Hungry for some old-school shooter action? Then you ought to keep your eye on Overload, the new Kickstarter-funded game from the original creators of the classic Descent series. Much like Descent, Overload puts you in command of a spacecraft with a full six degrees of control (up/down, left-right, forward/backward) and tasks you with navigating a series of tight, enemy-filled tunnels. The game looks intense, and a bit maddening, but that’s exactly what Descent fans are into. Check out the game’s launch trailer, below.
Don’t worry though, Overload won’t be too old-school. Developer Revival Productions is promising a variety of new, modern features:
Descent, developed by Parallax Software and published by Interplay in 1995, received critical acclaim for its 3D six-degree-of-freedom gameplay that combined the best of space flight simulation with FPS experience. Overload offers a Descent-like style of play, but brings the labyrinthine environments to new and vibrant life with updated features, deeper gameplay, and dramatically enhanced graphics.
Gameplay Features:
- 15 level single-player campaign plus secret levels
- Numerous level challenges including lava, forcefields, lockdowns, ambushes and secret rooms
- 20 terrifying robot enemies, plus Super-Robots and Variants and three bosses
- Multiplayer with public and private matches
- Challenge mode (with two variants) and 12 Challenge Mode levels Story by the writer of FreeSpace 2 with fully-voiced audio (English Only)
- Adrenaline-pumping soundtrack
- Optional training level for refining your piloting skills
- Achievements and Leaderboards
- Upgrades and XP system and advanced player stats
- Automap and Holo-guide for navigation assistance
- Save anywhere
- Six difficulty levels ranging from a casual challenge to very punishing
- Support for mouse, keyboard, gamepad and/or joystick controls
- Surround sound audio options
- Virtual reality support for Oculus and Vive
Overload has been available on Steam in Early Access form for a while (where it’s accumulated a “Very Positive” user score), but it will get a full release next month.
Overload takes flight on PC, Mac, and Linux on May 31. Console versions will be coming to Xbox One and PS3 sometime this fall.
