One of 2024’s most underrated games is free on Epic Games Store right now

By Patrick Hearn Published December 30, 2024

Epic Games Store’s holiday giveaway continues today with Redacted, a roguelike-spinoff of The Callisto Protocol that takes heavy inspiration from Hades and other similar titles. It has a totally different vibe than its source material, though, and it’s a game that you can get a lot of enjoyment out of — especially for free.

Redacted is a roguelike where players must fight their way through Black Iron Prison to the single remaining escape pod, finding loot and skills along the way. It has strong progression systems, as Redacted lets players increase their character level and upgrades between each run, but it adds a bit of a twist: You’re racing more than just hordes of enemies.

You have rivals in this game that are just as motivated to reach the escape pod, and they have no reservations about dropping you and taking your gear for themselves. Some of your rivals will try to sabotage your path, while others will challenge you to a duel. You can interfere with them, too, though. One in-game system lets you hack your opponents by inputting a string of commands, shutting off the lights in their room, springing a gas leak, or more.

You’ll also stumble across data on your rivals that provide them with a debuff. It might not sound like much, but each of your rivals poses a threat as a powerful sub-boss in your run. If you weaken them before you encounter them, you have a much better chance of making it to the end of the level.

Redacted is full of fast-paced action, and its 180bpm background music matches that vibe. You’re going to lose; that’s just part of the game. But each defeat makes you that much stronger and gives you more currency to unlock powerful, permanent upgrades for your next run.

You can download Redacted from the Epic Games Store for free, but only for today.