Game Review: Rise of the Triad

          Now that the game has been patched towards greater stability I can finally bring you all my review. Note that I said "greater" stability and not "complete". I'll come back to that little niggling problem later on, because this is an introduction damnit. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, RotT is a remake of a game named RotT: Dark War which came out in 1994 and was developed by Apogee Software. It was a fast paced FPS that was similar to Wolfenstein 3D on various drugs and completely relished in its own nonsensical gameplay and plot. Now that many years have passed this old gem has been dusted off and given the HD makeover while at the same time retaining the archaic gameplay mechanics which made it stand out in its time. Does this remake still hold onto what made the original so beloved? Well we're about to find out. Lets get ludicrous!

Well it seems we're off to a good start.

Story

          One thing I loved about RotT was how simplistically its story plays out. While this may sound like a negative aspect you should really ask yourself why you expect a game where you communicate almost exclusively via rocket launchers to have a good story. You are a member of the elite team known as H.U.N.T., a force so utterly specialized and secret that this game is literally their first assignment. The game opens with the team sneaking onto a hidden island off the coast of California, whereupon they are immediately caught and forced to mulch every last enemy character in the game with the help of whatever cargo plane airdropped all these damn rocket launchers. That's basically it for the story, though the deeper you go the more confusing it gets. So you start off with soldiers, then robots, then monks who are also wizards, and then alien spider people. Yeah, it makes all the sense. Its best if you not focus on the story. Its essentially Wolfenstein as told by Michael Bay with a hint of occultism thrown in for good measure. Oh yeah, and lots of gibtastic explosions.

                                                                I like my meat extra charred.                        

 Graphics

          When you compare this to the original it is simply stunning to observe how far the gaming industry has come in terms of graphical realism. RotT has never looked better, or run worse. A common problem that many indie developers run into is bad optimization for their games on the latest hardware. RotT was so rife with performance bugs when it launched that I had to delay my review until they managed to patch it. Even with the latest patch the game only utilizes around 50-60% of my GPU. I'm using a GTX 670 FTW just for reference to my readers, not exactly an entry-level card. Through the early parts of the game the framerate was somewhat steady even in larger battles but past Episode 3 is where my performance began tanking into the 15-25 fps margin. This caused the game's fast paced nature to work against me, it became harder to react to emerging threats with any fluidity or precision. Interceptor says they are still optimizing everything, so kudos to them. When taken into account that this game was apparently made without a budget it becomes a wonder how they managed to craft such a gorgeous game. Colors are bright and vivid, with the ludicrously high-res textures being proudly put on display first and foremost. Once you look past the pretty textures you'll notice some strange or downright ugly effects that tend to break the immersion. Enemy corpses, body parts, and organs clip through the terrain very frequently and odd looking blood jets out of stumps with what looks like enough force to propel someone through a wall. If you can look past those issues you will find that the weapons are gorgeously modeled and textured, each instrument of explosive death given an arguably obsessive level of detail. Overall RotT is a great looking game marred by some glaring performance issues that will likely get resolved within the next week or so.

           

                                       That blood is from all the enemies stupid enough to run at you. Which means ALL OF THEM.

Gameplay

          I wasn't kidding earlier when I said this game is fast-paced. This is old-school fast paced we're talking about, where lightning fast reaction time and pinpoint precision will see you through to the end. A loaded rocket launcher never hurt either I suppose. Call of Duty seems like a time distortion next to RotT, where you are expected to hurtle yourself over terrain and obstacles at ludicrous speeds whilst dodging concentrated enemy fire. The feeling is cathartic when you unload a well placed rocket into a group of tight-knit enemies, their gory remains slamming down wetly around you. Its at moments like these where RotT shines its brightest, allowing you to traverse the levels like a human bullet filled with explosions. Then the game suddenly decides to become a platformer, promptly hurling jumping puzzles at you like the aforementioned rockets. These sections are plentiful in supply and supremely irritating, as they shatter the pacing and force you to plod along through them through trial and error runs. Mangled by rotating blades? Back to the last checkpoint. Impaled in a spike pit? Back to that last checkpoint. You see, unlike the original game, the remake has no quick-save system in place. Each level has several checkpoints, which records your current status as you pass them. I don't have to tell you all what a bad idea this is, so I'll just give you an example. I'm running through a winding hallway, gravely injured from my last huge encounter with no porridge in sight to gobble down. I come across a sudden left turn, take it, then flee for my life as a giant boulder comes rolling down the incline. I outpace it, pass the checkpoint, and emerge into a room filled with enemy soldiers. I have 6% health remaining. Oh dear. Moments like these are what makes RotT so infuriating to play, and whats worse is that they occur with common frequency. The player is given little to no warning of where hidden traps may be, often having to blunder into them first and reload that last checkpoint. I'm not that masochistic Interceptor, geez. Without rattling on about the awful save system and frequent insta-death moments, I'll just say that the combat and secrets are the only things that save this game from a more scathing review. Some things transfer over better from the original, while some features should have been redone entirely or taken out. Collecting all those floating coins really brought out my more OCD tendencies, damn. Each level is packed with the shiny things though they only add to your overall level score, so feel free to ignore them if you wish. Along the way you'll pick of various flavors of rocket launchers such as a rocket minigun and the Flamewall, which dish out death via mini-splosions and scalding heat respectively. Every weapon has been finely tuned and feels perfectly overpowered within the context of the already ludicrous story. You can use your dual pistols or MP40 if you wish, though I find it hilarious that you can reload even though both weapons have infinite ammo and clips. Personally I fell in love with the rocket minigun, popping my opponents like the blood-filled meat sacks that they were. Joining the bizarre arsenal are some even more bizarre powerups scattered throughout the levels, serving as what I can only assume as more proof that this game is ludicrous. You have God Mode, which turns you into a deity with the power to deliver lethal blasts of electric energy; Dog Mode, which turns the player into a small mutt who can access tiny passages and rip out throats, and Shrooms mode to name a few. Most of these are extremely useful while some serve to potentially hinder your progress for a short duration. I should also mention that the A.I. is terrible, though I'm sure that's intentional. Gameplay-wise this is a faithful transition into the modern era, for better or worse.

ZAP!

Sound

          To round off this package, RotT features a pretty nifty metal soundtrack and not much else. I hope you like the sound of explosions and poorly acted screaming, because that is going to get crammed into your ears throughout the game. Aside from the music there really isn't much else I can say here, overall the sound design is lacking and a definite step down from my last review of TIAoVH. I'm sorry, I really loved the music in that but it isn't a fair comparison. RotT has a more minimalistic approach to its sound effects, no doubt related to the game's lack of a budget. I suggest putting on some tunes in the background, it'll really improve the flow of the game.

 Must. Collect. Everything.

Conclusion

          For $15 you are getting a ludicrously action packed shooter that sometimes tries way too hard to be a platformer. If that sounds like your cup of tea then this game is for you, but for those expecting a more straightforward experience you may be disappointed. When I pre-ordered the game it came with a 4-pack containing Apogee's earliest games, including RotT and it's expansion, so you may be able to still attain that pack if you are looking to play the original before delving into the remake. Honestly I'm glad I played this game, it showed me what a little studio is capable of if it has enough passion and love for a project. Interceptor should be congratulated on bringing this remake to life, and then be reminded to keep patching their game. 7.5/10 (Only PC version available)