Boomer shooters, at their core, are love letters to the early days of first-person shooters. The originals like DOOM and the flood of classics that followed. The actual definition tends to spark debate, some will argue endlessly about what truly qualifies but I think something like ‘retro-inspired shooter‘ sums it up nicely. It’s a genre built on speed, grit and the pure joy of turning enemies into pixelated pulp. There’s been a bit of a wave of boomer shooters recently and they’ve all mostly been coming from passionate indie studios. I’ve tried a few and Prodeus is one that really hit for me. I think they do a good job of nailing that sweet spot between nostalgia and modern refinement. It feels like it’d belong in the ’90s, but at the same time it’s slick and polished enough to hold its own today. There’s no Steam Deck Specifics for this one, it’s as easy as install and play.
Prodeus was released for early access initially in 2020 by Bounding Box Software. The full release became available in 2022 and honestly I don’t know how I missed this one. Prodeus is a first person ‘boomer shooter’, the story is decent enough although that’s really not the main draw. Essentially, it’s another story of humanity’s ambition being its own undoing. After harnessing energy from a hellish dimension to become technologically advanced, some humans evolved into powerful beings called Prodeuns. Of course, they end up provoking the wrath of the monsters they’ve drawn that very power from, The Chaos. War breaks out with the Chaos opening a portal to destroy the Earth. With most of humanity slaughtered, the Prodeuns take over humanity and force the remaining survivors to become Prodeuns. A small group manage to get away and they take the fight to the Prodeuns and Chaos. Of course, they all die except the protagonist, who is known only as the Prodeus Agent. The Prodeus Agent himself gets turned into a Prodeun but he manages to survive and starts traveling across the battle-ravaged lands destroying key Prodeun and Chaos facilities. Making it to the Prodeun’s base, he weakens them enough to travel to the Chaos dimension to kill the Chaos leader. Killing the leader forces the Chaos back to their own dimension, permanently sealing them away. The Prodeuns go on to inherit the Earth, while the Prodeus Agent makes his way to a utopian dimension. So, uh, that’s definitely a story.
Where Prodeus really shines is in its gameplay and level design. It feels like it’s straight out of the DOOM and Quake era, maybe with a little bit of Duke Nukem 3D thrown in for good measure. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it throws you back to a time where first-person shooters were king and builds confidently on that foundation. Like I’ve said before, I really love when a game doesn’t cram in needless features that only frustrate you. Prodeus keeps it simple: it’s that classic old school style where you find your weapon, point it at what you want to die and keep firing until there’s nothing left but a bloody pulp. You can unlock extra mechanics, like double jump and dash dodge, along with new weapons provided you collect enough ore in-game. But these features are optional and the game doesn’t force you into collecting ore to buy extra shit, which is really quite refreshing. You’re free to just rip through each level using whatever you find along the way. And the levels? They’re all designed beautifully. Unlike some other boomer shooters I’ve played recently, I’m looking directly at you: Warhammer 40K: Boltgun. Every level feels incredibly tight, logical and at no point do you feel lost. The DOOM-esque metal soundtrack that kicks in when a swarm of enemies shows up is almost pure adrenaline. It practically demands that you pull out the minigun and just go to town.
Prodeus might not be in the same graphical league as the modern DOOM titles, but I actually enjoyed it more and for a 2022 indie release it still looks incredible. It presents a solid balance between modern effects and retro style that gives it a striking, gritty look that works perfectly. The animations here are top tier. Crushing your way through this world is endlessly satisfying, especially when you’ve torn through a massive swarm of enemies and there’s nothing left but a big pile of blood and corpses. Even details like taking down flying enemies and seeing them plummet to the ground, it leaves you feeling accomplished. Small things like landing a charged shotgun blast feel punchy and rewarding. Every weapon and every hit showcases excellent visual effects and the game rarely misses a beat. My only criticism is the lack of a melee option with a weapon equipped. Yeah, you can swap over to the fists as a melee weapon but something like a pistol whip, Duke3D-style boot or even a Boltgun-style melee attack would have been a great touch. Thus ending the positives I have to say about Boltgun. But I know if it was implemented in Prodeus, they would have made it look and feel awesome. Controls-wise, there’s not much to add here. On the Steam Deck, Prodeus handles like any other first-person shooter. No need for lengthy tutorials, no fluff, it’s just pick up and play.
Prodeus is a reminder of how good shooters can be when they aren’t overcomplicated. It might be one of the best examples of a modern retro shooter done right. It’s fast, bloody and endlessly satisfying in that old-school kinda way where you’re grinning like a dork while knee-deep in blood and guts. Prodeus doesn’t waste your time, the story is there and it’s fine, it certainly isn’t bloated and chock full of required collectibles and secrets. Those elements are there, sure, but they aren’t forced on you. You can feel the passion that went into it from start to finish, from weapon design to the banger soundtrack. It doesn’t try to be DOOM: Eternal or compete with the latest AAA shooters, but it carves out its own bloody path and does a hell of a job doing of it. The gunplay is solid, the movement feels great and every level is well-crafted and a blast to tear through. While it may be a touch short, it’ll still give you about 8 hours of pure boomer shooter goodness. My only other complaint is a lack of a melee or pistol whip function, but that’s probably nitpicking. Prodeus absolutely delivers, it’s one of my favourite shooters in years. This one is for the fans of classic shooters or anyone who just misses when games were about having a good time.
Verdict:
Prodeus is everything a boomer shooter should be: fast, bloody and pure fun. It perfectly captures the chaos of ’90s shooters but with modern polish. Weapons feel satisfying, levels are well designed and the soundtrack is non-stop bangers. Seriously, this one is hard to fault. It’s old-school shooter bliss and it’s done right.
Deck Compatibility: 10/10
Overall Game Rating: 9/10 – Boomer Shooter Bliss
Dad with a Deck 
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