I'm not even halfway through and i'm already disappointed that this game doesn't have a bigger fanbase. It isn't just an homage to a fantastic series of classic games, it's the PERFECT homage. It takes what they do and doesn't reinvent it, or twist it, it improves it. What you're playing is a cleaner DOOM, and though it lacks the same speed-based level designs, it makes up for it in arsenal and style. It isn't as good as the games that it is based on, but that doesn't stop it from being fun and engaging.

The game's selling point is its modernised take on retro gunplay, and its world. Every enemy, every weapon, every environment, feels so grotesque and stylised. If you get a weapon, it's going to look weird, play cool, and handle well. It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it is able to surprise and delight.

There are flaws, and they need to be addressed. Primarily, one could argue there are too many levels, as without engaging "what the ♥♥♥♥" enemy combinations and reveals, some parts get a little tedious. And yeah, at the start the game feels unkempt and thrown together. The most egregious flaws by far are sparsity of ammunition and physical level design, although neither are that bad.

It's definitely not fun having no ammo for a few levels for a certain gun, and it's extra not fun when the movement which hails from games renowned for smooth, flowing sprints, is inhibited by parts of the level. Things like these would be solved, I think, by having more diversity in ammo pickups, as well as having more open level design, with less narrow hallways and giant holes in the ground. By far my biggest gripe is the soundtrack, although it is not 'bad' so much as it is pure ambience. There are very few instances of full-blown music, although they are pretty good when they do happen (although i do again feel the need to reiterate i have not finished the game yet). If Quake can get away with a 90% ambience soundtrack and still be a pillar of modern game design, i'm more than happy to cut Shrine II some slack, although i do think that many designers underestimate the importance of a good score to a game.

That being said, as critique is necessary for a good review, this game is good and worth the time investment. I certainly enjoyed it, and as an aspiring game designer myself, a boomer shooter with this level of polish and flow is something to be enjoyed and immensely proud of by the community and designers respectively.

I'm not even halfway through and i'm already disappointed that this game doesn't have a bigger fanbase. It isn't just an homage to a fantastic series of classic games, it's the PERFECT homage. It takes what they do and doesn't reinvent it, or twist it, it improves it. What you're playing is a cleaner DOOM, and though it lacks the same speed-based level designs, it makes up for it in arsenal and style. It isn't as good as the games that it is based on, but that doesn't stop it from being fun and engaging. The game's selling point is its modernised take on retro gunplay, and its world. Every enemy, every weapon, every environment, feels so grotesque and stylised. If you get a weapon, it's going to look weird, play cool, and handle well. It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it is able to surprise and delight. There are flaws, and they need to be addressed. Primarily, one could argue there are too many levels, as without engaging "what the fuck" enemy combinations and reveals, some parts get a little tedious. And yeah, at the start the game feels unkempt and thrown together. The most egregious flaws by far are sparsity of ammunition and physical level design, although neither are that bad. It's definitely not fun having no ammo for a few levels for a certain gun, and it's extra not fun when the movement which hails from games renowned for smooth, flowing sprints, is inhibited by parts of the level. Things like these would be solved, I think, by having more diversity in ammo pickups, as well as having more open level design, with less narrow hallways and giant holes in the ground. By far my biggest gripe is the soundtrack, although it is not 'bad' so much as it is pure ambience. There are very few instances of full-blown music, although they are pretty good when they do happen (although i do again feel the need to reiterate i have not finished the game yet). If Quake can get away with a 90% ambience soundtrack and still be a pillar of modern game design, i'm more than happy to cut Shrine II some slack, although i do think that many designers underestimate the importance of a good score to a game. That being said, as critique is necessary for a good review, this game is good and worth the time investment. I certainly enjoyed it, and as an aspiring game designer myself, a boomer shooter with this level of polish and flow is something to be enjoyed and immensely proud of by the community and designers respectively.