Killer plants rule the world in bullet hell roguelike Juicy Realm

Juicy Realm was one of a handful of Chinese games at GDC that I wanted to play but never got the chance to. It's a cartoony, bullet hell roguelike about fending off killer plants. You play as one of a few adorable heroes and explore procedurally generated worlds in search of gear for yourself and resources for your base.

"As one of the first explorers of the newly discovered plant empire, you must continuously drive deeper and deeper into the enemy's lair," its Steam page reads. "Defeat bizarre and colorful fruits while retrieving new gear, weapons, and resources to defend yourself and expand your base camp. If you're unable to defeat the overwhelming destructive force of the plant army alone, invite a few friends to lend a hand and help you discover the secrets behind this strange new world."

I found Juicy Realm thanks to the hooting and hollering coming from its demo station, but it was its art that set the hook. It's a cute, colorful game with expressive characters, and there's something delightfully silly about its world, from the killer pineapples and cactuses to the ridiculous weapons, like the ATM machine gun that fires money.

Juicy Realm will release on Steam on May 3 for $10. Here are some screenshots to chew on in the meantime.

Austin freelanced for PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and has been a full-time writer at PC Gamer's sister publication GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a staff writer is just a cover-up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news, the occasional feature, and as much Genshin Impact as he can get away with.