The game’s engine stumbles at the worst moment—mid-fight—yet players refuse to quit, pushing through the crashes to sink countless hours into the mayhem. Over 9 out of 10 reviewers leave glowing ratings, despite the glaring stability woes.
What it's about: The Citadel is a brutal first person shooter, and a love letter to classic games such as Marathon, Doom and Wolfenstein 3d. Descend into the depths of a dark citadel, and fight through 6 Episodes and 30 levels of action packed with 6 challenging bosses. Go forth, Martyr.
In-game
« The eroguro aesthetic is critical to the game experience, actually. »👍 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 8 h played11« Underdeveloped. But still a good game beneath the jank. 2nd game is fully done which is why I pushed through to this game but I didn't wanna miss the story. »👍 anonymous review · Oct 2025 · 9 h played1« It´s bloody, is cruel, is sadistic, is disturbingly sexualized, and i loved every second of it! »👍 anonymous review · Apr 2026 · 25 h played1« As much as people were making fun of me for playing this game and calling it tr**nslop, I think this is good and I'm not ashamed of it. »👍 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 5 h played1« для таких как я: развилка в начале это выбор сложности »👍 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 4 h played1« what a beautiful woman with big juicy beautiful thighs i love you martyr »👍 anonymous review · May 2026 · 9 h played11
« Trop répétitif et gameplay très mou »👎 anonymous review · Feb 2024 · 1 h played« Seems like a fun game but the fact that there is a year+ old issue relating to ADS and half the sprites randomly turning black the devs simply have not addressed, save your money for something more polished in the genre. »👎 anonymous review · May 2026 · 0 h played« Eh, it just feels off movement- and gunplay-wise. It's not horrendous, but there are better FPS games out there, including the sequel to this (Beyond Citadel). »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 1 h played« An interesting game that mixes light elements of imm-simm and boomer shooter, that is unfortunately is plagued with constant crashing issues. There is fun to be had if you can endure all the times the game will crash on you. »👎 anonymous review · Jun 2026 · 2 h played« It just kinda sucks all around, the atmosphere itself feels unpolished, the game crashes often and the game also is just kinda a guro ♥♥♥♥ hole, the gunplay is ok though »👎 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 0 h played« Hyper nerveux et hyper dur , c'est vraiment un bon jeu mais j'ai pas le niveau pour battre rien que le premier boss, si vous voulez un Doom like en version difficile x1000, hésitez pas »👍 anonymous review · May 2025 · 2 h played
In players' words
« The eroguro aesthetic is critical to the game experience, actually. »👍 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 8 h played11« Trop répétitif et gameplay très mou »👎 anonymous review · Feb 2024 · 1 h played« Underdeveloped. But still a good game beneath the jank. 2nd game is fully done which is why I pushed through to this game but I didn't wanna miss the story. »👍 anonymous review · Oct 2025 · 9 h played1« Seems like a fun game but the fact that there is a year+ old issue relating to ADS and half the sprites randomly turning black the devs simply have not addressed, save your money for something more polished in the genre. »👎 anonymous review · May 2026 · 0 h played« It´s bloody, is cruel, is sadistic, is disturbingly sexualized, and i loved every second of it! »👍 anonymous review · Apr 2026 · 25 h played1« Eh, it just feels off movement- and gunplay-wise. It's not horrendous, but there are better FPS games out there, including the sequel to this (Beyond Citadel). »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 1 h played« As much as people were making fun of me for playing this game and calling it tr**nslop, I think this is good and I'm not ashamed of it. »👍 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 5 h played1« An interesting game that mixes light elements of imm-simm and boomer shooter, that is unfortunately is plagued with constant crashing issues. There is fun to be had if you can endure all the times the game will crash on you. »👎 anonymous review · Jun 2026 · 2 h played« для таких как я: развилка в начале это выбор сложности »👍 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 4 h played1« It just kinda sucks all around, the atmosphere itself feels unpolished, the game crashes often and the game also is just kinda a guro ♥♥♥♥ hole, the gunplay is ok though »👎 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 0 h played« what a beautiful woman with big juicy beautiful thighs i love you martyr »👍 anonymous review · May 2026 · 9 h played11« Hyper nerveux et hyper dur , c'est vraiment un bon jeu mais j'ai pas le niveau pour battre rien que le premier boss, si vous voulez un Doom like en version difficile x1000, hésitez pas »👍 anonymous review · May 2025 · 2 h played
Anonymized excerpts from public Steam reviews — picked among those most voted "helpful" by the community.
What players say, by aspect
PositiveMixedNegative
Gameplay
89 % pos · n=164
Graphics / art
77 % pos · n=65
Stability / bugs
0 % pos · n=41
Story / writing
58 % pos · n=26
Content / longevity
50 % pos · n=14
Interface / UX
31 % pos · n=13
Performance
0 % pos · n=10
Audio / music
70 % pos · n=10
Value for money
80 % pos · n=5
Detailed data (table)
Aspect
Mentions
Positive
Mixed
Negative
Gameplay
164
146
5
13
Graphics / art
65
50
4
11
Stability / bugs
41
0
0
41
Story / writing
26
15
0
11
Content / longevity
14
7
1
6
Interface / UX
13
4
0
9
Performance
10
0
0
10
Audio / music
10
7
1
2
Value for money
5
4
0
1
Positive reviews by playtime
🎮 Players who like it have spent 7.5 h on median; those who dislike it: 4.1 h.
🪤 44 % of negative reviews come from players who left in under 2h — the game often disappoints right away.
<2h
50 % (n=28)
2-10h
95 % (n=284)
10-25h
98 % (n=88)
>25h
100 % (n=14)
Fixed or still broken? Sentiment over time
➡️ Stable reception over time
% of positive reviews per month (months with ≥ 15 sample reviews).
💶 Price history
Steam price tracked automatically since Aug 14, 2026 · All-time low: €6.24 (Aug 14, 2026)
Gunplay reigns supreme: 146 positive mentions out of 164 describe combat as visceral and responsive, the driving force behind the game’s addictive loop.
A bombastic aesthetic wins hearts: 50 out of 65 reviews hail the anime-infused visuals and gore effects for turning every level into a vibrant, bloody spectacle.
Endurance defies odds: players who stick around past two hours nearly always fall in love—95%+ satisfaction for all playtime brackets beyond that mark, peaking at 100% for hardcore fans logging 25+ hours.
Weaknesses
Crash chaos dominates criticisms: every single one of the 41 mentions flagging issues points to instability, with mid-fight freezes disrupting the fun without warning.
The plot fades into obscurity: 11 out of 26 reviews dismiss the story as thin, leaving only a slim majority of 15 players impressed enough to care.
Menus muddy the experience: 9 out of 13 complaints about the UI highlight cluttered layouts or unintuitive navigation that frustrates even experienced gamers.
Who is it for?
If you crave over-the-top, retro-inspired shooters dripping with gore and anime flair, *The Citadel* will thrill you. Just temper expectations for stability and narrative depth.
Is The Citadel worth it in 2026?
Yes, without reservation for most players: 93% of 3,046 Steam reviews are positive (player score 92/100). Most-praised strength: Gunplay reigns supreme. Current price: 12,49€.
Verdict
This is a flawed gem: the gunplay and art style earn near-universal adoration, but the engine’s fragility risks overshadowing the fun. A single update focusing on crashes could cement this as a cult classic overnight.
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