Powerslave

Okay, so first off I might be a bit biased. This is one of my favorite games of all time. Though a tad disappointed that it's just a DOSBox release. But very happy that they kindly included the music. -I WILL BE MAKING A FULL VIDEO REVIEW ON YOUTUBE FOR ITS ANNIVERSARY UNDER RDR.EXE- A weird note, this is the European version of the game for some reason, titled "Exhumed", NOT Powerslave. Hopefully, this gets fixed. (If you are a dev on this game please let me know and I can send the files as I have the original US CD) So there are 3 completely different versions of this game. Both console ones are more akin to Metroidvania style gameplay where you get artifacts to revisit levels and gain access to new paths. This DOS version here is much more of a straightforward FPS but it has better level design than either of the console ports, or any fps game period for that matter. I'd sit here for hours talking about these levels but they are HUGE in this game and super well thought out/carefully crafted. The music is some of the best I've ever heard in a game, all being composed by the talented Scott Branston. They're all very catchy oriental Egyptian/ambient tracks. The weapons are all useful for their own scenarios, even the basic revolver or the machete. This DOS version is also the only one of the 3 that has a voiced protagonist that spurs one-liners as he kills or takes damage. There's a good balance between enemy variety and encounters, some fun and cool looking bosses, etc. One of the coolest things that are also exclusive to this DOS version is that if mummies shoot a red orb at you, it turns you into a mummy and gives you a staff. With this, you slam it down and it kills every enemy in the room while you do an evil laugh. Amazing. I could talk about this game all day, but I gotta say this is an absolute MUST play if you're even remotely intersted in 90s fps games. My fav game on Build aside from Blood. For best experience, play this using PowerslaveGDX :)

The game itself is great. Love me some beautiful Ancient Egyptian themes, all day. However, out of the box experience is atrocious. Problem isn't with DOSBox, but rather the old version of Build engine which this game is based on. Either use EX/PS DeHacker + DOS/32a to improve vanilla DOS gameplay or, better yet, a source port (I highly recommend BuildGDX), which can be further spiced up with mods. To be fair, as it stands this release doesn't deserve five stars I gave it to. But after some tinkering, it does, in my eyes. Or maybe I'm biased toward games set in Egypt.

Here are three diffrent versions of the game playstation, Sega saturn and PC. PC version is FPS like duke Nukem 3d but have some gameplay changes. Kill enemies, collect keys, collect items, collect weapons, find secret rooms and use switches to unlock paths to advance next level. Some items are magical like e.g Sobek mask and Scarab amulet, which consume magic essence. Unlike duke nukem 3d, previously completed levels, can be replayed if player wants to that. Pc version Hud includes an ammo counter, lungs (oxygen levels) for swimming and animated magic essence meter and animated life meter compared to console version. Weapons needs to be reloaded, when certain number of ammo is depleted. The player's course of action in the final stage determines, which ending you get and the game have two different endings. Console versions are metroidvania/ FPS hybrid and they use SlaveDriver engine. That´s why PC and console version HUD and graphics are different. In console versions player have abilities like higher jumping, levitate, breathe underwater, walk in lava and walk through force fields. These abilities are gained from artifacts, over the course of the game. Abilities are needed to reach unreachable areas, all of which are connected with an overworld map. Player needs to collect radio transmitters to achieve a good ending. Playstation and Sega saturn have different level design style because Saturn style levels did not well-suited to the PlayStation technology. Saturn version also have exclusive power-ups and a hidden minigame. The main reason, why i use BuildGDX port to play game than Dosbox, it allows to play game with higher resolutions, allow graphic tweaks, gameplay tweaks, interface tweaks, allow use fan made high resolution texture and spirite packs, better game saving, choose between classic and polymost graphic render and have better UI than Dosbox. This game gives player old school FPS nostalgia. For curiosity, i recommend playing this game.

It's great to have this on GOG! The game is honestly one of the cooler ideas to run on the build engine, but be forewarned--like the Atomic Edition release of Duke 3D on GOG, you'll have to do manual configuration of everything. I'm told that this can run in a few Duke 3D source ports, but I haven't tested that myself yet. It's certainly got great theming--very few FPS games go into that Egyptian aesthetic.