Yesterday I mentioned how Toxikk describing itself as a rare return to the old-school FPS was somewhat disingenuous. Soon after, an email proves my point—alerting me to Reflex . It's another old-school FPS, this time on Kickstarter. Could this be the start of a new FPS-off; the Quake vs UT of post-2010 gaming. Only if the game raises $360,000 AUD (£194,500/$318,230) in the next four weeks.
As you might expect, the feature list is extremely no-nonsense:
- "Hunt through complex maps filled with jump pads, teleporters and tempting looking rocket jumps and gather weapons, items and powerups.
- "Bunny hop and double jump around until you see something to shoot, then splatter that something all over the walls with a rocket launcher.
- "Over 10 game modes including Free-For-All, Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch.
- "Designed for "easy to learn, hard to master" gameplay -- there will always be new strategies to devise and new trick jumps to find.
- "Fancy, in-game map and replay editing tools (included with every version).
- "Matchmaking, ranking, regional ladders, player created ladders -- both public and private.
- "Custom built engine that contains everything we need and nothing we don't."
There's a major focus on movement, which is no bad thing. Expect it to be fast, frantic, and—to those that don't have the time to master it—borderline chaotic. Perhaps more importantly, though, the game's creators want to support the game through a host of options. Regional ladders, team tracking, tournament hosting, dedicated servers and custom ladders will be supported, alongside clans, spectator features and LAN. Perhaps more than the arena shooter itself, it's the flexibility of the genre that seems lacking from the modern AAA FPS.
For more on Reflex, head to the Kickstarter page , or find it on Steam Greenlight .
