1994’s Descent was a sport earlier than its time. While different FPS’s of the period have been solely starting to ask individuals to goal with the mouse, Descent demanded full 360-degree rotation and strafing on each axis. Perhaps now the time is correct, as the unique builders have reassembled as Revival Productions to ship Overload, a real return to kind for the free-flying shooter. It’s out in the present day, and having performed a preview construct to demise this previous week, I can affirm that this one is superb certainly.
If you’ve by no means performed Descent, think about Doom however with out gravity. An old-school FPS, however you management a small one-man spaceship navigating huge underground mining services, combating rogue robots, and Overload is extra of that, proper right down to some coy nods to Descent’s story. As you’re combating robots, the dearth of blood and gore is greater than made up for by fixed explosions, as fight seldom lets up and virtually each enemy pops in a messy cloud of fireside, smoke and steel shards.
It’s a stunning sport to take a look at. While the environments themselves are chunky of their geometry, the lighting results are stonking, particularly the screen-space reflections off the various metallic surfaces. If you’ve obtained the GPU for it, it may look gorgeous, however it scales right down to older machines properly. It’s lots good to hear too as properly, with the composers from Descents 1, 2 & three all returning and delivering a banger of a soundtrack.
While the degrees are higher designed and simpler to navigate than within the unique Descent, with a a lot better sense of place and path, you may deploy a holographic information to steer you to the subsequent goal within the degree. It’s particularly useful find the emergency exit as soon as the reactor does go essential, and you end up with 30 seconds at the beginning explodes.
Overloads’s greatest deviation from Descent is a weapon improve system. Upgrade factors (usually hidden in secret areas, supplying you with loads of purpose to discover completely), could be spent between missions to buff up weapons or ship techniques. The rarer Super Upgrade Points let you improve additional, however power you to select a specialisation. Do you desire a heavier shotgun with extra knockback, or a totally automated one with a tighter cone of fireside? It’s a everlasting selection, too, and also you’re unlikely to max out every little thing.
Overload even managed to shock with its size. While there are solely 15 ranges, they’re giant and dense with secrets and techniques, and the New Game+ mode unlocked upon completion helps you to run by the sport once more along with your full and upgraded arsenal, however pitted towards a lot denser and extra superior enemy forces. An ideal excuse to undergo the whole sport a second time. Plus, the dozen deathmatch ranges play double obligation within the horde/survival-styled Challenge Mode.
Revival have promised that they are going to be releasing the extent editor for the sport finally, and I can’t wait to see what the neighborhood produce with it, as Overload’s broad vary of enemy and setting sorts have lots extra mileage left in them, particularly these launched within the ultimate act. This is already one of the vital fulfilling shooters I’ve performed in a very long time, and it could stay so for a very good whereas but, given half an opportunity and a few devoted mappers.
Overload is out on Steam for £23.79/$30, with a GOG launch deliberate quickly. You can attempt a demo over here.
