Beacon
Released Dec 2021 · delisted
Mutate yourself to victory as you scavenge an uncharted alien planet in this stylish sci-fi action rogue-like. With the help of your Clone Bay death isn't the ending, just another chance to find your Beacon.
86% positive · 202 reviews
Not yet
Removed from storefront
High confidence
Not yet
Removed from storefront
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam
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Evaluation
Monothetic announced on August 30, 2024 that the studio was disbanding and that Beacon would be removed from sale on all storefronts. The developer confirmed there would be no future updates. The game is no longer purchasable, consistent with the studio's announcement. On November 21, 2024, Monothetic posted a final farewell, uploading historical builds of the game to Archive.org and releasing a digital art book — actions that represent the studio wrapping up its affairs, not a continuation of development. No subsequent communications have indicated any reversal of the closure. The game's content reached its final state with the last patch (version 3.21, released June 1, 2023), and the studio confirmed development had ended before removal from sale.
Evidence
As part of shutting down Monothetic, the team uploaded a collection of historical Beacon builds to Archive.org and released a digital art book documenting the studio's 12 years of work — a final archival effort with no indication of any continuation.
Monothetic announced the studio is disbanding, Beacon will be removed from sale on all storefronts, and there will be no future updates. The game went on an 80% off sale from August 31 to September 10 for final purchases.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Monothetic LLC
Achievements
76
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player
About this game

In Beacon you play as interstellar mercenary Freja Akiyama, stuck in an endless search for her distress beacon after crash landing onto an unknown planet. With your Clone Bay stuck in an automatic printing cycle, death is only a minor setback. Each life you’ll not only scavenge for weapons and items to help you; you’ll also be collecting DNA from the enemies you defeat. After your inevitable death you’re given the opportunity to alter your genome, allowing you to change your statistics and gain gameplay-altering physical mutations for your next clone's life.
In the search for your Beacon, new questions arise; just how many clones of Freja are there? How long has she been stuck in an infinite cycle of survival? How much of her humanity will be sacrificed before escaping?

- 6 Randomly Generated Levels -- Enter at the outer forest, fight your way through the tropical swamps, and push through the pollution to the cryptic Omega Vault where your Beacon is being held!
- A Rich Multi-Faction World to Scavenge -- Enter at the Kovus Outlands, fight your way through the Overgrown Spires, and push through the pollution to the cryptic Omega Vault where your Beacon is being held. Collect mementos to discover the mysteries behind the 5 Factions on Kovus-18, find Tinkered Weapon Variants left behind by previous clones, and track your secrets discovered at the end of each level.
- 100+ Mutations and 5 DNA Types -- Collect DNA from deceased enemies and alter your statistics after death. Gain new abilities with each new clone and alter your character into something not quite human.
- 360+ Items Spread Across 5 Item Types -- Find your favorite arsenal from unique technologies spread across the various factions. Regain an advantage with one time use Pickups, activate your reusable Auxiliary, swap your Grenade Mod, stock up on Passive Mods, and choose your 2 favorite Weapons.
- 120+ Enemies with Champion Variants -- The varied factions that inhabit Kovus-18 will fight each other as well as you, including hybrid Minibosses that mix together the abilities of multiple factions.
- 17+ Boss Fights -- Face off against the ultimate lifeforms of each faction including the Solus Hivemind, Prism Mainframe, and Tritoraptor Matriarch.

DNA is the core of Beacon’s gameplay loop. Through the use of Freja’s state-of-the-art Clone Bay and DNA dropped by deceased enemies, after death you’re given the opportunity to alter your genetic makeup and change your statistics before your fresh clone is ‘printed’ back at the crash site. Each faction has their own set of unique DNA and Mutations, allowing you to become a battle-hardened mass of metal, a luminous abomination of insect flesh, or anything in between!

The planet you've crashed on is unfamiliar. The only information available is its name – Kovus-18. The rest of the record is blank. It seems that either nothing is known about it, or whatever was known has been scrubbed from the database. Multiple factions populate its surface, each seemingly at war with the others, and all of them hostile to the planet's newest inhabitant… you.


In Beacon, you play as Freja Akiyama. Having grown up in the backwaters of civilised space, Freja always dreamed of adventure. Enrolling in the military at a young age, she quickly discovered both her natural abilities for combat and piloting spacecraft, and her inability to work within the strict regimen of the armed forces. Freja lives and works aboard her ship, the Ouroboros – a single-berth, heavily-modified light spacecraft that boasts state-of-the-art weaponry and facilities.

Last evaluated Jul 22, 2026
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