Sprawl Zero is a Y2K tactical shooter that pays homage to the console classics like Halo and F.E.A.R, bringing that old-school shooter design to the modern age with slick controls.
It’s so committed to the nostalgia factor that it sports this de-rezzed graphical style, so that it wouldn’t look out of place on the PS2. It’s very understated, but I still caught myself getting flutters of nostalgia as the game can be very pretty at times.
But it isn’t just the graphics, as across level design and story, Sprawl Zero’s vibe brought me back to my years as an early teen, renting PS2 games for the weekend at Blockbuster, or buying and returning Xbox 360 titles from my local GameStation.
Across its roughly 10-hour campaign, it isn’t trying to tell some horrifying tale (although it does have a few cool moments), nor does it bloat its runtime with side quests. It’s a linear shooter, where you go from point A to point B, and shoot some bad guys in the process. I loved that.
But if you’re expecting a purely retro time, the gameplay is very slick, most comparable to the Ghostrunner series. There are deflecting shields and bullet time abilities, while the Gravity Gloves let you throw items at enemies and pick up new guns on the fly.
Each weapon has one magazine, so you’re constantly unloading on one enemy, tossing your empty gun at them to finish them off, and gravity-pulling their weapon into your grip. This DOOM-like weapon swapping loop is endlessly satisfying.
Enemy variety keeps things feeling fresh, and there’s always some cool wee gimmick to each level that’ll keep you delightfully entertained. Some of the environments are a bit copy-and-paste, and there are several annoying instances of backtracking.
But these issues don’t ruin the experience because the experience itself doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Sprawl Zero is a great time if you’re looking to just kick back and shoot some bad guys. It won’t win any awards, and it certainly doesn’t break the mould, but it’s simple yet satisfying. It controls brilliantly, and it’s a lovely hit of shooter nostalgia.
It’s the kind of game I would have picked up in Blockbuster, and I mean that in the best possible way.
