Vampire Survivors’ Publisher Releases Kill the Brickman — A Weird, Addictive Breakout-Roguelike With Rough Controller Support
Poncle, the studio behind Vampire Survivors, is now publishing other developers’ games. Their latest release is Kill the Brickman, a Windows PC title developed by Doonutsaur that mixes breakout-style deflections with roguelike puzzle elements and is available now.
- Who: Doonutsaur (developer) and Poncle (publisher).
- What: Kill the Brickman — a breakout-style roguelike puzzle game.
- Where: Released for Windows PC.
- How: Players fire bullets that must be deflected off walls, hazards, and enemies to clear levels.
- Notes: Reviewer reported controller issues, slow pacing, and progression that felt padded.
What Kill the Brickman is
Kill the Brickman gives players a gun and asks them to eliminate “brickmen” by bouncing bullets around the arena. In other words, it’s a twist on classic breakout: rather than moving a paddle to keep a ball in play, you line up shots and use ricochets to hit targets. The game includes multiple chapters, each made up of 10 levels, and it layers additional mechanics on top of the basic ricochet idea.
How it plays
The reviewer noted that aiming and angle control are central to the experience. For example, bullets can bounce off walls, other brickmen, and hazards to chain hits. There are also systems for increasing bounce counts, changing bullet behavior on contact with blocks, and loading bullets into a revolver cylinder in specific orders for bonus effects.
Controller support was reported as awkward because the game requires using both thumbsticks to line up shots. However, switching to mouse and keyboard produced more consistent aiming for the reviewer.
Weapons and upgrades
The game offers unlockable weapons and upgrades. In the reviewer’s four-hour play session, they kept the starting weapon and did not unlock the shotgun. There are colored bullets that interact with certain cylinders and random upgrades available for purchase during runs.
Progression and pacing
According to the review, Kill the Brickman does not harshly punish mistakes. Instead, the consequence for suboptimal play is time: runs and tasks simply take longer rather than ending in failure. Because of that design choice, the reviewer said progress can feel padded and it can take a long time to reach the deeper roguelike systems the game hints at.
Summary of reviewer observations
The reviewer described the game as accessible and enjoyable in short bursts, with a “just one more level” quality for casual sessions. Yet they also reported boredom after extended play sessions because the game rarely forces meaningful adaptation. Suggested improvements included better controller support, tighter pacing, and a more engaging soundtrack.
Bottom line
Factually, Poncle is publishing Kill the Brickman on Windows PC, and Doonutsaur developed it. The title mixes breakout-style mechanics with roguelike upgrades and a cylinder-loading system, but a published review found controller aiming difficult and progression slow. Therefore, players who prefer short, casual sessions may enjoy it, while those seeking faster-paced roguelike depth might find it padded.
