SPRAWL zero

holy moly this is good. Gmanlives was right!

Get this if you like flying around bhopping and shooting things. If an autohop while spacebar is pressed gets added as an option, my hands will forever be thankful.

Um FPS divertidíssimo e um grande passo para Shooters Independentes. A estética do PS2 misturada com mecânicas, game feel e design de jogos modernos destacam Sprawl Zero como um Marco Zero (perdão) de uma transição do revival de Boomer Shooters inspirados em Quake, como vemos desde DUSK, e uma nova era de design tentando resgatar esse feeling de jogos de sétima geração. Não é só do visual que vive Sprawl zero, a gameplay sustenta o jogo e é muito boa. A união dos powerups do protagonista com as luvas de gravidade formam o loop de gameplay e não poderia ser um loop melhor. Essas habilidade trazem muito dinamismo durante o jogo e o mantém em um pacing bem agradável, nada rushada, nada alongado. Senti que o jogo acabou no exato momento em que a magia começava a esvair e estou muito satisfeito, me entregou tudo que pedi e um pouco mais. Recomendo!

In short, the game is plain good. Buy it, play it, and embrace its vibes. I just finished it, and I cannot help but keep thinking about the game's story. I did read a few reviews saying it's bland, but I disagree. Even more than in the first game, the references this game uses are even more apparent. But it's not like the references are being copied; they are being integrated into Sprawl's universe and going through the artists' lens. You'll get yourself going "oh ♥♥♥♥, this weapon/other thing is based on this other thing I know but... honestly, it's way cooler here" because there's a lot of visual cohesion rooting it into this universe. In the same vein, the game makes reference to itself in nice ways. Playing the first one will for sure improve your understanding of this game. HOWEVER, playing this game first and then going back to the first one will be a unique experience, and I wish I could experience it. Just pick what feels right for you and go with it. This also leads to another point. Sprawl takes itself very seriously. It's a passion project made by people who are really into their craft. The game is very serious on that note, however, and amazingly, it also understands itself as a game. It'll let you play it as a game; it'll let you explore and do weird stuff. This translates into the character you're playing. The game has a lot of room for self-expression through gameplay; however, it'll have many set pieces, moments, combats, and ways to deal with issues that will keep reminding you that you're this huge and powerful tank. For the weapons and combat system, it's very good. You'll see here and there people complaining that it should have two weapons, should have extra bullets for weapons, a full inventory of weapons, etc. At least concerning FPS games, I don't remember seeing anything like it, and the mechanic is used to enforce what the game is about: it's a game; it lets you play it, and it wants you to explore it. The game has a lot of weapons for you to use. Some are stronger than others; all of them are fun to use. Even when you get a weapon that isn't your favorite or isn't super powerful, you'll have space to play around with that weapon and change your style for a moment, which is usually what it takes for you to get another weapon and keep rolling. I won't keep going at it because it's a system that works on many, many levels and really improves what the game is going for, at least in my understanding. Then... there are the maps. If you reached this point, you already know that I'm one of those ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that keep talking and talking about something. But I honestly cannot really put into words how good the maps are. They are good maps, gameplay-wise and piece-of-art-wise. If you got entranced by what you saw in the first game, you'll most likely wander through the maps, look at details, and explore for the sake of it, because each vista is better than the last. I love it so much that I don't even want to talk about it; I want you to go there and experience it - people saying it's bland, unintuitive, or I don't know what... may have played with their monitor off or something. I'll bury this here because no one will read all this. The game has very few issues, but I'm pretty sure they'll get fixed with time. Right now, the powers can feel a bit unresponsive and won't activate; that can be very frustrating during a few key moments. I feel like this is related to how much certain powers cost. If that was communicated through a tutorial, I missed it and was confused throughout the game. There are also some "issues" with sound. The volume balance when some characters are speaking is off, and you won't be able to hear what they're saying. Something else is that we have some speeches that are muted by the environment or are too far from the character, and as a non-native English speaker, I couldn't really understand. This is an issue for the most invested people, I guess; but I really did want to know what the announcement being shouted at Rooftops (or other rooftop map) was about. I, and other lunatics, would appreciate the option to somehow get subtitles for those (honestly, even if only in English). The ledge grabbing can be misleading, but honestly, if you're trying to really explore the maps, texture and all that. I wish we could grab into more stuff, but I understand that it would most likely break the balance of the maps. Something that I actually dislike is some of the invisible walls, since they'll just block us from going into places that players would not usually go to already. In general, I wish the devs had more time/money. I don't know anything about the development, but there are a few areas that could have used some extra love. Not because they are not polished enough; the game, honestly, is perfect in that regard, especially when considering the size of the team, but in the first maps, the texture work can be a bit off in certain places. This is a nitpick; I'm talking about how some metal textures will mesh into concrete in places that are quite visible and don't make sense. I understand what was being done there, with different colours and textures, and this is why I wish the devs could have had more time. I bet many of those had to go with a "good enough" or "I'll change this later," but "later" never came due to deadlines. And I'll bury this even deeper. I have a job I hate, I'm disrespected all the time, and my life has been in shambles for many years. I kid you not, this is the first time in many years that I have felt respected. I was overwhelmed here and there while Five was going through emotional situations that I related to a lot. I felt happy when I was rewarded for exploring. I cannot tell you how cathartic the final gameplay moments were for me. I won't spoil anything, but there are words being said at the end, and I was telling "♥♥♥♥ you" to all of them. I was really not expecting that Five would be that important for me right now, and I will need some time to process how happy and empowered I felt at the very last moments. A bit before that, I did burst into tears when the names showed up. Thank you, guys.

One of the best games I've played this year if not the best so far! An amazing blend of early 2000s vibes and gunplay refined and modernized all wrapped in the shell of that 2000 PS2 commercial. The soundtrack is incredible, the aesthetics immaculate, and game design super satisfying. And when you play through the campaign once there's a whole host of challenges, and a harder new game plus campaign! Hesitation is the death! If you like games like this or this even remotely sounds interesting I 100% recommend picking this up!

I don't really have much to say tbh. Everything from the Music, Level Design, Weapons I could go on is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Great. It combines so many of the best traits of fps games from the last 25 years. if anything about this game remotely peeks your interest buy it ASAP and you won't regret it.

Absolute banger. It's got gunplay that matches up to; if not surpasses, the best Bungie ever achieved. Pair this with a perfectly executed empty-gun-pickup-new-gun loop thanks to the gravity gloves, bullet time that makes your shots home in on enemies, a shield that lets you return bullets to sender, a melee mode that lets you knock enemies down like bowling pins, and the aforementioned gravity gloves allowing you to turn random objects and pieces of the environment into weapons, you have a recipe for one of the most satisfying combat systems I've ever played. The aesthetics and music are on point too, with the art style & lore evoking both Ghost In The Shell and 40K at the same time, and a soundtrack that harkens back to gritty 90s anime as well as the kind of tunes you'd expect to hear in a nightclub scene in an edgy 00s action movie. While the story isn't anything new, it is impeccably executed, with well performed voice acting that perfectly captures the era of games MAETH are trying to channel here. The campaign is similarly enjoyable thanks to great level design that constantly serves up quality arenas for the game's combat, alongside some non-linear sections and plenty of moment-to=moment variety to keep things fresh (with some very era-appropriate surprises towards the end). After beating the game, every level has its enemy encounters switched up meaning a second playthrough is strongly recommended, plus there are multiple challenges to complete that unlock new ways of experiencing the game. So, if you're on the fence about buying this one, see if the demo clicks with you, and remember: Hesitation is the Death.