SPRAWL zero

SPRAWL zero is my favorite shooter of the year, and likely now in my top 5 ever. As an underserved fan of Killzone, F.E.A.R., and bullet-time in general, I finally feel seen and satisfied. There's a stunning number of weapons to yank from fallen enemies (almost every single foe drops one!). Then you drain its stock of ammunition and chuck the gun at their comrades, downing them and giving you a fresh piece to get to work with. The varied enemy types approach fighting you differently, and their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses keep encounters fresh. Levels are designed with lots of things to climb, slide under, or take cover behind (briefly, as a lot of the environment is destructible), as well as debris and objects to sling at your enemies with your gravity glove. Groups of foes tote different weapon types, and not just pistol/SMG/shotgun/etc. Their make and style are also diverse: some are crude, misshapen pipe weapons, some are high-tech modern hardware, and some even seem to be [REDACTED] in nature. Over 40 of them in total! The dedication to variety and freshness continues in the level design and the missions too, ranging from linear-ish killing sprees, to escaping environmental hazards while dealing with firefights, to moody rain-soaked sniper battles at night, to capturing important materials while exploring different areas of a semi-open city map in whichever order you choose. I never got tired of one style of play, because MAETH thoughtfully paced the game using the different tones and tempos of the campaign's levels. And the music, oh my god, the music. The title screen track, the BGM in Eden, and the many evolutions of the music in God's Light were standouts for me, though I never heard a track that didn't move me in some way. It really elevates the experience. I had a feeling the gameplay would be stellar from the trailers, but what I didn't expect was for the writing to be so good, and the world to be so compelling. There's some excellent voice work too! I know the frantic gunplay is addictive, but do be sure to take a second to read those hidden lore notes scattered carefully throughout the levels; the added context pulls you even deeper into the Sprawl, and makes it even more satisfying to EXECUTE your goals as the main character, a supersoldier codenamed "**** took me about 10 hours to finish on normal difficulty, but I've since gone back and spent time with New Game+. I've played around with the many negative and positive gameplay modifiers and had a blast with those, too. This game is just such a complete and polished package, indie game or not. And it carries itself with this undercurrent of confidence; SPRAWL zero takes itself seriously but is massively fun, it wears its inspirations on its sleeve but never relies on imitating them. I'd say more but there are a few surprises in the game I wouldn't want to spoil. Just impressive all around. I strongly recommend SPRAWL zero to anyone who enjoys first-person games, 6th gen titles (PS2, Xbox, GameCube), cyberpunk/dystopian worldbuilding, tactical shooters, reflex shooters, F.E.A.R. 1 & 2, and slow-motion bullet-time action (Max Payne series, Stranglehold). Hardcore gamers can enjoy a challenge on Formidable (Normal Difficulty) or a Herculean labor on Martyr (Hard Mode), and if you're new to the genre you can still enjoy the chaos of battle without using as much strategy or swiftness and the take in the music/world/story of SPRAWL zero on the cleverly framed Unstoppable (Easy ****'s great! A 9/10 for me. Enjoy!

Ok they nailed, and I mean *nailed* the gameplay loop. It is 30 seconds of fun over and over and over. The combat is varied, empowering, and challenging at the right times. I can’t say enough about the guns and compare mechanics. In addition the atmosphere, music, story are all engrossing, wonderfully sci-fi and dystopian. In fact, the presentation is *so* good it makes you wonder why it is relatively one note. I’d love to see the team add more moments of color and incorporate even more diverse styles. The only negative thing is the backtracking or sheer size that several of the levels demands. They take too long or are too circuitous. Something like more distinct set pieces or more straightforward levels would’ve improved my rating. That said, the gameplay is SO fun it more than makes up for some of the level design. I can tell the combat, story, and overall vibe was built with intention and passion so this game is really worth your time and money.