Gamescom 2026: In Armatus, You’ll Search for a Lost Gate to Heaven While Escaping Ruined Paris

The world has ended, humanity is extinct, reality is collapsing, and once-romantic Paris lies in ruins occupied by demons. That is the vision of the world in Armatus, an upcoming roguelite shooter from Counterplay Games. The game casts you as the last warrior of an ancient order, using supernatural abilities and a vast arsenal to find a lost gate to heaven. I got to try out part of it at Gamescom.

At the beginning of your run, the game gives you a choice of 4 weapons – a machine gun, SMG, sniper rifle, and shotgun. You will always get different weapons within these classes, and the levels you progress through are also generated differently each time. The game is therefore designed to offer a fresh experience every time, which I was able to partially experience for myself. Since it is fairly challenging and it was my first time playing it, I started from the beginning twice, but took a different route through the levels each time. I also tried out various weapons.

And that is essentially what it is about. With each run, you learn what works for you and what does not. For example, you may find yourself up against enemies that keep their distance, such as flying enemies. A shotgun is useless against them. On the other hand, as you progress, you can significantly modify even the shotgun so that it is effective at longer ranges. You gradually build your own setup. On top of that, there are upgrades during runs that also affect where you go next. There is also permanent progression, so you gradually earn upgrades that remain with you.

As you return to the game, progress further, and also start from the beginning, you will receive flashbacks that reveal what actually happened in this world. It is difficult to assess this in more detail, as I only managed to reach one story segment, but I have to say that it has its own style and does not look bad at all.

Armatus aims to offer a serious challenge while remaining easy to pick up. I had never heard of it before, but I picked up the controller and everything felt very intuitive – both the basic action and the special abilities. It was fun. On the other hand, I could not shake the feeling that, aside from the setting, it was somewhat generic. We will see how the full version handles this when it launches on 7 January 2027. The game will also be available in Game Pass from day one.