Project Warlock

Project warlock is a game which is heavy inspired by cult 90's FPS games such as Doom, Heretic and Hexen. Although many features and elements (such as level design, enemies and weapons) seem to be copied across, Project Warlock holds its own with more modern features (RPGsystem), great audiovisuals and fantastic run-and-gun gameplay. We play as the lone warlock who's mission is to get rid of the evil in the world. To his disposal - an array of melee, ranged and arcane weapons. The game takes place over 5 different areas featuring diffferent enemies and level design types. We will go thought castles with knights and zombies, battle mummies in egypt and finish in hell, where we encounter powerful demons. In between the extermination we will visit the "workshop", a safe zone where we can upgrade our stats, unlock new perks and spells, and upgrade our arsenal. Each weapon can be upgraded in one of two ways. All mods are roughtly equal in terms of power, so there isn't a right or wrong way of playing. Apart from guns we also have spells. These are a mixture of offensive, defensive and utility which means that there is something for everyone. The music and sound effects are very well made. Each stage has it's own soundtrack and the music ranges from synth music (think soundtrack found in doom and duke nukem 3d) to metal. The sound effects are crisp and just right. Visually, the game doesn's dissapoint. The sprites and textures is high quality. The design of level "biomes" and enemies found are consistent. Also, the use of a modern engine allows the game to use complex and dynamic lighting effects. Each object can be a potential source of light. To top it off, you can choose a colour palette and display for that retro feel. So why 4 stars? I think boss battles aretoo easy and weapon balance is not good. Apart from a few spells, most of them will be unused. The warlock doesn't talk (I was a bit disappointed cosidering the trailer). Also, a map editor would be nice.

Project Warlock is a throwback to the simpler times when shooters were not so much about pretentious cinematics and more about fast-paced action and mindless fun. After completing the game, I feel this is quite a success, despite a few flaws. If you check the trailer, you will have a pretty good idea of what you are getting here. This is a game about killing hordes of enemies, getting the red, blue, and yellow keys to open the matching doors and finding the exit. It may sound like a boring premise for some, but what the game does, it does really well. To keep it short, here's where the game shines: +Cool retro graphics and smooth framerate. The lighting effects stand out. +RPG elements thrown in the mix. You can upgrade your character, weapons, and spells. +Tons of weapons and meaty gun action. Seeing enemies blow up is a joy. +Good variety of levels, locations, and enemies. +Relentless action and very responsive controls (keyboard + mouse, as it must be). +Well-designed, maze-like levels (yet not too hard). +Some replay value. You can restart the game and choose different upgrades and skills. Despite all this, you must know that there are a few areas where the game could see improvement. -Quite a few locations are too dark. You do have a flashlight of sorts, but you will use it too often. -The main character is too quiet. Some more feedback when you are getting hit would be nice. -The music is a mixed bag, though EVERY level has a different track, which is nice. -While there are about 20 guns, there are only 10 spells. -The game gets a bit easy towards the end due to balance issues. None of these issues are too serious, except maybe for the last one, which made the game a little less tense and enjoyable for me during the last chapter. With the 'right' upgrades and stats, your character will be too overpowered. All in all, for $11, you could do much worse. Don't hesitate to grab this game if you have the slightest interest in retro shooters.

I have little over three hours of playtime and have enjoyed the game immensely so far. It nails the old school vibe right from the beginning which, for all intents and purposes, should be praised since that is clearly what the developers were going for and what this game is all about: a throwback to run-and-gun first-person shooters from the early 90's. The gunplay, weapon and enemy variety and character development are by far my favorite aspects of this game. The weapon mechanics and movement are very reminiscent of Doom-like shooters, although you can aim up and down (which is necessary to kill some smaller enemies). Weapon variety, although nothing really groundbreaking, is still interesting since you get to use all the classic guns from those games, and the best part is that every weapon, from the initial pistol, feels very powerful and satisfying to use (though melee weapons seem a bit clunky in my opinion). Having completed the first two episodes I reiterate that I have enjoyed my time immensely so far. Nothing is perfect, however, and level design does seem a bit bland and simplistic so far, though their more straightforward nature lands to a more quick and relaxed play style, ditching the need to save throughout the levels since you will find yourself going back to your Workshop in between levels, where the game auto saves. Also the fact that the game lacks 1440p resolution is quite off-putting, but since the game just released I am giving the developers some leeway before docking a star. All in all, I have enjoyed the game much more than most of these reviews led me to believe and, for the price, could not recommend it enough.

(Reviewed on version 1.0.0.1.1) At first glance, Project Warlock may seem like a quick cash-in on many people's fond memories of the 90's, but look a little deeper and you'll find a game that'll satisfy a rather wide audience. Shooting feels great. All weapons have the right amount of animation frames and their sound effects pierce through your headphones, in a good way of course. There's an equally sizeable cast of enemies, (with some cool attention to damage models, with some enemies even having multiple phases as they lose body parts. Yuck.) There's a lot of gibbing to go around in this game, and it's glorious. None of that would amount to much, however, it the level design wasn't on par. While the gunplay, magic and light RPG elements present in this game echo classics like Doom, Hexen or even Witchaven, the actual level design tripped is pure Wolfenstein 3D and Rise of the Triad. Spanning 60 levels across 5 episodes, there's only so much you can do with a completely flat-type of level design. You look for color-coded keys and activate a series of switches while fighting each episode's unique set of enemies, and with each episode having its own vibe and distinctive look, you'd be forgiven for not noticing the repeating patterns. The RPG elements that let you go back to your Workshop, and level up your basic stats and choose one out of two upgrades for each one of your weapons, or to buy spells, feel a bit tacked on. The game needs some work on the framerate, which is pretty inconsistent. There are clipping textures here and there and I fell through the floor once, during the final boss. And this game is REALLY dark. It does detract from the action when you have to hold the Light Spell button down after every single enemy killed so that you can aim properly again. Project Warlock is a good-ol' time, worth it's price for the 5-hour, challenging adventure it provides. It needs some work on the technical side and it's repetitive, but it rocks in short play sessions.

This game is awesome. it had so much content and weapons are great. i love doom wold 3d hexen heretic quake duke 3d blood shadow warrior and on and on. this game plays like a true 90s fps and looks like one to. the enviorments look fantastic and the enemies feel like they belong in the worlds you visit in the levels. i highly recoment this game. and its ONLY 12 BUCKS usd. so in my openion it is totally worth it.