7.1 KiB
| date | title | tags | score | howlongtobeat_id | howlongtobeat_hrs | game_name | game_genre | game_release_year | game_developer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-07 | Project Warlock: a Modern Wolf3D |
|
3 | 48457 | 6.6 | Project Warlock | FPS | 2018 | Buckshot Software |
I played through Project Warlock in June of 2020 but forgot to collect screenshots and add a review here, so after being done with Nightmare Reaper, I picked it back up to see how similar or different both retro-inspired shooters were, since both games gave me heavy Blake Stone and Wolfenstein 3D feelings.
Contrary to Nightmare Reaper, Project Warlock is a very conventional dungeon crawling shooter that feels almost exactly as playing a pre-DOOM game on DOS: it doesn't have a vertical axis (although there are elevators in a few occasions)---making this shooter a rare recommendation for consoles such as the Switch version I played---, it doesn't rely on lightning the way DOOM did, and most of the levels are maze-like key hunts filled with tight corridors (although there are open areas in a few occasions). If you're having trouble conjuring up an image of such a game, take a look at this screenshot:
Claustrofobic walls? Check. Maze-like levels (the mini-map on the top-left is barely visible here)? Check. It feels strange to play this game in 2020+, which, perhaps even stranger, is powered by Unity to do its high-tech raycasting tricks, although once you read up on the game's history that started as a textured Catacombs 3D/Wolf3D clone project of a high school hobbyist, its design starts to make sense.
Not that there's anything inherently wrong about Project Warlock's design choice to go back to a pre-DOOM era: it's fairly unique precisely because of it, and it wears its influence on its sleeve. The (purposely?) rudimentary level design does wear me down as I make progress, but at least I know where that's coming from. Besides the Wolf3D-esque influence, Project Warlock tosses in a few modern shooting mechanics: stats, leveling, specializations, and most importantly, weapon upgrades. Loot and special stars representing XP points collected in stages can be utilized to boost the Warlock's defence, ammo pickup rates, etc---just like Nightmare Reaper's mini games, although a lot less intricate so.
The weapon upgrades come with binary choices: do I convert my submachine gun into a nailgun that fires bouncing nails (that will damage myself, which I regretted!), or into a dual wielding uzi? Do I convert my boomstick into a semi-auto shotgun or one that also spits out napalm?
Speaking of guns, they're undoubtedly the highlight of the game, and since this one's a retro-inspired boom-boom mwahahaha game, I think it's safe to say that it passes the most important criterion. The shotguns feel very satisfying to use, the pistol, once upgraded into a .50 caliber handgun is still capable of turning enemies into mush in later levels, and the variety is big enough to mix things up if you're low on SMG ammo or shotgun shells. Although Project Warlock is not the kind of game to go crazy on originality---the only thing that stands out is a magic-firing trident ala Hexen---I didn't miss this at all.
Next to weaponry, the Warlock also has magic formulas to his disposal which can be found throughout the campaign. If you pay attention to the screenshots, you see two values next to the avatar on the lower left: one for magic and one for health. I liked the Hexen influences, but the execution of these spells falls flat once you realize most are not even half as useful as a good ol' blast with your boomstick. The one I relied on the most was an ice blast that freezes enemies, making them shatter (including a very satisfying sound) once shot. This also helps conserve ammo, since the game can get stingy at times, especially in the later levels when you really really want rockets, but all the game offers you are pistol bullets. Sure, I upgraded my axe, but my melee weapon stands little chance against heaps of rocket-firing sentry bots from afar.
In-between levels, you can inspect and tweak your stats in "The Hub", a small safe area that is essentially a glorified level selector---which doesn't let you re-select previously visited locations. For that, you have to go back to the main menu, which felt a bit strange. Since I initially had a bit of trouble evading projectiles in small corridors and wasn't fully equipped yet, I decided to dump most points into life-gaining stats.
Project Warlock is divided into different worlds: you start in a medieval-themed dungeon, move on to an abandoned lab on Antarctica, then somehow get transported into Egyptian tombs, only to flash forward to an industrial cityscape, ending---of course---in hell. Each world comes with a unique feel: enemies, music, and even potion textures are very different, which is one of the high marks of the game. I appreciated the art direction and use of color (major shades of purple, red, and yellow) more than the visual variety the random levels of Nightmare Reaper has to offer. Of course, as soon as you start to compare it to a game with superb level design such as Ion Fury, it all kind of falls flat. Warlock is essentially a short and fun throwback shooter and shouldn't be treated as anything else. It's actually one of the rare few that resembles its ancestors the most---for better or for worse.
When it comes to sound and music design, except for the gun and gib effects, I wasn't that impressed. The music quickly disappears into the background, and while each enemy has its own unique "scream", I often noticed these way too late, for example when they were flaking me or shooting me in the back. These just aren't that powerful, even the Warlock's No! when you try to open a locked door somehow is barely audible.
I'm glad Project Warlock exists, and I'm looking forward to the successor that seems to have dropped the Wolf3D act entirely, but after replaying it a few hours in 2023, it felt like just another forgettable retro shooter. To me, there's too little incentive to go back and replay it, even though the weapons are great, as is the pixel art work. Ultimately, I think its lineage is both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness. While it is highly entertaining to shoot stuff in the face and plow through the game, its cramped maze-like level design and very basic gameplay can start to feel dull.
Still, I have no problem recommending this game, but it will also come with a fair warning.
