This new Survivors-like wants to hook you with flashy, Diablo-style loot chasing, but there's one major problem

You’d be forgiven for not having heard of RIP, or Reincarnation Insurance Program, before today. I had no idea what it was until I saw it splutter into life on the Steam charts. But much like Schedule 1 or Peak last year, sometimes games just capture the public consciousness and take the world by surprise. Having released today in early access, there are already over 4,000 players getting stuck into the zombie-slaying Survivors-like, and its Diablo-style loot progression calls me to do the same. There’s just one problem: the generative AI disclosure on its Steam page.

I’m always on the lookout for my next zombie game obsession, and a bullet heaven roguelike with Diablo’s loot sounds right up my street. I dread to think how many hours I put into Vampire Survivors on my Steam Deck, and RIP could be the next game I pour all my free time into.

Once you look past the frenetic gameplay, there’s a lot more to RIP than meets the eye. There are hundreds of weapons and pieces of tactical gear to scavenge, including legendary items that will change the game – keep your eyes peeled for the golden beams. You can also customize this gear by finding master artisans, who I already know I’ll be paying a visit to in the pursuit of that perfect build.

From freeze shotguns to burn rocket launchers, the brutal combinations of elemental effects and various weapons is sure to be a hit. And that’s before we get into the Hades-style boons, known as BDs, which are legendary historical spirits who grant you powerful buffs.

Use all this to take on the zombie hordes and try your luck against the gargantuan mutant lords who serve as the game’s bosses. As I mentioned earlier, SteamDB suggests thousands of people are already doing the same.

I liked everything I saw about RIP until I got to Steam’s generative AI disclosure. “AI generation tools were used to assist in the creation of store marketing assets (such as capsule art) and some in-game item icons,” it reads. “These assets were further reviewed and polished by humans.”

That worries me. I’m naturally averse to the use of generative AI as a creative tool, not least thanks to its environmental problems and the health impacts on those living near data centers, but also because it renders the act of creativity redundant. In RIP specifically, it makes me wonder if everything else is just a copy of other ideas with a gen AI filter applied over the top.

Some great games have come from iterating on those that have come before. Final Fantasy started as a Dragon Quest knock off. Dark Forces is a great Star Wars-themed Doom clone. But you have to be creative to perfect a game so obviously inspired by others. Otherwise you’re nothing more than a RIP off.