Czech retro shooter The tip is like a Quake cut Panelstory -apkrig
When I really want to relax, I listen to music I’ve heard, watch movies I’ve seen, read books I’ve already read, and play games I’ve already played. I’m probably a little stuck in the past and I don’t mind. Such “reruns” will not disappoint me in any way, but at the same time they will not surprise me either. They’re just old. But in the field of video games, there is a very effective way to get a little excited in a similar old-fashioned mood, and that is modern retro games. The shooter Hrot od Spytihněva (Legion, Tragedy of Ruprecht Falcký) is from this category and will enter the program of preliminary access to Steam on January 29, which will bring the first episode of FPS, which will take us to Czechoslovakia in 1986. We had the opportunity to I can’t keep the impressions from this excursion against the flow of time for myself.
The tip will take you back a quarter of a century in terms of playability and 25 years back in terms of atmosphere. Spytihněv will unleash a normalizing depression on you from the first moments so thick that you will be afraid that Milan Šteindler as Víťa Jakoubek and Klára Pollertová will jump on you from behind the trash can as Evička Málková in the cultural center: “Go back to the grave!” And that you will return there often in Hrot! The pre-November scenery inspired by real Prague locations is full of authentic period props, and if you know these realities at least a little, you will probably appreciate the care with which Spytihněv decorates his interiors with building slogans, warnings and everyday objects. The story is just as important here as in porn, so the predatory gameplay plays a key role and the hero doesn’t tolerate long dialogues. Your pilgrimage will start at the Kosmonautů metro station, which is today’s Háje, and you will continue to the center of Prague, for example via Pakul or Vyšehrad, which you may already know from last year’s demo version.
In another shooter, I have not yet fought a goat on a football field while netting a few goals. And believe me, I’m talking more about physical education than natural science here…
At its core, it is a classic shooter inspired by productions from the second half of the 1990s. The color palette is probably most reminiscent of Quake and its sequel, but it will certainly evoke other games that you played then. So if you played them… Maybe Chasm: The Rift. For a change, the Soldier of Fortune will mention the aforementioned subway or intrusive helicopter. The uncomfortable environment and depressing atmosphere are not far from Kingpin. And with frenetic shooting or some enemies, the novelty can remind Serious Sam or Painkiller, which are, however, slightly newer games.
For me personally, the repulsive normalization backdrop is one of the most interesting parts of the game. I dare not predict how it will affect younger players or people in the world, but I think it could be a great attraction for our people, as well as for fans from the surrounding countries, who may also be partially “found” in the environment. Although it may not sound like a great compliment, the result is also reminiscent of some early domestic modifications for the mentioned FPS, whose authors were also inspired by Prague, although about a decade younger. Also worth noting are the enemies, who are even more grotesque than the environment itself. The first batch of relatively ordinary villains in gas masks is followed by significantly more bizarre adversaries led by bosses. In another shooter, I have not yet fought a goat on a football field while netting a few goals. And believe me, I’m talking more about physical education than natural science here…
An integral part of the whole experience are, of course, weapons, among which we find not only the conventional, but also the experimental Soviet lightning bolt or sickle, without which socialism simply will not be built. However, you will not become the head of the workers’ and the government even in the field, you will stuck a sickle in the head of your enemies. Whether it’s the bourgeoisie, the imperialists, the revanchists, the kulaks, the Wall Street assassins or the levitating prasopsi, everyone is after you and there is no time to ask who is who to defend the homeland. In addition, the environment is full of various easter eggs, cues and interactive objects. You watch a movie, kiss Husák, ride a motorcycle and plunder food while trying to replenish your health. Don’t be afraid to overlook these jokes, you will have plenty of time to explore them, because a complicated level design is part of the right nineties event. Forget modern tunnels and corridors. The local labyrinths of intersecting corridors are full of locked doors, locks, keys and handles, with the help of which you must gradually access the whole area and leave it with the final escape exit.
The game is powered by its own engine, which convincingly imitates contemporary technologies even with all the scandals of graphics at the time. On top of that, however, it adds a few purely modern conveniences, such as dynamic lighting or some reflections, which, surprisingly, follow a functional symbiosis with retro textures and models. After all, the environment is not completely indifferent to your rage. In addition to the indispensable explosive barrels, from time to time you will come across something that needs to be shot to move from a seemingly dead end. We should not forget the secret places that you can reveal if you try hard.
I would appreciate the more significant musical accompaniment that should drive the action forward.
From all that said, you certainly understood that I like Hrot so far, and I think its first episode is worth paying attention to, if you know what you’re going for and you like retro events. Of course, this does not mean that the novelty is perfect or there is no room for improvement, this is not a review after all, because it would be premature to evaluate the game in progress. At the same time, however, we must not forget that this is a project of a single developer who successfully competes with smaller and larger teams even in the field of retro shooters. As for reservations, the movement of enemies seems very chaotic to me in places. Although this is partly due to its charm, jumping dogs and horses or dolls tossing between the water and the shore are already too much for my taste. I appreciated that at any time, in addition to the flashlight, I could also activate a map, which is continuously drawn directly on the screen, but when I got stuck or did not know where to use the collected key, it still did not help me find the way to the destination. I would appreciate the stronger musical accompaniment that should propel the action forward, and I don’t like “underbelts” like enemies spawning players in the back. But you complain about it when it belonged to the production of that time. The environment is appropriately variable, but I much rather ended up moving on the surface and outdoors than in the sewers and underground, which are a bit repetitive.
But in the end, the essentials should be heard. Despite minor reservations and the fact that, depending on the difficulty you choose, you can finish the first episode in as little as two or three hours, I think the early access of Hrot is definitely worth attention. If you know what to expect. The game is expected to sell for about 17 euros and could spend 9 to 18 months in the pre-access program. In time, it will offer other episodes, but also support for modifications, so that we can build our headquarters in Vortex in the House of Trade Unions in Žižkov. Currently, the game is only available for Windows and Spytihnev does not plan another version yet. We’ll look at Hrot in the stream today.
