Gravelord

“So many Boomshoots out there. How do you stand out?” By making it really, really good! “What about gimmicks that pull folks in?” There are a couple, but they are mostly fluff on the surface. Its quality lies in the fact it is really, really good. “How about aesthetics to stand out from the pack?” It does have a very clean look, that helps it a lot. But that is still surface stuff considering that, at its heart it is really, really good. “Are you saying this is really, really good?” Yes, I am saying that Gravelord is really, really good! Gravelord is a very tightly designed and well implemented old school FPS. While it has some small gimmicks and unique, RNG driven concepts relating to perks, these are mostly inconsequential in comparison to the core experience. While at its core the game is a very basic experience, it is executed so well that most other critiques could well roll off its back. This does mean that it is not going to change the minds of people who are either fed up with boomshoots or sceptical folks needing to be convinced that there is more depth to the genre, but that is not really the point. Gravelord is an absolute core boomshoot through and through, for better or worse. [h1]Stuck in a crowd[/h1] While I have established that Gravelord is a very competent FPS one could class as a boomer shooter, there is a question that rears its head every time a new one of these comes out: “Why should I bother? There are already 50 of these out there and they are all more-or-less the same thing. How is Gravelord special?” Gravelord, on the surface, does not have much in its defense. It swims in the water with much bigger, more established fish such as Dusk, Amid Evil, Cultic, Turbo Overkill, Hrot, Wizordum, all the while trying to compete with other late comers such as Forgive Me Father, Project Warlock II, Painted in Blood and the absolute tsunami of titles in GZDoom and EFPS, all vying for attention. What magical gimmick makes this stand out? [h1]Amid Amid Evil[/h1] At its core, Gravelord is closest to Amid Evil from the crop of post 2018 releases: a more Quake like, simple experience that relies more on keeping the most basic elements good while not worrying about relatability or other such factors. Amid Evil had at least the fantasy element, with regular guns replaced with magic spewing objects all in a very abstract world, so there was a strong gimmick point there. Gravelord is slightly more straight laced, with pistols and shotguns making up the arsenal in (mostly) understandable locations, which means it needs another core factor to help it. Thankfully, it does, but it is arguably not much to write home about. [h1]Holding all the cards[/h1] Gravelord is made in ways where on every level there are three tarot cards. These are typically carried across to the next level in the chapter, all the way up to the boss level and can be changed on a per level basis once you find a card laying around. These cards tend to give bonuses, and these bonuses usually compliment each other, depending on the other cards chosen. They are usually things such as enemies dropping armor, more ammo, health when gibbed and other such things. Each level’s cards are randomly selected, so with each run you usually can experiment with different choices. I mostly ran a build with health regen to 40hp, less damage received under 40hp and extra damage for 40hp and lower. [h1]Bum hand[/h1] While this may seem fun, it is not the most impactful thing in the game. It can provide some fun mixups, but I imagine people will find what works for them and then they stick with that. Also, with it being RNG based, you can't really plan builds. I found it annoying when I lost my sub 40hp regen, so on later maps in the second two chapters I would just reload the game until I got the card combos I wanted. There is also the spectral shovel, which lets you teleport to specific surfaces you look at on pressing the use button. This is fun, and you can telefrag enemies with it once you get the hang of how it functions. That said, it is not something that will likely sell the game. [h1]Keep it simple, stupid[/h1] What sets Gravelord apart from titles such as Forgive Me Father and Painted in Blood however, is the core systems are so well made. The movement is absolutely spot on. The combat, while simplistic, is very satisfying to partake in. I could waffle on, but this is the real point: It is a really well designed FPS with little fat on it. It does not need fancy extras, double jumps or the likes. Gravelord is good. Really, really good and if you’ve played a well received Doom or Quake map pack, you know what to expect. Speaking of map packs, I have to give a separate paragraph to talk about the level design. It is sublime! While not something that I could say is directly relatable, such as the way Build titles try, it retains that Quake and Amid Evil logic of “this is not a believable space, but you are going to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ well know where you are going and there will be a lot to fight on the way”. It has the same qualities that Quake and Doom modding communities maps have, but with less of a tendency to devolve into over indulgence. Nothing here will last more than 20 minutes, and everything will likely flow really well. Admittedly, if you go back on yourself on some of the more monotonous levels (the huge crypt levels get a little maze-like) you can get lost, but it never gets so bad as to where the levels are so sprawling you can get completely lost. The general quality is very, very high all round. [h1]Rock hard[/h1] Some of the moments of the levels do give way to one thing that is debatable as to if it is a positive or negative factor; difficulty. Since the levels are so meticulously made, they sometimes contain some extremely fiendish setups with almost perfect combos of enemies, where you’ll have some of the most absolutely ball busting foes placed alongside really irritating minions buzzing around you. Be it an area where you have grenade lobbing monstrosities above while rats bite your ankles, or simple shotgunners just above eye level while field like enemies run at you, or all of those with an enemy who causes movement issues… Gravelord is designed to bust your balls. While I know that most boomshoots have the reputation of having high difficulties, Gravelord is just that little bit extra, so don’t be surprised if you start murmuring “Oh c'mon! That’s bullsh*t!” [h1]Bossy boots[/h1] One thing about the core design that can be criticised easily is the boss levels. They tend to just be swarms of slaughter map levels of mobs, who eventually give way to a big bad after way too many minions are slaughtered, before hitting 75% and then the arena fills with annoying little flying enemies and ogre-like grenade lobbing beasts. During these moments, Gravelord does suck a bit, and I ended up lowering the difficulty just to get through them. If they were more interesting battles (the bosses just become regular enemies after their arenas) without the swarms, I would not have minded, but IMO they do stink. [h1]Conclusion: A good second helping (but not the meal)[/h1] Gripes about the bosses aside, Gravelord is a superb title. Would I advise it though? Maybe? The fact is, it does not stand out massively. While it is well made, it is not a Cultic, Dusk or Wizordum. It is not at the top of the pantheon, but it is absolutely one of the best second tier titles out there. If you polish off the top titles and finish Amid Evil, if you need more like that, then Gravelord will likely push your buttons. Not a classic, but just really, really good! Simple To the point Very playable No nonsense (except the bosses) ‘nuff said