Sprawl, by developer MAETH and publisher Rogue Games, is a fun, engaging romp through a dystopian cyberpunk future that wears its inspiration on its sleeves. Movies and series like Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell will most likely come to mind first, and it is an excellent take on the genre. Controlling a cyber and gene-enhanced soldier named Seven, the computer AI system Father tasks you with taking down a conglomerate government and allowing free will to be re-enabled in the vast populace. It is a very classic setup, and leads to a really well-developed world.
Before I even get into the gameplay, I need to talk about the visuals, audio, and environments. The visuals take cues from late 1999-early 2000s inspired shooters, and on my mind in particular was Deus Ex, which was of similar graphical power of the time, and also had a cyberpunk future setting as its basis. Sprawl of course is a better-looking game thanks to modern graphical practices such as bloom and dynamic lighting, but as a modern take on that era, it is successful. The sounds and environment do wonders to enhance this setting, and what I really found fun was the hidden QR codes in each environment. At certain points you will find tablets with QR codes that you can scan with your phone that will take you to web pages that contain select conversations (see an example below) between enemy commanders, rebel squad leaders, etc. I was always excited to find these, take a moment, and read up on what was going on in relation to the main plot of the game. Not too many games to my knowledge (if any) incorporate these types of storytelling ideas, so I have to give major props to the developers at MAETH for these really fun ideas.
As to the gameplay. Sprawl plays out like your typical fps, but with a parkour system similar to Mirror’s Edge. Seven can run on walls and jump from them (up to three times) in order to traverse the environment and gain a leg up in combat on her enemies. She also has an adrenaline booster, which, upon right clicking, will allow for bullet time slowdown where you can more easily dodge enemy attacks, as well as see highlighted weak points to shoot at for critical damage, many times with explosive results! You can dual-wield pistols and SMGs, there is a double-barreled pump action shotgun, a railgun, a chain gun, a rocket launcher, and grenade launcher, of which, surprisingly, my favorite were the SMGs for rapid fire fun. Using the right weapon for the right situation as well as switching mid-combat, like in DOOM Eternal and other throwback shooters will help you properly combat the heavy military police, robot dogs and androids, and giant mechs.
At around six hours to make it through the campaign, Sprawl never wears out its welcome. At points where the combat may become a bit too similar, they do just enough to spice it up with new encounters and different environments to keep your well entertained. A dash of clever writing and dialogue will only keep you smiling as you make your way through the game’s three episodes. If you are looking for another great throwback shooter this year to accompany the earlier Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (see my previous review for that blast of a game!), Sprawl is without a doubt worth your time and money, and had me hooked all the way through!
Score: 10/10
SPRAWL is available for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by Matt O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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