The keycard hunts from DOOM have been transformed into natural breadcrumb progression without sacrificing any of the sophistication that made those levels so great. It’s hard to put into words, but while playing it feels like magic.
The masterful combination of geometry, lighting, and enemy and item placements come together to expertly pace the action while simultaneously moving things forward. They elegantly guide the player like the banks of a river from locale to locale, looping back on themselves effortlessly. Not once during my time in these labyrinthian levels did I feel lost or confused. The train leads me back to the start of the level, and with a new keycard, I open the way to the exit. Next, I fight my way through a narrow train, using the high-powered railgun that was beaming down on me moments ago to slaughter lines of enemies. I fight through the trainyard, up the tower, and dispatch the gunmen. The cliff opens onto a trail-yard where the snipers’ tower is a mere stone’s throw away. I duck into side rooms, arenas, and corridors as I make my way closer to their vantage point. I navigate along the chasm opposite the spire, hiding behind cover as the gunners take aim. The spire cracks open in puffs of smoke, and its face opens, revealing energy shields and two railgun snipers perched within. Take, for example, “Marksman.” This level begins overlooking a chasm of acid pits, in the distance a broad spire looms. Prodeus has some of the most inspired FPS level design since DOOM. I do wish the team had strayed just a little further from their influence, but they come together to make such interesting fights that it’s easy to see why innovation may have proven unnecessary. There are pinky equivalents, cacodemon equivalents, imp equivalents, pain elemental equivalents, and archvile equivalents. Enemy designs might be my one gripe with Prodeus, because while varied, they lack surprise. Things start slow, with some standard fireball-shooting demons and zombies that lurch about, but more interesting and challenging foes are sprinkled in throughout the campaign.
Prodeus towers above that experience with more satisfying weapons (including one of the best chain guns I’ve seen in a shooter), great level design, and some eye-popping art.
I play a Frankenstein’s monster version of classic DOOM, loaded up with all sorts of mods that make it punchier, grosser, and smoother. There’s no denying that Prodeus leans hard on the likes of DOOM for inspiration, but is so well-designed and fun to play that I can hardly criticize it for that.
Vistas and setpieces start coming, and they do not, in fact, stop coming. Guns provide an audial feast as they light the room with each pull of the trigger. Demons explode into viscous globs of jammy blood that paints the walls, floor, and ceiling. If you thought Brutal DOOM was a little too corny but still appreciated the gibs, Prodeus is here to fill the void.Įnemies are sprite-based, and textures are merely suggestions in this dark sci-fi shooter born from the best of the late ’90s classics. READY.” I warily continued, worried the lean-in to community goodwill and memes was a front for a half-baked effort to jump on the retro-FPS wave. The first early access stage of Prodeus begins with a sequence of neon lights that flashed along a long corridor.