterns, and abstract buildings that exist purely to aid exploration and battling. This design choice lends more of a game-arena feel to the areas than to a real-world location.

The HUD design and character interactions also add additional individuality to the game.

Quido’s animated responses in the corner of the screen add to the game’s silly and disorganized mood, so even failures are fun, not frustrating. Gravelord’s sound design is a big part of its power. Weapons have weight, and shotguns have deep, powerful bursts that make them feel powerful. Each weapon has its own sound to help players instantly recognize the weight and use of their armory, without having to look at it.

Combat sounds are intentionally loud. Enemies create a lot of noise. Explosions are enormous and noisy. Background noise helps set the mood during large confrontations. Because of this, there is a constant feeling of speed and pressure.

The music matches the game without becoming overbearing. The intensity of the battle changes the intensity, so the chaotic beat is stronger in battles and weaker in exploration. The overall sonic direction fits the game's theme of being fast, loud, and aggressive.

The reason Gravelord works is that it knows what makes old school boomer shooters fun: speed, clarity, rage, and flow. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre or make it more complicated than it really needs to be. Instead, it enhances it with more modern aspects such as progression based on tarot cards, weapon synergies, and a very expressive movement toolbox.

The game’s most impressive aspect is how complete it seems in its 1.0 stage. 

It contains more episodes, additional adversaries, new weapons, community map support, and a fully integrated level builder, so it can be played solo or with a group for a long time.

There are several limitations. The story is meant to be simple, and the structure is the same throughout the game. If you are seeking deep plot systems or RPG intricacy, you will not find them here. These aren't bugs, though; these are design choices. Gravelord is about how fast you play.

Overall, Gravelord is a good modern boomer shooter that respects its roots and creates its own path. It’s fast, it’s crazy, it’s stylish, and always fun. When the movement mechanism is working properly, and the tarot build complements the flow of battle, it’s hard to quit playing. It’s not just another old-school shoot ‘em up. It makes you wonder why the genre worked in the first place, and how it can evolve without losing what makes it.