Citadel: Forged with Fire
Citadel: Forged with Fire
Game
Game2020
The Citadel
Developer doekuramori, Top Hat Studios Inc
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. From the Steam store page
345 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
91
LovedLoved
213 positive · 20 negative
95% range 87–94%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 213 | 20 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 31 | 4 | 69 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 1 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,015 of 2,188 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
91% recommend · 193 yes, 20 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 213 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,917 of 3,145 positive).
Players praise the game's unique blend of retro FPS mechanics with modern tactical elements. [1][2][3] Many reviewers highlight the distinctive anime gore aesthetic as a key feature. [4][5][6] Some players report stability issues with crashes during gameplay. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
I want to recommend this game. It's a fun classic style shooter with good weapon variety and fun levels. Different enemies force you to engage in diverse ways and combined with the extremely variable levels it never feels boring to run and gun. My only real problem is the stability. It crashes on many level transitions. It crashed a couple of times on a level reload. My pc should be able to handle it just fine, it …
- [1]
As a big fan of the Marathon classics, I noticed those games' overwhelming influence on The Citadel, which did here a great homage to them and in some aspects exceeds them in quality (and fun, the guns feel amazing to shoot). A modern classic.
- [2]
I'm really not a fan of classic doomer-shooters, but this game is beyond enjoyable. Starting with the fact that you can have a tactical approach to the game, enemies having weak spots, bullet drop, different guns which all have their place in the game, enemies being weak or stronger to certain types of damage. It's rather short, but the nerdy attention to detail really made me love this game to the point that I want …
- [6]
Once again Japanese ingenuity struck, the developer asked himself "What if Brutal Doom had a sexy anime girl as the protagonist instead of doomguy?" and then he made that game. And it turns out that game ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ rocks. First things first, this game has a reputation that proceeds it as the "guro boomer shooter" or something of the sort, if you have no idea what guro is that's for the better, and hand on my heart I …
- [3]
Great game that has a retro FPS aesthetic but brings in some newer design ideas, creating an interesting blend of old and new. The levels don't vary aesthetically but set themselves apart by having fairly unique designs. The weapons are super satisfying and apart from maybe one or two they all have uses even up to the end of the game. Overall it left me wanting more of it after finishing. You can tell this game …
Summarised from 34 of the 290 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
91% of the 213 Steam reviewers we collected recommend The Citadel. The complaint that keeps coming up: frequent crashes and stability problems. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 345 · most liked firstDay 802 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I've been playing. Today’s game is Fallout 3. I didn’t realize how short the main story was for this. For context I just met up with the Brotherhood of Steel before ending off and I’m on my way to get the G.E.C.K. I can’t check exact hours right now but I’d say I’m maybe 15 hours in? Maybe 10. It’s not a strike against it, I like shorter stories, but it’s just something I’ve noticed.…
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm trying to load the Citadel-Charlotte game, where Citadel currently leads 43-41 in triple overtime, and the TV won't let me, presumably because it thinks I'm a pervert for trying
neutral · AI labelView post →I finished the Citadel DLC in Mass Effect 3. I enjoyed it. It was fun, humorous, and kind of out of place with the rest of the game? Felt odd. Still, very enjoyable and made me laugh a few times.
positive · AI labelView post →30 Days of Video Game Places I Wish I Could Visit! DAY 13 The Citadel from Mass Effect I have spent more time in the Citadel in Mass Effect 2 and am rapidly falling in love with it. I would spend SO much money in all the stores 🤑
positive · AI labelView post →I'm Commander Shepard and Mass Effect 2 is my favorite BioWare game on the Citadel. Happy 15th birthday.
neutral · AI labelView post →The nation's longest winning and losing streaks end tonight. Florida (W12) loses to Arizona and The Citadel (L22) beats the Flying Fleet of Erskine. (The only acceptable reason to schedule a non-D1 is to break a 22 game losing streak.)
