Love child of Half-life a Ghost in the shell (first two atmosphere-wise), Fear, Mirror's edge and modern Doom (gameplay-wise).
One of the few games that were able to just put my brain in a constant flow mode for a few hours and let me totaly forget about everything else, like in good old times.
Sprawl justifies its relatively short length with immediate access to generous bullet-time powers, a large roster of unique enemies, and a wide variety of fun weapons. No aspect of this game, from platforming to key hunting to gunplay, is so difficult as to be frustrating. The game starts with a bang, and finishes with hundreds of meaty headshots.
This game takes the best influences from older shooters (Quake and Doom classics) and newer titles (Mirror's Edge, Titanfall, Doom 2016).
My only complaints would be an over-reliance on monster closets, some weapons are a little too slow to fire, and environments look same-y towards the end.
But if you're looking for a no-fluff, all action shooter that cuts straight to the punch with no stat-grinding or exposition hallways, Sprawl is your game.
As an appreciator of boomer shooters, slow-mo action and cyberpunk media in general, I’ll admit Sprawl flew under my radar at first – as it seems to have with much of its target audience. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is.
Sprawl wears it inspirations on its sleeve, and borrows from a variety of shooters in both its mechanics and aesthetics. You’ll recognize some Mirror’s Edge here, some Doom 2016 in another place, a bit of Quake there… It all comes together very well. The guns have no alt-fires, iron sights, upgrade options or reload animations, and the movement palette isn’t too fancy: it’s just you, your weaponry, a slow-mo meter, enough speed to run on walls, and a bunch of well-designed combat levels full of verticality and enemies to slaughter. And frankly, it doesn’t need more: it's a game that rewards aggressive and acrobatic gunplay, wants you to learn about your foes' weaknesses, and makes it all extra satisfying and visually pleasing. Even the bosses are good!
Overall, there is a beautiful simplicity to Sprawl. Not just to its combat, but also its use of minimalist storytelling and low-fi visuals, which create a vibrant world with a unique mood. It helps that it's well-optimized and that the soundtrack rules.
While Sprawl is great fun from start to finish, some of it might have you raise an eyebrow. The campaign gradually morphs from a game were slow-mo and precision are king to a more Serious Sam-esque romp about unleashing immense firepower on hordes of enemies, a switch in gameplay some may find a bit disappointing (I don't though). Also, the three last guns you'll get work in weird ways: for instance, the minigun isn't that powerful and heavily restricts your movement... a strange choice for a game in which lack of mobility tends to be a death sentence.
Overall, I’m sad that Sprawl didn’t garner more attention. It's consistently fun and well-built, full of heart and passion, and overall a pretty great boomer shooter. Give it a try!