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There is an issue in gaming lately where a title can be introduce phenomenally , with the high rendered , CPU - destroying shadows and unbelievable 4k textures on every metric grain of George Sand on screen , only for players to break that the game is otherwise free of essence . This outcome is majorly featured in some Triple - A quality releases and some titles build with Unreal Engine , the latter having incredibly advanced render applied science that admit aspiring developer to make beautifully detailed environments long before they figure out the complexity of encipher a game .
funnily and to my pleasant surprisal , S.E.C.U. is somewhere on the paired oddment of the spectrum . The gameplay feels solid , well - delimit , and ready for release but is bind back by its lackluster visuals and level excogitation . As strange as it may be , S.E.C.U. is a game that could use a little more time in the oven , mainly because it justlooksincomplete .
To fully understand what I mean , I first have to affect on the gameplay of S.E.C.U. , where the title undeniably shine .
S.E.C.U. has a sanely simple yet standout design premise . The secret plan is a roguelike first - person shooter where you pilot through randomly generated levels fighting off waves of demons using guns and perks you earn through your kills .
It may just be due to ignorance , but this is the first time I ’ve ever try of a roguelike FPS game . The estimation is good enough to draw you in , but the good assumption can otherwise precipitate flat if badly execute . S.E.C.U. Thankfully , it makes good usage of its solid foundation , even if it can use room for improvement .
The feel of the guns is one of the most life-sustaining scene of S.E.C.U. and any FPS title . If you ’re using a first - person tv camera for a shooter , you absolutely must take advantage of the perspective ’s unique ability to make guns palpate real and impactful . S.E.C.U. does this well , with each firearm have firm recoil , case ejection , with child reload animations , etc . It takes a much - appreciated step forrader , giving each heavy weapon a unparalleled individuality . Damage , spray pattern , fire rate , backlash control , optics , etc . , are different for each gun , which makes the firearms you choose a interrogation of which artillery works best for you instead of just which gun kills the fast .
S.E.C.U. has a very unassailable Call of tariff : zombie stirring that it wears proudly on its sleeve . It is a really clever way to make enjoyment of the roguelike genre ’s RNG ( randomly generated ) mechanics . gather loot is primarily done through sand trap located on your path through a level , where you ’ll find dissimilar loot boxes that supply randomized artillery drops and perk machines that give you unequaled passive , all for a price . cogitate Perk Cola and the Random Box from MWZ with greatly expanded profundity , and you ’ll understand the dinero and butter of loot assemblage in S.E.C.U.
Gameplay - wise , S.E.C.U. takes vantage of these inspiration to make something that find great to flirt . Killing waves of fiend , see the guns that work just right for you , and pile perks until your inevitable death is a fun , easily quotable gameplay loop that is sure to keep you hooked , try new weapon every hazard you could get and optimise your build to clear-cut demons faster .
That being say , the biz does struggle with tempo . vex through a tier is a slog ; everything propel too slowly . This is n’t because of the focal ratio of the demons or anything , who will get up in your human face using the salvo of smoke and blood of their deceased associate as cover to do so ( an look I really , really like . ) stage just feel a piece too long . It only take me 30 minute to get to the biz ’s first boss ( who was a fastball sponge ) , but it was n’t very synergistic or exciting , and it feel much long than 30 minutes .
This is due in major parts to the game ’s lustreless level design , principally due to the underwhelming visuals .
S.E.C.U. has an aesthetically pleasing blood-red color palette ( which trade out in late story for a nerveless green or cold blue ) that makes the levels feel otherworldly . That is pretty much the deepness of the visual complexity of the game . Beyond the coolheaded coloring material , you will more or less be run down straight , narrow hallway with the same asset liberally reused along the way of life .
Walking in a full-strength agate line is n’t fun , especially when there is n’t anything to see . The levels in S.E.C.U. look barren , as if the developer either does n’t know how to or does n’t want to embellish or clutter up them . I do n’t know if this was a choice made out of ignorance , hoping to pull through memory , or what . Still , I know that the Unreal Engine can handle more significant , better - looking levels than what S.E.C.U. has to bid , and the biz is contrive to take advantage of a gorgeous landscape painting . If all you ’re doing is walking down a true dividing line with nothing to see , then what ’s in front of you , a unattackable optic agency , feels like a necessary but overlooked expression after the core gameplay is finish , which , as we ’ve discussed , S.E.C.U. more or less perfect .
It is n’t just the levels that are punishing to look at but the rummy enemy type that can make the secret plan feel underwhelming . Where is the variety ? If demons are the game ’s target foeman , then there is SO MUCH you may do to vary up the enemy types and give us exciting , interesting , and even scary new foes to kill .
The secret plan ’s simplistic UI also makes me imagine that the developer did n’t have the same expertise in that area of game aim and did n’t have the time to learn . The normal HUD ( Heads - Up Display ) is great , save for the glaringly simplistic wellness and stamen bar , but all of the menu to interact with objects and prize are jarringly canonic and hard to look at . Also , as a flake of a nitpick , there is no visual indicator that the interaction key is forge on an object . This leads to about 2 to 3 seconds of just standing there holding the eastward push button before you know something is operate .
S.E.C.U. has potential . It has already master the game ’s hardest part to get right , which is the gameplay itself . To really capitalize on the standout claim it could be , it needs a optical makeover : New UI , better degree intention with more interesting environments , more enemy variety , and boss scrap that are more mechanically complicated than sprinting away and shooting an enemy from outside their melee kitchen stove .
I hope to see the developer , who is clearly very talented , perfect his science in the more artistic side of game design , hire a team of equally talented creatives to give S.E.C.U. a huge and much - deserved update or blow us off with S.E.C.U. 2 .
The Final Word
S.E.C.U. has a strong gameplay foundation and tick off all mechanically skillful boxes for a good FPS game . However , the game struggles from boring - stratum design , unexciting boss fights , a deficiency of enemy multifariousness , and underwhelming visuals . With a good update focalize on these trouble , S.E.C.U. can take reward of its already stiff mechanics to make a truly standout title .
S.E.C.U. was reviewed on the PC . Find more elaborate looks at popular and coming rubric in theGame Reviewssection of our web site ! S.E.C.U. is usable onSteam .
