I was initially drawn to this game because of its art design, which looks heavily inspired by retro games. It also looks really cool in my opinion. Although it’s not mentioned on the Steam store page, the gunplay feels more like an immersive sim. Because it feels like you’re constantly forced to “play it safe” by taking out the enemies one by one. Well, to be fair, the only Immersive Sims I’ve ever played are the System Shock Remake and Prey. So I could be wrong about this. Because I lack the reference to compare it to. Oh, and I also really love the weapon sound design in this game. The sound of each guns and the sound of the bullets hitting the floor makes the game feel even more immersive, in my personal opinion.
The Citadel tells a story that..., to be perfectly honest, I don’t even understand myself. But we progressing the game by completing several Acts. Each Act has several levels, where in the end of each Act there is a boss fight waiting. Each Act also has one level that have an entrance to a “Bonus Level”. Complete this Bonus Level to earn a passive upgrade. If we “die” on a level, we have to restart that level from the beginning. The “Checkpoint” system here utilizes an “Extra Lives” item, then require you to activate a checkpoint. If you have Extra Lives but don’t activate a checkpoint, you’ll still have to restart the level from the beginning when you die. However, if you have Extra Lives and activate a checkpoint, when you die, you’ll respawn at the same spot as the checkpoint, and one of the Extra lives you have will be used. The maximum Extra Lives you can carry is only 4. In my experience playing this game, Extra Lives can only be obtained on a certain levels. The same goes for checkpoints—they’re only available on a few levels. So, try to play carefully.
As for the arsenal option, The Citadel offers quite alot variety of weapons for player to use. Some of these weapons also have their own “Upgrades” and “Alternative Shots.” For example for an upgrade is the Meta-Magnum, which first only holds 7 bullets but can be upgraded to hold 13. An example for an alternative shot is the Assault Rifle. In addition to its normal shot, it can also fire a laser beam using a different type of ammo. These weapons are obtained as you progress through the game or can be buy using in-game currency. Gold, the game’s currency, is scattered throughout the map and can also be dropped by enemies after defeating them. In addition to weapons, Gold can also be spent on weapon upgrades, armor, ammo, and consumables. You can spend all the Gold you’ve collected at the game’s only merchant, Tycho.
Consumables are really tied to the three bars located below the screen. The red bar represents HP, the blue bar represents Stamina, and the green bar is the Hunger Bar. As the name suggests, HP functions as health points. Stamina only decreases when we run, jump, or perform melee attacks with an axe or kicking. Stamina will gradually recover as long as we aren’t performing those actions. Finally, there’s the Hunger Bar, which I think is the most crucial one. Because if your Hunger Bar shows a low number, let's just say 10, your maximum HP and Stamina will also be capped at 10. When we use “Food” to fill the Hunger Bar, your HP will also be recovered. However, once the Hunger Bar is full, you can’t "eat" anymore. This means Blood Bags remain your primary healing item. Also, you can only carry 10 of each type of consumable item. So be sure to always keep an eye on all three bars to improve your survivability throughout the game.
