Dead Estate

About Dead Estate

Dead Estate is a roguelike shooter by Milkbar Lads, published by 2 Left Thumbs. It came out on Steam and itch.io in October 2021, and on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on July 10, 2026. It is a new version of the makers' free game Dead Estate CLASSIC. The maker describes it as gory, fast-paced and challenging, with a heavy emphasis on Halloween, and as inspired by Nuclear Throne and Resident Evil.

It opens on a stormy night: a hitchhiker and a truck driver, stranded, flee a horde of undead and lock themselves inside an abandoned estate. From there you climb it floor by floor. The rooms are small and isometric, built for close-quarters fights, and each floor ends when you find its boss, kill it and ride the elevator up. You start with two characters, Jules and Jeff, and unlock up to ten, each with its own style of play and four costumes. Across runs there are 150 weapons and 300 items to find, so no two runs play alike.

Money comes from enemies, pots and bosses, and you spend it at the shops: a witch sells items and weapons, and a stat shop sells upgrades to health, agility and strength. Secret rooms are hidden in the walls. On almost every floor a hidden timer runs, and when it ends Chunks, a giant hulking enemy, starts chasing you across the floor; he only pauses while you are in a shop or a boss fight. That pressure keeps runs moving and gives the game its bit of dread. Reaching the true ending doubles the number of floors. There are also alternate floors, Blessing and Curse modifiers, looped runs, difficulty levels and twenty Challenge Runs.

The horror is in its cast and its mess: a giant clown, ghouls, hooded creatures, blood across the floors, all in bright pixel art. It is not a game of hiding in the dark. A free expansion, Assignment Anya, is a separate campaign set before the main game, in which an actress whose film crew was attacked by the undead tries to escape the mansion alone with only a mask to disguise herself, styled after classic survival horror.

The maker puts an average session at about an hour. It is English only. It suits players who like twin-stick roguelikes and want one built from horror films. The maker recommends keyboard and mouse, though controllers are fully supported.

How to play Dead Estate

1. Pick one of the unlocked characters and a costume; you start with Jules and Jeff and unlock up to ten.
2. Move with the keyboard and aim and shoot with the mouse, clearing each room of monsters.
3. Collect cash from enemies, pots and bosses, and spend it at the item, weapon and stat shops.
4. Find the floor's boss, kill it and ride the elevator up to the next floor.
5. When you die, start a new run with whatever you have unlocked.

Tips

• Use keyboard and mouse if you can; the maker recommends it.
• Do not linger: a hidden timer on most floors sets Chunks loose, and he only pauses in shops and boss fights.
• Save up cash for stat upgrades as well as items, and look for items that work well together.
• Check the walls for secret rooms.
• Try different characters, since each plays differently and suits different weapons.

Questions