neutral · AI labelView post →Coelacanth's Steam NextFest Report. I spent the past week dredging through the slop, trying to unearth interesting gems that are (as far as I can tell) free from generative AI. While it demanded a lot more effort and time than usual, I am happy to report that there are still promising, interesting and *human* indie games out there being made. --- # Standouts --- ## [Inkblood](https://store.steampowered.com/app/4114100/Inkblood/)…
neutral · AI labelView post →Me and @apeslion.bsky.social cooking up something TASTY in the led standee game! Presenting the -CITADEL- transport canister Dual colour led standee encased in a truely unique enclosure And meet T-Byte, one of the new augmented wolf twins making her debut ❤️ Expect ych auction slots soon
neutral · AI labelView post →There's this bit in Mass Effect I actually think is really effective and kinda wish the game had capitalized on it more. IT's early on, and you, Ash and Kaiden have arrived on the Citadel, and Kaiden kinda reflects on how...oddly dispiriting it is to get to the final frontier and find it's *this*
neutral · AI labelView post →"Most beautiful video game locations" - ancient cistern, skyward sword - boggly woods, paper mario: the thousand year door - the Citadel, silksong -the everfall, dragon's dogma - cerulean coast, elden ring - shrine of Amana, dark souls II
neutral · AI labelView post →I really hope the Citadel guy makes another game and while I would love a Citadel 3 I am very open to him making a different boomenshooten
positive · AI labelView post →I want to recommend this game. It's a fun classic style shooter with good weapon variety and fun levels. Different enemies force you to engage in diverse ways and combined with the extremely variable levels it never feels boring to run and gun. My only real problem is the stability. It crashes on many level transitions. It crashed a couple of times on a level reload. My pc should be able to handle it just fine, it just doesn't seem very stable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, finding Loam in the Citadel in Silksong and playing a song for him resulted in a conversation so sad I may need to turn the game off
negative · AI labelView post →I do sometimes think about what Mass Effect 3 would be like if Earth had just been blown up at the very beginning of the game and the Citadel had been the thing everyone was defending.
neutral · AI labelView post →If you are coming here from Beyond Citadel, because you wanted more Citadel, do yourself a favor and just replay the sequel. If you want to play these games, also just start with Beyond Citadel. The Dev has some of the shine that made Beyond Citadel amazing, but it rarely comes out from this game as bad enemy spam and the environment being the same walls the entire time quickly gets droning. There is to add, no need to play this game to get the story to play the sequel as well. In fact I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cat people, unite! 🐱 The Citadel Project, a dark fantasy stealth game, had to release early due to a massive €6,000 vet bill. A red-light runner fucker hit their cat, Snoopy, and fled. Miraculously, Snoopy survived thanks to his incredible strength and will to live.
neutral · AI labelView post →A game can be great AND guro porn at the same time, just look at The Citadel.
positive · AI labelView post →(I feel like everyone did that one immediately but I just saw the game, leave me alone) (I made it downtown! I am hiding briefly at the liberry before walking over to the Citadel)
neutral · AI labelView post →The eroguro aesthetic is critical to the game experience, actually.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some shots aboard the Citadel until I get back in the game #MassEffect #MassEffect3 #MassEffectLegendaryEdition #VirtualPhotography
neutral · AI labelView post →South Carolina State's 13-game winning streak -- the longest in the FCS before Saturday -- ended versus The Citadel on this field goal as time expired.
neutral · AI labelView post →Good morning! ☕️ I finished the Leviathan DLC and the Citadel DLC, too! It's absolutely incredible stuff. Onward to the end of the game! 🔥💚 #MassEffect3
positive · AI labelView post →So far the best thing I have to say about Veilguard is that it feels like BioWare finally figured out how to take what made the Citadel DLC great and apply it to a full game.
positive · AI labelView post →Storming the Citadel, “Eyes Down” first game with @wifesbanewargaming.bsky.social this evening. The little corporal is ready. #spreadthelard
neutral · AI labelView post →Once I buy a game, I never give up on it. I'll try it once a year or so pretty much forever. Why? Because I remember that I fell off the first Mass Effect game at least three times before I finally made it to the Citadel, and the Mass Effect trilogy is now my favorite game series of all time.
