Overload

If ypu want a modern DESCENT, Its what you will get!!

It's hard to verbalize my love of this game. As someone who still plays the original Descent series 20+ years later I couldn't have asked for a better reboot than Overload. It takes all the best parts of D1-D3 and rolls them into a truly outstanding package. The art direction is amazing and I literally want to decorate my home to feel more like the game. I hope there is a sequel. I plan to play Overload for many years.

Overload is the true successor to the classic 6 degrees of freedom shooter series "Descent". Fans of the series will need no further introduction. To those new to the series, it featured the strafe-happy classic 90s FPS mechanics combined with total three-dimensional freedom of movement, and saw you pilot a spaceship through complex, multilayered mining installations shock-full of secret doors, power-ups, upgrades, people to rescue and robotic foes to blast to smithereens. While as a kid I couldn't truly get into the series because of the mild nausea caused by extended play sessions, I've played this new iteration in short bursts and thoroughly enjoyed the experience which I heartily recommend. Overload is faithful to the classic series philosophy and 90s design philosophy "to a fault" (actually, it's quickly apparent it's just the opposite of a fault). If you're looking for "innovation", this probably isn't your game. However, if you're looking for classic game design, with no compromises, you found it. No QTEs nor cinematic inspirations here. Just pure, exhilarating gameplay with solid base mechanics. On first impression Overload looks somewhat simplistic and even unambitious game. Just a few minutes will reveal a game we're each aspect is expertly polished and becomes greater than the sum of its parts. And we're talking about such parts as: Finely-honed gameplay mechanics, with combat that is readable, responsive and intense, and intuitive navigation. Nice upgrade system. Varied and distinctive weapon design. Superb level design, with gargantuan, complex levels filled to the brim with secrets. Solid sound design, with a clear sound mix and great positional soundscape. Great voice acting. Pumping techno/industrial soundtrack. Spartan and elegant graphic design were enemy and room recognizability are appropriately emphasized. A simple yet engaging story that with never gets in the way of gameplay, but bolsters it. Variety in difficulties, game modes (campaign, new game+, challenges, multiplayer). And so on. It all the elements come together into what was for me an extremely fun package. Hopefully the developer "Revival Productions" has lived up to its name - this is the resurrection of classic design philosophy, and I hope to see more of it.

It was okay at first, but the game is utterly ruined by respawning enemies. Auto-op fabricators respawn enemies at an unacceptable rate. It is especially frustrating when an auto-op fabricator is out of sight. It is even more frustrating when not only is it hidden around a corner, but it is protected by a shield. Normally, it is obvious how to deactivate the shield. Just shoot a red button, then unload on the glowing purple spawn points. But I gave up at a point where I was unable to find a way to stop the rapid enemy spawns (literally every two or three seconds, it feels like). I was supposed to destroy the core then escape, but it seems impossible because the core absorbs so much gunfire and rockets that I'm either killed or so severly damaged by the time the final countdown starts that I can't make it to the escape hatch. It's near impossible to avoid gunfire when enemies spawn all around you and shoot you from behind. It feels like a complete waste of ammunition and time. It also has pretty bad performance, but not terrible. At 1080p with everything cranked up, I can't maintain a consistent 144 frames per second. The framerate hovers around 90 to 120 frames per second, rarely hitting 144 frames per second, with occasional drops to around 80 frames per second. Turning down shadow quality, post-processing and anti-aliasing has little impact on performance. The only way to get a somewhat consistent 144 frames per second is to drop the resolution to 1600x900. My computer can handle Doom 2016 at a flawless 144 fps, Doom Eternal at a fairly consistent 144 fps with high/ultra settings at 1080p with dynamic resolution enabled and Rage 2 with mixed settings at 1080p, Shadow Warrior 2 maxed out at 1080p no problem whatsoever hitting 144 fps. I can imagine people with entry-level or older configurations having difficulty maintaining a modest 1080p 60 fps target with this game. The seizure inducing particle effects are also not a welcome feature.

As a guy who enjoyed Descent and still enjoys Forsaken Remastered, Overload drags the six degree FPS genre into the new millennium. The six degrees of freedom, exploration, multi objective stages, ship upgrades, and dystopian deep space setting are all here in fine form. Along for the ride is online multiplayer modes, which will often pit you against old Gen X Descent vets. Like Forsaken Remastered, there's gamepad support (360, XB1, PS3, PS4, Logitech F series). Also like Forsaken, Overload does have enemy spawns which are plus for challenge and a minus for nasty surprises. Throw in Linux (which is my go-to OS) and Mac support and you're looking at a pretty sweet deal for under $30 (US).