Following yesterday's leak, Focus Home Interactive and StreumOn Studio has officially announced the upcoming FPS Necromunda: Hired Gun, a shooter in Games Workshop's Necromunda setting: basically a nightmarish 'hive city' filled with scum and villainy. The trailer suggests some reasons for cautious optimism, which is a welcome surprise with a 40K game (come on, it's ridiculous there aren't more good 40K games).
The most surprising aspect is its incorporation of first-person parkour elements, with the character able to wall-run, double-jump, and use a wrist-mounted grapple to either attach to the environment or rush-attack enemies. That fast-paced style carries over into combat which looks awfully inspired by the modern reinvention of Doom: high-impact finishers, point-blank shots to the head, and ginormous enemies slamming into you.
French developer Streum On has some form with this universe, having previously made Space Hulk: Deathwing, but this looks like a whole other level for the studio. Of course this is a trailer so let's not get too excited, but at least this has some ambition, and the environments really do have that flavour of a horrible miscreant-crammed dystopia.
The bounty hunter element enters with the player able to pick different contracts to focus on, though how expansive this system is remains to be seen. The bounties already have a purpose though: upgrades. "Everything from your brain to your legs to your pet dog can be enhanced as you gather money from your contracts," says the press release.
Yes, pet dog: we've saved the best till last. Fans of Shadow Dancer, Dead To Rights, and even Metal Gear Solid V: TPP will be delighted to know that Necromunda includes a razor-toothed companion that can be sent after enemies' sensitive parts like a homing missile. Your cyber-mastiff is "half-dog, half-robot, and ready to kill for you in exchange for treats."
This good boy will warn of enemies, can one-shot them with a nice neck bite, and generally guards you while you're doing other things. And you can give him treats and upgrade him. I've always enjoyed games where your character has an attack dog that rips enemies apart, I don't know why, so consider me pretty much sold on the idea of a psycho robo-pup. You can also apparently give it different chew toys.
Necromunda: Hired Gun releases June 1st, 2021 on Steam.