positive · AI labelView post →I realy like the citadel, i am oddly fascinated with the sadism in the game. #thecitadel #beyondcitadel #martyr #digitalart
neutral · AI labelView post →Mass Effect developer John Ebenger revealed that there's no difference in speed when you try to run in the Citadel, it's just the fov of the camera that gives the illusion of moving faster. This is so the game can load the rest of the Citadel in time.
neutral · AI labelView post →[Repost] Big Hot redhead cooling off after burning u to crisp 🔥💀🔥 Flamethrower gal from indie game The Citadel (Created by @citadeldev on Twitter ) Go support the dev and play both The Citadel and Beyond Citadel both available on steam #Doomdraws69NSFW #pixel_art #bigBoobs #kemono #Futa #nsfw
neutral · AI labelView post →Let's share our favorite game of all time! A commander telling us what his favorite store on the Citadel is, that he should go, and that we'll bang. Or at least 2 out of the 3.
neutral · AI labelView post →The question of getting into TTRPGs is usually WHAT got you into the hobby, as in what game or system, but for me it's HOW I got into it. For me, it was the Puffin Book Club back in 1983, when I saw the cover and blurb for the Fighting Fantasy book 'The Citadel of Chaos' and got hooked on games.
neutral · AI labelView post →The Citadel and Beyond Citadel are great cause it's not often I can play a fast paced action game that feel ripped from the pages of Lemon People.
positive · AI labelView post →very cool fetish game but gameplay cool wolfenstein anime girl naked boobs
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed the atmosphere and gameplay but I suffered tons of crashes at seemingly complete random. Whether it was booting up the game, loading a new level, or just any moment midway through a stage the game would just crash on me. The broken English and ending also hindered my enjoyment, although not nearly as much as the stability issues. Since the game is 5 years old as of time of writing I doubt it'll get any fixes and thus going off of my own experiences I cannot recommend the game.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thief-inspired stealth game The Citadel Project now has a Steam page store.steampowered.com/app/4795460/...
neutral · AI labelView post →The solo developer is not asking for donations, but please support the game at launch later this year if you are in a position to help and spend 10 dollars. The Citadel Project on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/4795460/...
neutral · AI labelView post →I think the Citadel from Silksong is one of my all time favorite videogame levels/areas. The music, the enemies, the lore, the platforming and secrets and implications guhhhh i wish i could play silksong for the first time again.. Game of the decade for me, no question
positive · AI labelView post →asterisk signs are used for minor details and notes ---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Masterpiece ☐ Beautiful ☑ An original artistic direction ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ normal ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS + original artstyle and some interesting designs +- colour variety/location style doesn't really change much throughout the game (I guess that makes sense when it's set inside some citadel) * the flame effects (flamethrower/explosions) don't really fit the overall…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a big fan of the Marathon classics, I noticed those games' overwhelming influence on The Citadel, which did here a great homage to them and in some aspects exceeds them in quality (and fun, the guns feel amazing to shoot). A modern classic.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It arrived, my favourite board game of the Citadel 🤩 #MassEffect
positive · AI labelView post →That time I did the Shepherd Shuffle on @desertbus.org RIP Mass Effect. My favorite game on the Citadel.
positive · AI labelView post →Its fun and I think it is a good game, but it crashed to desktop more than Indian truck driver crash into families of four on the highway. I can't really recommend it unless you have a lot of patience to restart sections due to crashes.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some sprites of Trooper and Commander from Beyond Citadel (Game Created by @citadeldev on Twitter ) Go support the dev and play both The Citadel and Beyond Citadel both available on steam #BeyondCitadel #TheCitadel #Doomdraws69 #pixel_art #female_soldier
neutral · AI labelView post →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.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To be honest, I have played DOOM since the first one. The old DOOM, The OG DOOM. All i can said about this game, it's a noble successor to DOOM. Simple story, great graphic and style, neat guns. Love it. The game run well and just got 2 crashs that wasn't really annoying (just surprising) and a few ennemis stuck in walls. Other than that, it's a good game to have and play.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's an older version of the Citadel from the 2002 version of the game. It's from the E3 2002 video Valve published last year for HL2's 20th anniversary.
neutral · AI labelView post →May I tell you about the REAL Marathon successor, our lord and savior The Citadel? www.gog.com/en/game/the_...
