Relic Hunters Zero: Remix: seven hunters take on Duke Ducan for the galactic throne

A remaster of a hit that has already passed 1 million players: fast shooting, co-op on the couch — and a repetitiveness that even its own fans admit sets in once everything is unlocked.

The galaxy's throne belongs to the ducks

Relic Hunters Zero: Remix is the remastered version of a game that has already passed 1 million players. The story is the one it always tells: on Asteroide Dungeon Nemesis, hidden away in a distant corner of the galaxy, sacred relics of power lie guarded — and Duke Ducan, leader of an ambitious duck people, wants every last one for himself, promising to raise his subjects to the galactic throne. Against him sails the crew of the ship Spaceheart, a band of seven relic hunters: Jimmy, Pinkyy, Ace, Panzer, Biu, Raff and Red, each with their own stats, abilities and look.

You run, shoot and dodge without letup, cutting down hordes of space ducks and evil space turtles through the Asteroid's corridors. Different modes change the pace of a run: the classic campaign, split into twelve stages with relics and items to unlock; an endless mode with its own economy and mechanics; and a storm mode that ratchets up the difficulty and the chaos bit by bit. Each day brings the same challenge for everyone, measuring who fares best in the Asteroid — and you can call someone over to the couch, since up to two people play side by side on the same screen. Tougher Ducan Commanders show up as bosses along the way, part of the arsenal comes from weapons designed by the player community itself, and a retro-flavored electronic soundtrack keeps time with the mayhem.

It comes from studio Rogue Snail — the same team behind Chroma Squad and Knights of Pen & Paper — with distribution by Akupara Games. The Remix version arrived on July 3, 2023, catalogued as shooter, action and tactics, and the store still lists it as being in early access.

Praised for being fast, faulted for being short

The store's scores point to real approval, though not everyone is sold — and it is easy to see why the moment you start playing: the gunplay is fast and quickly addictive. In October 2024, a review compared the recipe to the arcade classics of the early '80s, the kind where you dash across a room blasting hordes of enemies, and handed it top marks. A review from May 2026 praised how easy the game is to learn and master, with plenty of character customization. In June of that same year, a third player singled out the variety between ranged and close combat. And whoever wrote on November 5, 2025 noticed an aiming feel all its own and a reward system unlike what they expected from other games in the genre, praised the visuals for their SNES echoes and found the shooting satisfying — it took only a few minutes to settle in.

There is a limit to the agreement. That same October 2024 review admits the visuals are rough, that the music and sound effects fall flat, and that the repetition sets in early: once you have unlocked everything there is to unlock, little reason remains to keep playing. Another, from November 2, 2025, misses a Unix build like the one on the Steam store.

For anyone with company close by

Relic Hunters Zero: Remix is worth a whole afternoon next to someone, trading shot for shot against the Asteroid's duck hordes: the co-op works because it is local, and it asks for that second person right beside you, on the same couch — not in an online lobby. Playing solo and after a long campaign, you run into the same limit the fan crowd already flagged: once you have unlocked what there is to unlock, the reason to keep going gives out too. It is a game of short sessions and close company, not a game for months.