Posted on: May 21, 2024
Burrito
Verified ownerGames: 1514 Reviews: 54
Even better than the original!
Joking aside (there is no Trepang1), this game is fantastic. The developers clearly understand level design, pacing, how to execute a multitude of emotional and environmental themes properly, staging unlockables, and how to craft a solid gameplay loop. Each level has it's own theming, and no two feel alike. With the exception of a single level set in a wide desert expanse around a crashed airplane, where the whole level is in play at any given moment, the level loading times were always under three seconds for me - a single load, pre-mission, seamless loading afterwards. There are layered toolsets the player has to manage simultaneously - a brief but recharging cloak, ammo, stamina (which refills to double it's max when you kill someone, encouraging kill chains), controllable bullet time (requires multiple kills to recharge), enemy positioning, light levels... you can do alright mastering a few of those, but need to maximize all of them to survive at higher difficulties. Each level can run at any of six difficulties, and re-run later at a different one. So there's no 'skillgate level' - if a particular one is too hard, breeze through it on Easy mode without penalty. They range from 'Point A to B to C' affairs, King Of The Hill zone control, wave survival, and various forms of survival-horror. Some are cramped, some expansive, some lonely, some full of allies. Lots of variety! Weapon modifications can be found in missions, permanently unlocking them. Starting weapons get unlocked as levels are beat - you can them return to earlier levels with them, since you can replay any level at any time. High Value Targets only spawn under certain (advertised) conditions - kill them and they're dead-dead, and you're one closer to total dominance. Clothing options get unlocked by beating particular levels on certain difficulties. Thematically, it's like the ideal hybrid of FEAR and EYE : Divine Cybermancy, with Doom-level aggro and GodHand-esque flow states.
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