

The lack of decent pacing is frustratingly annoying because Prodeus is a really, really damn good game under the aneurysm-inducing chaos brought by it. I could never truly appreciate the levels though since I was bored to death of the combat most of the time. The level “Descent”, for example, is amazing at progressively building tension that is relieved with an epic battle at the end. It’s a pity because Prodeus does have some very interesting and creative level design choices. Prodeus just constantly shoots wave after wave of enemies at you without ever giving the player a moment to breathe. Other frantic games often give us a few moments of silence before being thrown into the next arena, be it a hallway with only a few enemies, quiet areas that lead to the next combat scene, or even separate stages where all you have to do is talk to someone.

Since Prodeus is so focused on shaping its levels in a way for players to be constantly replaying it, seeking the highest score, they don’t offer anything to give you a break from all the action, even if it’s just for a few seconds. Not just the checkpoint system used to accommodate it, but the rest of the level design too. As is, it just feels like the high score system is executed rather poorly, and because of it, the entire game suffers. Sure this might be some people’s cup of tea, but I feel like, in its desire to have global ranks, Prodeus forgets that it could be experienced like a regular game of the genre too.Īnd look, at least if it had a fun combo counter that compensates you for doing stylish moves, I’d understand. My guess is that it’s supposed to encourage players to perform well in the game and get a higher score by getting fewer deaths, more enemies killed, secrets found, and so on, but it just didn’t make me care! I doubt most players of this type of game care too much about their high score, just playing the game without worrying about a vague number at the end of every level. Normally, I’d question the developer’s decision not to add a conventional save slot system like most classic and retro shooters similar to this, but it seems that the reason is that Prodeus, as much as it is a retro FPS, wants to be a game focused on high scores. The difference between the lower and higher difficulties is that in one of them you occasionally have to go back to a specific spot on the map and run back to where you died to continue fighting. As a matter of fact, I played the same level on Ultra Easy, Medium, and Ultra Hard difficulties and it had very little impact on my enjoyment of the game. I caught myself actually yawning during firefights, and that was in the highest difficulty. What happens is that, after some time, you kind of dissociate from the game and start playing just for the sake of finishing the level. So you have this intense and fun combat that gets boring over time and a save system that takes away the punishment from dying.

Saving the game is possible when you reach a certain checkpoint on the map and, from there, you can die as many times as you want and just respawn at the same location with everyone you’ve killed already dead and all the progress you’ve made, saved. Without a few seconds to just chill the hell out, shooting, dodging, screaming, and dying all the time become monotonous, and that’s not helped by the checkpoint system chosen by the game. Too much action ends up boring the player.
PRODEUS GUY HOW TO
You most likely never spend more than 20 seconds without shooting at a crowd of people to the sound of explosions, metal rock, and screams of pain – except for when you’re stuck in a level after killing everyone and don’t know how to progress, which does happen far more often than I’d like. Sadly, this intense action falls flat with the game’s disregard of pacing. The brutally satisfying combat can keep you entertained for a while and it is very fun to control your character with tight movement and powerful guns. There is not a moment when you’re not running around, shooting enemies, dodging their projectiles, swapping weapons, etc. Gameplay is fast and intense, very intense. Prodeus that released into Early Access this November is no different. All of these bring the essence of what made classic FPS games so iconic and fun: fast-paced action, satisfying guns, and an enjoyable experience above anything else. Not just with the new reboots of franchises such as DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Shadow Warrior, but amazing indie throwback titles that have been popping up around, like Dusk, Ion Fury, and Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, just to name a few. Recently, it seems that retro shooters are making a comeback.
