SPRAWL zero

Amazing sequel to SPRAWL which I also recommend. Especially love the NG+ modifiers!

The original SPRAWL is a favorite of mine. A hyper stylish bolt of high speed acrobatic combat and atmosphere I want to wrap myself up in like a cold, bleak, decaying blanket. It's a game that hasn't left my thoughts in the three years since it released. So the announcement of a sequel that moves the spiritual era up to the early 2000s was just about the best news I could ask for. SPRAWL zero quickly establishes itself as an impressively different beast from the last game, placing you in the armor of a very different but no less capable super powered cybersoldier. Combat is still extremely fast paced but gone are the days of agile wall running. Instead, new protagonist FIVE is more of a high speed tank, using a mix of slowmo and telekinetic powers to tear through anything in your path. Also gone is the classic full arsenal on you at all times. Instead, the new loop is something more unique for an FPS, almost more akin to something like Hotline Miami. You can only carry one weapon at a time, no reloading, no ammo pickups. When a gun is spend you throw it away, preferably in someone's face, and grab whatever is on hand. I don't think I've ever played a shooter where guns are quite so temporary and the result is remarkable. You find yourself rapidly cycling through whatever is available, unpredictably turning the enemies' toys back at them. Every weapon is varied enough that you'll pick out favorites for a given situation, but everything is useful if you need it to be. Backing this up is your array of cybernetic abilities that all feed nicely into each other. The aforementioned slowmo, telekinetically grabbing weapons or turning props into weapons, catching incoming projectiles and sending them back, there's a lot to balance and juggling all the tools at your disposal in the most efficient way under pressure becomes the challenge. Much like the original it isn't afraid to put the pressure on when it needs to, walking a finely turned line between power fantasy and a real test of survival. It also shares something else with the original, their true secret weapon: atmosphere. As thrilling as the combat is, what really puts the experience over the top is the exceptional sense of place. Accompanied by an incredible score, the decrepit concrete alleyways and rooftops of a dying cityscape are as perfectly realized as ever and a joy to return to. For megastructure/brutalism/cyberpunk fans, the game is a constant progression of pure [i]vibe[/i] in the best way possible. I hope this isn't the last time we get to visit the SPRAWL, but I'll be excited for anything this team does in the future. For now, fans of unique and atmospheric shooters should not sleep on this. Hesitation is the death. Execute.