I didn’t expect Moros Protocol to hit me the way it did. From its first loading screen, it’s clear that developer Pixel Reign and publisher Super Rare Originals knew exactly what kind of shooter they wanted to make — something fast, brutal, and gloriously stylized. Released on September 18, 2025, this sci-fi FPS roguelite drags you onto the derelict warship Orpheus, throws a gun in your hands, and dares you to survive its shifting steel labyrinth.

It’s not nostalgia bait; it’s pure, kinetic energy. After several hours blasting through its metallic corridors, I found myself grinning like I did the first time I played the original Doom. Moros Protocol doesn’t just borrow from that era — it understands it.

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co

Setting the Stage

The story kicks off in orbit, where the Orpheus drifts through the void like a graveyard of metal and regret. You wake with no memory of what happened and no one left alive to explain. It’s a setup as old as the genre, but Moros Protocol executes it with confidence and visual flair.

The art style walks a perfect line between low-poly sci-fi realism and painterly abstraction. Every corridor glows with sickly neon light, while distant machinery hums with life you can’t see. The aesthetic gives the ship personality: it’s a decaying cathedral of violence, rusted steel meeting impossible geometry. The pixel-painted textures don’t try for photorealism; they aim for mood. It’s stylish, distinctive, and unforgettable in motion.

Combat and Flow

The first thing that hits you is the speed. Moros Protocol moves like a dream — smooth, snappy, and relentless. There’s no hiding behind cover, no crouch-peek routine. You run, strafe, and never stop shooting.

The weapons feel incredible. I started with a razor-sharp katana, then stumbled upon a lovely little shotgun pistol that kicks like a riot. Each gun sounds weighty and looks gorgeous in motion. The reloads are quick, the feedback immediate, and every hit sends sparks, gore, or shrapnel flying in a way that’s just satisfying.

Enemy design complements that rhythm. They don’t linger at range — they charge, flank, and swarm. It reminded me of Doom II’s best encounters, where the key to survival wasn’t firepower but momentum. Standing still is suicide, and the game makes you feel that instinctively.

The roguelite structure keeps everything fresh. You clear an area, collect loot, upgrade your character, and push deeper. Each run offers new augments and weapon variants, giving the combat loop a sense of progression that feeds that “one more try” addiction. It’s equal parts arcade rush and tactical improvisation.

Atmosphere and Sound Design

The Orpheus may be a warship, but it sounds like a haunted organ. The soundtrack fuses industrial percussion with throbbing synth basslines, rising and falling as combat intensity changes. Between fights, the score pulls back into low ambient hums and distant mechanical groans, letting you breathe just long enough to start feeling uneasy again.

Sound effects are sharp and layered — the echo of footsteps on grates, the hiss of venting gas, the mechanical screech of enemies rounding corners. It’s the kind of soundscape that does more than fill silence; it builds tension. Even when I wasn’t fighting, I was listening.

Why It Hits Like Doom

Moros Protocol nails that same adrenaline rush the original Doom pioneered. It’s the pacing, the forward motion, the refusal to let you get comfortable. Combat arenas are designed for movement rather than cover. The level design encourages circular strafing, quick decision-making, and a sense of rhythm that keeps your blood pumping.

But where Moros Protocol sets itself apart is in how it modernizes that formula. Its roguelite backbone gives you reason to replay and experiment. Its art direction isn’t simply retro — it’s reimagined through a contemporary lens, turning nostalgia into something visually fresh. It’s not trying to be an old game; it’s trying to remind you why those games mattered.

What Works and What Can Grow

Everything that matters here works. The stylized graphics make it stand out instantly, and the combat hits like a hammer — tight, fast, and ferocious. The sci-fi setting isn’t just window dressing; it feeds into the gameplay loop through environmental storytelling, coded terminals, and subtle lore breadcrumbs that hint at why this ship became a floating mausoleum.

That said, there’s still room to expand. The first few levels lean heavily on similar corridor fights, and I’m hoping later updates or expansions push for more open, vertical spaces to take advantage of the movement system. A touch more enemy variety early on would also help maintain pacing for returning players. But those are nitpicks in an otherwise razor-sharp experience.

The Look and Feel of Controlled Chaos

Visually, Moros Protocol is a triumph of style over realism. The bold lighting and chunky geometry feel like they were lifted from a fever dream of ‘90s PC shooters and re-textured in 2025. The art direction never forgets clarity — enemies pop clearly against backgrounds, weapon effects explode with purpose, and every color feels intentional.

That aesthetic confidence gives the game identity. Even when things get chaotic, you can still appreciate the composition of every shot — the way light bursts across the gun barrel, the way the ship’s shadows seem to watch you. It’s mesmerizing.

Final Thoughts

After several sessions aboard the Orpheus, I’m convinced that Moros Protocol isn’t just another indie nostalgia project. It’s one of the best blends of old-school speed and modern structure I’ve played in years. The combat feels incredible, the progression is addictive, and the visual design is pure confidence in motion.

It captures the spirit of Doom while building something distinct — a focused, stylish, and endlessly replayable sci-fi shooter that understands what made the classics timeless.

When I closed the game after my last run, ears ringing and hands tense from the last firefight, I realized Moros Protocol had done exactly what I wanted. It made me feel like a kid again — wide-eyed, wired, and itching to jump back in. But until then, Have You Heard Of This?

I created this website as I feel the state of the games industry and games reporting as a whole has gotten overly negative and full of clickbait. While I understand both of these are a great way to generate engagement, it’s a detriment to those gamers (like myself) that are just trying to enjoy games and not have to worry about the negativity of the current state of the gaming industry. I want a space where gamers can come for unbiased news that doesn’t rely on clickbait or rumours with a dash of humour and have the opportunity to share their passion for games.

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Moros Protocol – Old-School Carnage Meets Sci-Fi Style