Prodeus

I like this game. I had only played one hour on the launch day, and then it had a quick update, my experience began terrible. Report the bug, upload my logs and wait for a effient fix. When it get a new update, I hope it kick black screens off. Nothing. I will keep this game uninstalled, until someone told me “Hi, Prodeus BS bug is completely patched."

Great FPS. Feels like the old Doom games but with better graphics and tighter gameplay. Would highly recommend. Hopefully the devs keep the updates coming and the game becomes even better than it already is.

I... enjoyed my time through Prodeus. Don't let the 3* rating fool you. I enjoyed the game quite a bit. The level design is bloody spectacular. Some of the best level design since the original Half-Life. The music is stellar. Loved it all. Listened to it a lot on youtube. The shooting feels good and the weapons pack a meaty, sattisfying punch, especially as the gore levels are off the charts. And the graphics are great for this particular type of game. Aside from Amid Evil, this would be my favorite boomer shooter from a graphical perspective. But... I can't really recommend the game. As a Doom homage it does well, but it doesn't really go beyond that. By the 3 hour mark I had seen everything the game had to offer. By the 6 hour mark I was slightly bored with it. By the 8 hour mark I was just happy for it to be over. Ironically, the best part of the game was one of the last levels that had you running around a Quake 1-like cathedral, activating switches to ring a bell. Beautiful design. Beautiful encounters. But aside from that, it's very repetitive and most of the available levels are rather uninteresting. I especially don't understand the design choice of having a shop that locks gameplay upgrades behind the barrier of you collecting some various bits throughout the levels. The overworld map is, again, a weird design choice. It doesn't add much except that it blocks you from saving during the levels. The checkpoint system is downright broken. You die, you respawn at the checkpoint, you don't lose any progress. Feels like a cheat. I found a custom level that was amazing, though, so there's hope for further life for this game... if the community sticks around. Remains to be seen.

The visuals and audio are top notch but the 1993 maze levels are beyond tedious and way too long. There is also no save option until you finish a level, no thanks.

There are a lot of reviews here joking this is the "real Doom 3." I would argue that's accurate stylistically from someone who has been there since shareware Doom in '93. This does feel more like a proper extention of that franchise and those themes. The technical polish here is also what I most appreciate. There is a smoothness and flow to the combat I don't find in the modern Doom reboots like Eternal. Some recent review claimed the game has "too much splatter from enemies" but I find the comical gibs a throwback to the ones bouncing aorund in Quake and really appreciate that goofy touch. The tone isn't bleak or over-the-top, it feels like Quake 2 that way. You can apply filters to make it appear even more like Quake 2 around its launch state. The dev or devs also stay very much on top of updates. I see one downloaded constantly. Garbage scows like CDPR could take a lesson from devs like this in keeping customers happy. This and Crystal Caverns, another gem this year, see updates nearly weekly. Thank you for that attention, it shows. The game feels smoother and less hitchy every time. As of this writing, the game is still Early Access but does not appear so. Wonderful strafe-shooter throwback with gorgeous graphics, thank you.