Relentless Frontier

Of the myriad retro shooter projects forever stuck in Early Access limbo, Relentless Frontier is definitely one deserving of more attention than it got. As of build version 0.5, this GZDoom shooter features [b]extensive maps[/b] that rival the likes of [i]Hedon[/i] (though Relentless Frontier’s mission objectives and progression aren’t as intricate) and [b]visceral gunplay[/b] that’s certainly closer to something like [i]Selaco[/i] rather than the more static shooting of deliberately 'traditionalist' retro shooters like [i]Supplice[/i]. Relentless Frontier also offers a [b]great amount of player mobility[/b], some neat [b]equipment upgrades[/b] that add unique and useful functionality to the (otherwise rather limited) selection of 5 weapons, as well as enough [b]plot and environmental storytelling[/b] to tie everything together (take notes, [i]Selaco[/i] Early Access build!) [b]Relentless Frontier’s main gameplay gimmick over other shooters is the inclusion of “omnifuel”[/b], a resource generated by killing enemies with your melee weapon or by destroying specific containers in the environment. It’s basically [b]a currency which you can use to buy health, armour or ammunition at an…

Played about 10 hours in. I am really liking it the combat is nice and fast there are always things to find. the downtime gives you a nice chance to breath. I personally find it fun. One thing i do have to point out is the secrets if you look you can find and get to the easy ones. I feel like a whole bunch of games go too far with secrets find this turn that on then you get a temp powerup. There are nice powerups you will miss if you do not go out of your way to look. They are not super well hidden.

My initial reaction after spending a couple hours with the game is overall positive. I am not sure I can recommend it at full price as there is only the first chapter completed. However the game is high quality and deserves more attention. The graphics are very nice appearing to be completely hand drawn. The guns look, feel, and sound very good to use. The music is great giving it a sci fi adventure vibe. The enemies have great animations and react well to damage, with a good variety even early on. They move fast and can attack in groups making it challenging. As far as the controls, you move fast as well. The game has movement FPS controls with double jumps, crouch sliding, and dashes. Movement is too fast for my liking as it seems the game has autorun set on by default with no option to turn it off. The game works well with a controller however even with the sensitivity turned all the way down feels too sensitive to me. Coupled with the fast movement speed can make aiming on controller a challenge with auto aim off and a group of enemies swarming you from all directions. Some of which wear armor that can only be damaged with the shotgun, so there is a bit of weapon swapping a…

It's good. Enemies and stages give you enough room for movement and there's a decent amount of story. The protag's comments are sparse and well-voiced enough to not bother me.

A wonderful classic FPS which is adept at combining many simple concepts into an experience that is much more than the sum of its parts. Relentless Frontier does a lot of keystone elements of classic shooters very, very well, while also not overusing them in favor of the more modern mechanics. Any game where the starter weapon doesn't immediately become a non-factor whenever you pick up something else gets a lot of points from me, but not only that, the starter weapon becomes absolutely ESSENTIAL to the combat, especially in Relentless difficulty (which has one of the best approaches to a high difficulty in this type of game), and not ONLY that, it's a MELEE weapon, which scarcely get a good track record when circle-strafing is a primary method of survival in these games. The Omnifuel system is RF's main gimmick, and after a brief period of adjustment to the controls, it's one of the best resource management systems in any FPS game I've ever played. Once you're familiar with enemy behavior and health values, baiting them into attacks that leave them vulnerable or getting big enemies low to finish them off with a lunge or slam is not only incredibly fun, but also rewards you comm…

Amazing and chaotic. Worth every penny