GOTW #34: THE KULKA — One-Button Neon Chaos Done Right

A one-button bullet-heaven that stays calm, even when the screen turns into neon chaos

Reviewed on PC.Score: 8.5/10

Year-ender note: This Game of the Week post is going live on December 26, 2025 due to the holiday break — and it’s our final GOTW spotlight of the year.

After just under two hours with THE KULKA, I walked away surprised by how relaxing it can feel — even when the game is clearly trying to push your reactions. This is a one-button arcade roguelite that blends that “one more run” pace with a clean, colorful presentation, and a soundtrack that keeps the vibe steady when things start accelerating.

If you want the longer breakdown first, here’s my earlier write-up: THE KULKA — First Impressions.

This is also part of our Indie Game Showcase 2025.
And if you want to grab keys from the Showcase pool, our Indie Showcase Giveaway is live.

THE KULKA

Release Date: December 23, 2025

Genre: Arcade Roguelite, Bullet Heaven, Action, Casual

Developer / Publisher: Airem / Airem

Platforms: PC — Steam

THE KULKA – Gameplay Video (Fix Gaming Channel)

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A neon-heavy gameplay moment from THE KULKA with purple orbs and a yellow gem on-screen.

Why THE KULKA is our final GOTW pick of 2025

The dev describes it as a one-button bullet-heaven arcade roguelite — basically Flappy Bird colliding with Vampire Survivors. You tap to keep your orb alive, your shot fires automatically, and you level up into increasingly wild bullet mutations. The simple control idea is the hook — the real “game” becomes positioning, timing, and survival once the screen starts filling up.

I played on the Relax difficulty, and that choice absolutely shaped the vibe. Even when the pace picks up, the game’s ambient music keeps your stress level down — it’s the weird kind of calm where you know you’re in trouble, but the soundtrack refuses to let you panic.

THE KULKA language menu shows lots of available options.

Controls are exactly what you want from a one-button game: Space or left mouse, and you’re good. Up-down-up-down. The clarity is a big win here — you understand what’s happening quickly, the loop is easy to learn, and the “just one more run” pull shows up fast.

But “Relax” doesn’t mean “free win.” Early on, you get that feeling of “I’ve got this,” then the speed ramps, enemy patterns tighten, and once you push into higher levels, the run can collapse fast if you lose rhythm.

Settings overview: Ultra graphics, Relax difficulty, and Synthwave background grid options.

I still want more time with Easy / Normal / Hard to see how much the feel changes when the game stops being chill and starts demanding perfection. I also want to test Flow mode (auto upgrades) properly — because that’s the kind of setting that can turn this into a pure dodge-and-survive arcade fix.

If you’re curious, there’s also a browser build

If you just want to sample the feel first, you can try THE KULKA on Itch.io here: THE KULKA (Itch.io).

Related reading

Sleep Awake (PC) Review — GOTW #33 | Indie Showcase 2025 Preview
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