Pass the Fear (PtF) combines the build variety and chaos of Enter the Gungeon and Gunfire Reborn, focusing on skill based gameplay, and really putting the “hell” in bullet hell when it comes to boss fights. Before jumping into the review, I want to comment on the translations. I’ve played a lot of Chinese games, and many had poor or awkward translations – Not here. Massive respect to the developer for looking out for us Western folk!
Choose a character and begin your run, collecting weapons, weapon parts, relics and fate (tarot) cards as you progress through the acts. It’s a familiar gameplay loop to most roguelite shooters. Where PtF separates itself is through its mechanical depth, build variety, and boss complexity.
You carry two weapons, each can have different elements (fire, ice, lightning), effects, and modifiers, even if it’s the same base weapon type. Additionally, each can have weapon parts added, granting passive bonuses and status effects (freeze, disruption), really highlighting how massively synergies impact your builds. Variety is huge thanks to all the intertwined systems, especially Fate (tarot) cards which completely shift how you approach each run.
Relics act as items, providing passive bonuses, reward at the start or end of each room, or buffs for dismantling. The idea of dismantling is a great addition and perfectly synergises with some tarot cards. The tarot cards define your build, granting massive boons after defeating bosses and often completely changing how your character plays. I loved how you could also reverse tarot cards to receive entirely different perks, sometimes at a cost.
Meta-progression comes in two forms – One at a per character progression tree, along with a global progression system unlocked by discovering notes throughout acts. In run progression revolves around upgrading weapons, weapon parts, and relics. There are weapon and part upgrades using cogs and relic upgrades by combining two at the forge, I just wish I had access to the forge more often.
The most broken build I had came from a tarot card that allowed my primary weapon to trigger my secondary weapon’s effect. It transformed my piercing chain lightning pistol into a four-shot shotgun forged by Zeus himself, filling my screen with AOE lightning strikes. Moments like this are what made PtF feel rewarding – The further I progressed, the more the systems came together, and the more powerful I felt. I really wish I could turn down my weapon effects, however, as this made readability a pain.
Bosses are by far my highlight for PtF, feeling like true 90s arcade bullet hell where machines are trying to steal every last cent from your wallet. I was reminded of every SHMUP I’ve ever played, coupled with Lost Ark. Bosses force you to learn their telegraphed attacks before responding correctly rather than simply relying on raw damage.
Dodging has no cooldown, feeding perfectly into the skill based gameplay and making every mistake feel like your own. Coupled with weapon and character abilities, and you’ve a genuinely engaging loop that’ll keep you focused during your runs. My only gripe was the difficulty – The first two acts are noticeably easier than the sudden jump felt in act 3, and some bosses are far too easy compared to others (especially the wall at the end of act 2).
Pass the Fear succeeds because every system feeds into another. Weapons, weapon parts, relics, dismantling, and tarot cards all work together to create builds that genuinely feel different from one run to the next. If you enjoy roguelites with mechanically deep progression and difficult boss fights, PtF is an easy recommendation. There’s a heap of variety on offer, the combat is tight, and the bosses deliver the chaos I was hoping for.
PASS THE FEAR REVIEW
Pass the Fear combines the build variety of Enter the Gungeon with the progression of Gunfire Reborn, creating a deep roguelite where systems feeds into each other. Tight, skill based combat and spectacular SHMUP bullet hell bosses await!
PROS
Large variety of items that truly define your build and how you play
Weapons, parts, relics (items), fate cards, all the systems are brilliantly interconnected, adding a heap of depth and variety
Massive respect to the developers for the flawless English translations (something many Chinese games I’ve played on Steam struggle with)
CONS
I’d have loved to see more weapon information
Lag and readability issues are a given with some builds
Acts 1 and 2 are far too easy, while 3 ramps up significantly