positive · AI labelView post →[Repost] Neco Martyr from The Citadel (Game Created by @citadeldev on Twitter ) Go support the dev and play both The Citadel and Beyond Citadel both available on steam #BeyondCitadel #TheCitadel #Doomdraws69 #pixel_art #necoArc
neutral · AI labelView post →Well onwards to Act 2 in Silksong I’m pretty sure the only time I’ve gone to the Citadel thru the Last Judge way was the first time I played the game. lol Every other time has been thru the Phantom path Also this battle music is so good 🤤
positive · AI labelView post →I actually like this more than original Doom. The anime girl gore is based; gameplay is great; the nude mod is a must; it's not just about the sex appeal, it's about appreciating the female physique. I would definitely play the sequel Beyond Citadel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ready for this Friday's "Chain of Command" (2e) game with upgraded kit. This is "Panzer Marsch" from the "Storming the Citadel" pint-sized campaign. @armchairdragoons.bsky.social @toofatlardies.bsky.social #SpreadtheLard
neutral · AI labelView post →I've played this for a bit and it's quite fun. If you like retro, fast paced, fps shooter with a bit of exploring the stage like in DOOM, and doesn't mind gore on anime-looking enemies, then this game might be good for you. I really need to finish this game and the second one Beyond Citadel at some point. Damn too many backlogged singleplayer games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →hhhhhhh this game(The Citadel) is getting so fucking weird (I love it)
positive · AI labelView post →Mass Effect had a big #impact on what I look for in a game. Just wanted to pay a small tribute to #BioWare as a thank you. Last time I played ME, I left my crew partying at the Citadel, and I like to think they are still at it. #pixel_dailies #pixelart #ドット絵 @pixeldailies.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Forgot both how janky The Citadel is as a Unreal 4 game that is trying to recreate Marathon, and how incredible and oppressive the atmosphere is, genuinely top shelf Anyways, cutie spotted
neutral · AI labelView post →What an interesting boomer shooter. It comnbines some great elements from modern FPS games into a distilledm exciting campagin over a roughly 5 hour playtime. I think, what makes this game really stand out is its guro artstyle. You really won't find anything else like this on the market.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm really not a fan of classic doomer-shooters, but this game is beyond enjoyable. Starting with the fact that you can have a tactical approach to the game, enemies having weak spots, bullet drop, different guns which all have their place in the game, enemies being weak or stronger to certain types of damage. It's rather short, but the nerdy attention to detail really made me love this game to the point that I want to recommend this to about anyone, who is into guns and anime. Only complaint…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Citadel is an uncompromising single-player first-person shooter that blends old-school design philosophy with modern mechanical ambition, resulting in an experience that feels both reverent and fiercely original. Developed by doekuramori and published by Top Hat Studios Inc., the game positions itself as a spiritual successor to early ’90s FPS classics while deliberately rejecting many contemporary conventions. Instead of cinematic set pieces or guided storytelling, it emphasizes raw…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Has a very undeserved reputation as a 'porn game' due to the anime-esc artstyle, its use of gore that almost certainly has it banned for sale in countries with strict laws like Australia, and the main character's allergy to pants; but if you're not so narrow-minded as to define the game solely by its (immaculate and atmospheric) presentation and look no deeper, you'll find a focused - if, early on, very basic - homage to ye olde shooters outside the ken of DooM with the flavor of H.R. Giger.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is quite... something. But definitely good, if you're willing to disregard some aspects I'll discuss here To start off, the game is a DOOM-inspired shooter. Therefore, the game is gory. There's a setting to turn that off, but it kind of takes away from the game. If you can't handle the gore, that's understandable, I feel bad for doing what is to be done to win the game (I'm not particularly sure about the lore, aside from the dialogue, but it does seem a bit saddening). However,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Once again Japanese ingenuity struck, the developer asked himself "What if Brutal Doom had a sexy anime girl as the protagonist instead of doomguy?" and then he made that game. And it turns out that game ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ rocks. First things first, this game has a reputation that proceeds it as the "guro boomer shooter" or something of the sort, if you have no idea what guro is that's for the better, and hand on my heart I can promise you that the game is not guro. The game does have ultra violence but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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