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[Hide] (587KB, 3840x2160) Reverse Just beat Trepang2 (squared) today. A short, but fun game. The gameplay's the main focus and does it very well. It plays like a modern F.E.A.R (though not completely copy/pasted). You're a super soldier able to go invisible, use bullet time (working similar to F.E.A.R, but you're able to recharge/keep it going by killing enemies), slide in all directions, grab enemies as hostages (either by sneaking behind them, or stunning them first by shooting them, or with a melee/drop kick) and either use them as meatshields or throwing them into enemies as grenades. You can eventually dual wield most weapons.
Movement is mostly solid. Stamina runs out pretty quick, but the game encourages you to slide more than sprint during fights. Gun selection isn't bad. Though all generic, you have a pistol, SMG, rifle, shotgun (as powerful as F.E.A.R's shotgun), sniper, grenade launcher, minigun, and an explosive bolt launcher. In addition, you can modify them after finding parts during main and side missions (not all of them are useful), and you'll find mod stations during missions. You'll also get hand genades, flame grenades, mines, and tomahawks. You can only carry 2 weapons at a time (you keep the dual wielding for said sets), but with the amount of enemies you'll be fighting, you'll have plenty to work with. While reloading's still good, the game encourages you to swap to your other set or with dropped weapons as you fight. You can even earn a modifier where swapping's your only option when a clip runs out. Melee ranges from punching with your gun, kicking from sprinting, jumping, or jumping from sprint. It feels less janky than F.E.A.R's, but it has it's moments where you should hit, but may not for some reason. Sadly, there aren't any melee weapons. Stealth is hit or miss. You can get the jump on groups, but you really can't ghost all the fights. Invisibility doesn't last as long, and is recommended either when in cover or at low health to get away (only last a few seconds, and instantly depletes when you start shooting).
Enemy AI isn't as robust as F.E.A.R's, but does a good job trying. They'll vocally react to various situations, move to better positions, suppress fire at your last seen location, hold fire if you're facing them with a hostage (and even berate the hostage for being caught), try to flank you, and will throw a lot of grenades to stop you (you can shoot them mid-air, but can't catch them and throw back). Enemies range from regular grunts with light armor, to bulldozer levels of armor requiring a powerful gun or lot of bullets (or alternative ways of killing them). Sadly, most if not all of the mini bosses (called high value targets) are just slightly different enemy types that can be easily dispatched. Some are even vulnerable to being grabbed and thrown with an active grenade attached to kill them.
Story-wise, it's nothing original. You're saved by an agency to take down an evil medical/science corporation doing fucked up experiments, while also fighting the aftermath of said experiments/endeavors. At the end you are betrayed by the ones that saved you. It's revealed that they were the ones that orchestrated the events of the game to take out rogue subjects trying to stop the agency (though the organizations they created and you went up against are still fucked up), with you as the latest subject ensuring they're taken out. You manage to break free before getting killed, kill your successor, and nuke the agency (getting a secret ending for sequel purposes should you get all the memory drones during the main mission). It's not original or really, but what they do have is interesting. The game is more gameplay focused than story focused (given the various difficulties and combat simulation challenges).
Despite the unoriginal story, how it's presented and the buildup to events is well done. You get glimpses of what's going on via level design and intel collected, and it helps set the tone for what you're about find. The game does have spooky elements, but instead of one persistent spooky element, the levels with horror are unique to their location. The experience only works for the first playthrough (as with most horror games), but they did a good job in making you hesitate and on edge as you progress despite being a super soldier.
The voice acting is surprisingly good as well. Enemies genuinely sound either excited or terrified depending on the situation. The pre-set lines during mission progression do a good job at showing how angry or scared they are (though not all lines hit the mark). It even get's a bit unnerving at points hearing how the NPCs die or suffer (such as being burned alive or during the second to last mission, hearing the deceived volunteers scream in agonizing pain over the radio as their heads are quickly cut open to "donate" their brains for multiple consciousness transfer attempts during the boss fight).
A rarity in the modern era, the game also includes cheats you unlock by beating the missions on various difficulties. They range from adding limitations for harder challenges, providing unlimited ammo/stamina/slo-mo/invisible meter, to having ridiculous modes for NPCs like big head, more ragdoll physics, and other wacky scenarios. You can unlock different camos for your character, but you'll only see the arms, legs and shoes. All in all, a good first game from the dev team.