PowerSlave Exhumed

Many would argue that the more primitive days of gaming were the best. There was a sense of innocence and wonder. Back in a time where we thought a megabyte was huge and players could still be blown away by 2D visuals. It was the best of times and it can leave some of us wishing that games like that still existed. Well, bursting onto the scene to offer a healthy dose of nostalgia is Powerslave: Exhumed. A retro FPS Shooter with attitude, hellfire and lots of gore.

This game plays like retro shooters of the early nineties era like Doom, Dusk, Quake, Unreal Tournament, Wolfenstein and Timesplitters. This game aims to transport players back to the 1990’s with a flurry of bullets, enemies and pixellated demons. However, does this game offer the game wonder and appeal as the games of yesteryear. We find out in our review of Powerslave: Exhumed.

A Retro Bloodbath

Let’s begin with the visuals for this title. This game is very much modelled after the Doom series from back when floppy discs were around. So you see a lot of 2D assets, pixellated models, and janky animations. However, that’s intentional and part of the charm. That being said, the game does a lot to marry these retro visuals with more modern-day ideals. The retro assets are as sharp as they can be without losing their edge. The render distance is much further, the areas you explore are much more densely populated and overall, it just feels like there is more going on. It’s a nice balance and one that respects the older titles.

As for gameplay, it’s about as retro as it gets. You wander around dungeon style levels, shooting all the demonic creatures that you stumble across and do so with a variety of weapons and powers at your disposal. Again, there is a little bit more combat variety than the games of old, but it’s just enough to appeal to the modern gamer without losing the authenticity they are going for here. It’s chaotic FPS action at it’s finest.

Then lastly, we take a look at the story, or the lack there of. The game is made to be an all action shooter that relies on it’s combat and visuals. So the narrative took a back seat here. There is an overarching story, most of which is told through old FOV style movies. However, it’s always playing second fiddle to the combat and gameplay. It works for this type of game but you always want some sort of reason to shoot the demons in front of you. I guess because they are demons works just fine.

The Verdict

Overall, this is just a port of an old game that came out many moons ago. However, it’s always good to have an opportunity to play the classics and this is an example of FPS gem. The gameplay holds up to this day, the visuals are outstanding if you look past their age and respect them for what they are and the combat is great fun.

Pros

• Good old fashioned FPS fun
• Retro visuals are great

Cons

• Lacks a compelling story
• Its just a port, so no new content