Trepang2 (opens in new tab), the spectacular FPS heavily inspired by Monolith’s F.E.A.R (opens in new tab), kneeslides its way onto Steam on June 21.
The release date’s reveal was accompanied by a new trailer providing an extensive look at Trepang2’s flashy, bloody combat, as well as a few glimpses of the game’s story. You play a supersoldier known simply as “106” who has escaped from a research institute belonging to the shady Horizon corporation. Rescued by a paramilitary organisation with aspirations of taking down Horizon, you’re sent back to exact vengeance on the people who imprisoned you.
All of which serves as a loose framework for some delightfully excessive action. Like the game upon which it is based, Trepang2 laces its shooting with over-the-top effects. Any given encounter will fill the air with sparks and debris, while the game’s liberal bullet-time ability lets you see the shockwaves of explosions as they ripple through the environment.
It’s a fantastic looking thing. The combat also adds a few additional feature to the first-person “gun-fu” introduced in Monolith’s shooter. These include the ability to dual-wield weapons and use enemies as human shields. I particularly like how you can toss grabbed enemies around, using them to stagger other opponents, or shooting the grenades on their belts to make them explode.
The most crucial element in replicating F.E.A.R.’s FPS experience, however, is enemy AI. F.E.A.R.’s weaponised clones remain some of the canniest foes I’ve ever encountered in a shooter, and all Trepang2’s fancy effects won’t do much good if its soldiers are dumb as rocks. The extensive enemy radio chatter heard in the trailer is a promising sign that Trepang2’s opponents will be similarly communicative. But whether they’ll try to outflank and outfox you is another question.
Although Trepang2 doesn’t release for another couple of months, if you fancy having a crack at Trepang2 yourself, you can grab the Steam demo here (opens in new tab).