Ah, the 2000s era of first-person shooters. It was a glorious time, one that reminded us of endless possibilities and nearly limitless creativity. Not to mention the kind of bloodshed that would make us wonder what exactly bad guys were made of. Papier mache perhaps? That said, we have seen a few indies pop out of the woodwork lately with games inspired by that era, and I say the more the merrier. That’s why I’m happy to welcome MAETH’s Sprawl Zero with open, bruised arms.
The game is all about fighting fast and loose, as you portray a super soldier pitted against groups of a techno-religious group hellbent on domination. That usually doesn’t go well. But rather than simply coming at them with an incredible arsenal, Sprawl Zero forces you to use your resources wisely. It’s always great to have a wind-up punch to splatter someone, but it takes forever to use. So firearms it is.
The thing is, firearms run out of ammunition. What to do? Why, bonk the enemy with the empty gun and pick up their firearm. And repeat. It also doesn’t hurt to have some augmented tools of the trade, including Gravity Gloves, which can help you stop a field of bullets like Neo from The Matrix before turning them back around on your opponents.
Gameplay in Sprawl Zero is absolutely furious, and I mean that in the strongest way possible. It runs very cleanly and forces you to focus on enemies, while at the same time seeing what bullets remain left. You also have to do puzzle solving on occasion, such as deactivating power switches or overtaking stations crucial to the cause of your foes. That’s not always easy considering you usually have a chopper overhead trying to rain down bullets on you.
Really, the only drawback I get from Sprawl Zero is the annoying need to backtrack. See, most of these levels look about the same in terms of design, so it can be real easy to get lost here and there. A map system – or at the very least a compass ala Quake II – would’ve made things not so complex. But exploration has its moments here, especially when you’re taking a chunk out of a wall to rip it down, then sending said chunk into an awaiting soldier.
Did I also mention it’s wickedly entertaining to grab an auto-turret and turn the tables on your adversaries with it? No, really, try it.
Length-wise, the campaign doesn’t take long to get through. But it does remain exciting, and you can always try for a faster completion time, if you’re in a perfectionist state of mind.
As for the presentation, it’s razor sharp. I tested the game on PlayStation 5 (it’s also available for Xbox, Steam andNintendo Switch 2) and it runs at a fluid 60 FPS. The levels do look grainy on occasion, but the action moves without a hitch, and the enemies definitely have no trouble popping out of the woodwork. I was hoping for more variety, but what’s here isn’t bad. I also liked the futuristic landscapes wavering in the distance, giving the game a neo-utopian look.
As for the sound, it’s great. The in-game music is really groovy and the sound effects deliver with each fiery bang. There are, however, some garbled voices from (I assume) the head commander that become somewhat annoying. Like they’re trying to mix in with the music and failing miserably.
But I digress. The small issues with Sprawl Zero aren’t enough to overcome the sheer awesomeness of its 2000s vibe of shooting. It’s fast paced and offers plenty of excitement, and looks and sounds about on the level of something resembling the era. And it’s reasonably priced for a mere $25. Hopefully we’ll see a physical option, because this thing would look wicked good next to my cherished copy of Deus Ex: Invisible War and Half-Life 2. Just saying.
Does this get GTM Burton’s seal of approval? Absolutely!
Thanks to Kwalee for providing us with review keys for the PlayStation 5!
