Project Warlock is a modern take on the retro-FPS genre, drawing inspiration from classics like DOOM, Heretic, Hexen, etc. It features a classic 2.5d presentation, with 3D level geometry and 2D sprites for enemies, decoration, and power-ups/ammo pick-ups. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I didn't find the art style appealing. Sprites are very chunky and blocky - almost an 8-bit style, with very few individual pixels used in any given texture. As a result, it looks flatter and less detailed than the PC VGA classics of yester-year. Compounding this issue is my biggest complaint: The game is simply too dark. Project Warlock uses lots of wonderful modern lighting techniques - and it helps make up for the lack of detail and flatness of the texture work - but in doing so, most levels seem woefully under-lit. You'll make heavy use of the "light" spell as a result, but don't be surprised when you find yourself wandering in the dark shooting at monsters you simply can't see. The game's soundtrack is pretty good, as are sound effects for weapons and monsters. Gameplay is likewise pretty good, with ample weapon and enemy variety. Weapons can be upgraded, and new spells can be learned, giving the player an admirable arsenal to experiment with, though I often found myself shying away from certain weapons simply due to the fact that the game is a bit more stingy with some ammo types. For the weapons that *do* have plenty of ammo, however, the game rewards their use with lots of wonderful, gory effects as enemies catch fire, become dismembered, and even explode in fountains of blood. So, it's easy to tell that you are hitting them, but the same can't be said when enemies deal damage to the player. There is very little feedback when you take damage, and it can be difficult to tell where that damage comes from - especially since the game likes to occasionally surround the player with enemies hidden in monster closets. Overall, a good, but not great retro-FPS.
