There is a single arena battle level with no checkpoints, however, which I appreciated. The checkpoint system still lets air out of the tires, regardless. There are also multiple difficulty options, so you can crank things up if you’d rather die more. These offer an incentive to replay levels if you’re so inclined, and the game seems like a good choice for speedrunning. However, there are multiple optional challenges per level that require not dying and finishing under a certain time, killing every enemy, and finding every secret. There’s nothing that can stop you, which robs the game of a bit of its potential. All you have to do to succeed is just keep going. Everything stays as it was and you lose no progress. Once you hit a checkpoint, you’re sent back to it if you die. Prodeus also has a weird checkpoint system. I didn’t do that, but it’s on the top and I kept worrying that I was going to. A couple of other things I would note are that when you select the campaign mode, it’s too easy to accidentally start a new game. The setting, enemies, and weapons all look and feel rather generic, which doesn’t do the game a lot of favors. The only real negative I can levy towards the Early Access version of Prodeus is that it just doesn’t have much of its own identity. They do explode into gallons of blood though, which gets everywhere. They’re reasonably fun to fight, but their designs aren’t memorable. They’re generally standard Doom-type enemies: zombies, dudes with guns, enemies that behave like imps, and pinkies. The enemies aren’t quite as interesting, however. The game certainly allows for a lot of flexibility in regards to presentation. There’s also a HUD that shows your character’s helmet, but it can be turned off if desired. The game aims for a lo-fi look and has all sorts of filters to lower the resolution. I don’t have much of a preference between the two, although I suppose the sprites do fit the aesthetic better. Prodeus is fully 3D level-wise, but you shockingly have a choice between sprites and 3D models. The sound the twin submachine guns have is a highly satisfying report that feels substantial. The sound effects are particularly excellent. Everything feels snappy and accurate and the guns are fun to shoot, too. One of the most interesting guns lets you land a beacon on a foe and then shoot it without aiming at it. Nearly everything feels like a sort of machine gun, although each weapon has an alternate fire mapped to the right mouse button. The guns are all solid and fun to use, even if they can feel a bit too familiar at times. Prodeus is a quick game that gets downright hectic at times. The shooting is impressive, as is the handling of the guns. It definitely feels like it was designed by professionals, which it clearly is. I played all of the available content and practically never had that classic Doom feeling of wandering around aimlessly until I happened to stumble on the way forward. At the same time, the levels are fairly large, but they tend to funnel you in specific directions. The signposting is also very good, and it’s hard to get lost. They’re different enough from each other so that they’re memorable and have unique layouts though. Prodeus has strong level design, albeit not as strong as some recent stand-outs. The current map just doesn’t take that long to navigate. At this point in development though, there’s not much reason to worry about that. You can unlock shortcuts to other parts of the map by completing weapon-based challenges where you have to get through levels quickly while destroying all the targets. Levels are selected from a map screen that you can move around freely in. Along the way you’ll fight hordes of gnarly enemies, pick up keys to unlock the path forward, and hunt for secrets. You’re dropped into a level and need to find the exit. The game goes exactly like the classics all do. It’s a ’90s styled FPS, so things can be kept simple without issue. You’re some guy without a name who people will probably call Prodeus Guy, and you’re fighting in some kind of interdimensional war against demon-like entities and electric energy beings maybe? Who can say with any certainty? And I’m fine with that. Like a lot of games similar to Doom, I have very little idea of who you play as or what you’re doing in Prodeus. Hellbound taught me to keep my expectations in check, but I didn’t really need to for this one. The game enters Early Access on November 9, and the developers promise an awful lot for Prodeus. Prodeus thinks that’s stupid and is a hell of a lot like Doom. They’ve been going after that Build Engine feel or trying to be like Quake a lot of the time, but the most famous entry in the genre often gets left alone. For all of the retro-throwback FPS games that get made, it’s surprisingly uncommon to see ones that try to feel like Doom.
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