In today’s gaming climate, developers are beginning to abandon the PC exclusive in favor of consoles. Fortunately, there’s still an audience for titles geared specifically for the PC, and Polish indie upstart, Flying Wild Hog, seems to have noticed. Many of the team’s members have previous industry experience, as they have gotten their start on titles such as Bulletstorm, the Witcher Series, and PainKiller. This twitch shooter hearkens back to a day where the FPS was king on the PC and it shows. In a world of Call of Duty clones, Hard Reset is a welcome return to the old-school days of FPS shooters such as Quake II and Unreal, where your sole goal was to make it out alive. Sure, there are mission objectives littered about, but they’re typically nothing more than “get to the laboratory.” For the most part, conflict arises from waves of enemies shuffling into rooms that are crowded with health and ammo pickups, so fans of those older franchises will instantly feel at home.
Hard Reset does an excellent job of building a sense of excitement and anxiety through scripting. As players progress down alleyways, the clanking sound of a metal door can be heard flapping in the distance followed by the quick pitter-patter of small robot feet as an enemy makes its way across said alley. These auditory clues warn players of what’s to come, but they also build tension for the conflict leading up to the moment it arrives. The Daft Punk-esque soundtrack kicks in as battles ensue as well, then it slowly fades out to let you know that you’re safe….for now.
