Project Warlock

This is how games should be!

This game is pretty much a perfect throwback fps! If that idea at ALL appeals to you, well, give it a go!

This game is a lot of fun! It feels like old shooters (DooM, Heretic, Blood), but it has enough fresh content to make it unique. The gameplay is solid, the music is fun, and it's just generally a good experience. I have only played it on the Hard difficulty (second highest) so far and I found it... quite easy? There seems to be a lot of ammo, especially after you collect a decent number of weapons, though I found I use the shotgun about 90% of the time. The monsters do change from world to world and it definitely feels that the levels are quite different stylistically and it doesn't feel stale (though many monsters have very similar attacks between one another among worlds). Something that adds to that is also a downside - the levels feel quite short. I am about halfway through in 2 hours, which is quite surprising. The guns feel pretty good, though the big amount of weapons means you might not even bother shooting many of them. The spells are interesting, but I have only used one so far, and very rarely because I forget about it (and I'm not punished because of it, they seem quite optional). I will also use this opportunity to say that I haven't died yet, and in fact, haven't even come close, it just doesn't seem like the game is hard enough on Hard (I am not bragging, I am decent at shooters, but not super good). With a good gameplay, nice and quick levels, good sound & environmental design, but that lacks much challenge (on Hard at least), it is definitely a fun game to play, but not as god-level as the game's inspirations. I would definitely pick this up if you've finished DooM, Heretic etc. and want to put a few more hours. Alternatively, it might be a good way for newcomers to old-school shooters to get into them, it's quite enjoyable.

I feel like a lot of people are going to pick this game up thinking it's a spiritual successor to Doom, but while it does have some Doom-like elements, its much more like Wolfenstein. If you buy this expecting Doom, you will be SLIGHTLY disappointed. Disappointed with the level design, specifically. Levels are mostly cramped, grid mazes full of baddies and goodies hidden behind humpable walls. This is a far cry from the vast, open city maps of Doom 2, even early maps from Doom are larger and more open than many of the maps you'll encounter throughout the first half of this game. If you go into this game knowing you're getting Wolfenstein maps, and not Doom maps, your experience will be much better off for it. Gameplay is fast, guns are all fun, and enemies are varied (though a few in each act are mere reskins of the same basic enemy type). There are numerous nods to classic shooters from the 90's, ranging from simple references to proper game mechanics. I don't want to spoil too much but there really is something for everyone here, even the tragically forgotten Blood fanbase. My only criticism of this wonderful game is that it lacks polish. Your remap options are... limited. I've always remapped my 6-0 weapons to z-b (I'm not weird, you're weird) and I can't do that in Warlock so boo. There's also a handful of little glitches and exploits, like infinite experience points if you keep opening/closing a secret area via a switch. Also I think maze levels are tiresome, but that might just be me.

Hits all the sweet spots you could hope for in an old-school-influenced FPS, and even more. Gets impressively better once you hit Episode 2. If you like all them 90's fast-paced first person shooters, do NOT miss out on this one, and for 6 bucks, it's a steal. Go get it. Like, now.