Overload Review Summary

A faithful Descent successor with stunning graphics and smooth controls, but its confusing upgrades and secrets, repetitive levels, and weak story hold it back.

Faithful Descent successor: Many reviewers describe the game as a worthy successor or homage to the classic Descent series, capturing its feel and spirit while modernizing the presentation.

Stunning modern graphics: Reviewers highlight the impressive visuals, including lighting, particle effects, and reflections that give the game a modern look.

Smooth and responsive controls: Players consistently praise the controls for being tight, fluid, and well-suited to both joystick and mouse/keyboard setups.

Excellent 6DOF gameplay: The game is praised as a top-tier six-degrees-of-freedom shooter, with excellent gameplay that stands out in the genre.

Complex and unique level design: Levels are described as complex, unique, and well-crafted, offering engaging environments to explore.

Confusing upgrade and secret system: The upgrade system is poorly balanced and unintuitive, with hidden upgrade points that cannot be retrieved if missed. Secrets are often behind camouflaged doors or panels, forcing players to scour levels meticulously.

Repetitive level design and objectives: Levels feel copy-pasted with the same gray industrial assets and repetitive objectives like destroying reactors or rescuing crew. Many players note that every level looks the same and lacks variety in design and goals.

Weak and irrelevant story: The narrative is minimal, poorly presented, and lacks real characters, with slow briefings that cannot be skipped or reviewed. Many players find the plot completely irrelevant to the experience.

Severe difficulty spikes in late game: The final third of the campaign becomes excessively punishing, with enemies that are too strong and situations that feel unfair even on normal or default difficulty. Players often resort to save-scumming to progress.

Outdated and claustrophobic level design: The level design relies heavily on claustrophobic corridors and feels dated, with a mission-based structure that resembles older games. Some compare it too closely to the original Descent, lacking modern innovation.

6DOF shooter gameplay: The game features six degrees of freedom movement, allowing players to fly and rotate freely in all directions. This core mechanic is frequently compared to the Descent series and is central to the experience.

Multiplayer modes available: The game supports multiplayer through OLmod, offering competitive modes such as Anarchy free-for-all and Team Anarchy. Both local and online multiplayer are mentioned.

Descent-like spiritual successor: Many reviewers describe the game as a clone or spiritual successor to Descent, with similar level layout, controls, and overall feel. It is often noted as being developed by the same people behind Descent.

Ship and weapon upgrades: Players can upgrade weapons, speed, armor, shields, and other ship systems using upgrade points and super upgrade points. The upgrade system is integrated between missions and encourages exploration for upgrades.

Challenge mode with leaderboards: A Challenge Mode offers replayable challenges with countdown and infinity modes across various maps and difficulties, complete with its own leveling system and leaderboards.

Occasional performance stutters reported: Several players experience intermittent stuttering during gameplay, including in action-heavy sections and the final levels. One user suspects the Unity engine may be the cause.

Runs smoothly on varied hardware: Players report smooth performance on conservative hardware and at 1080p 60fps, with some achieving 160–200 fps on Ultra settings. One user notes it runs great overall.

Steam Deck compatibility praised: Multiple reviewers confirm the game runs well on Steam Deck, sometimes after adjusting the resolution in the game menu. One user notes it is fully playable on the device.

Linux stability and Proton performance: The game runs flawlessly on Linux Fedora 28, and using Proton to run the Windows version may yield better performance than the native build. However, switching between Proton and native builds might destroy save files.

High CPU temperatures and load: The game makes the CPU run abnormally hot compared to more recent, higher-budget titles. One user also reports high PC load and noise when trying to play at 144fps.

Descent fans will love it: Many reviewers strongly recommend the game to fans of the Descent series, calling it a worthy successor or modern version. This is the most frequent sentiment across clusters.

Great for 6DOF and FPS fans: Reviewers recommend the game to fans of 6DOF shooters, classic 3D shooters like Quake, and first-person shooters in general. It is praised as a soulful 6DOF FPS.

Positive general recommendations: Many reviewers simply give a thumbs up without specific caveats, using phrases like 'highly recommended' or 'definite recommend'.

Wait for a sale: Several reviewers suggest buying the game only on discount, with some specifying a 10% to 35% discount. Others mention it's worth $20 or has a good price/quality ratio.

Not recommended for some: A few reviewers cannot recommend the game due to personal dislike, frustrating campaign design, or because better alternatives exist. One regrets recommending the demo.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 24.0h.

Story completion: 20.0h.

Overload's core fun arrives after players get past a steep zero-gravity control and orientation curve; once the controls click, movement and combat become exhilarating. Challenge modes extend the appeal, while multiplayer is a separate, often friction-heavy experience that can still be fun when organized.

Friction: steep zero-gravity control learning curve; initial disorientation in fully three-dimensional movement; repetitive objectives and claustrophobic, maze-like levels; multiplayer released half-finished with missing features; multiplayer requires OLmod and Discord coordination.

Unlock drivers: control scheme clicks, making freedom of movement exhilarating; using OLmod and Discord to access multiplayer servers and organize matches; finding online matches with low ping.

Nostalgic Descent Veteran: Plays the campaign and multiplayer with classic Descent expectations, valuing authentic movement and weapon feel. Motivation: Reliving classic Descent 6DOF combat in a modern revival. Stance: buy.

Single-Player Completionist: Explores levels thoroughly, hunts secrets, plans upgrades and ammunition, and replays on harder difficulties. Motivation: Mastering campaign content, secrets, and challenge modes. Stance: buy.

Competitive 6DOF Pilot: Seeks online PvP matches, organizes games through community tools, and tolerates setup friction for competitive play. Motivation: Competitive 6DOF duels and team matches built on spatial reflex and prediction. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The core game is playable on Steam Deck and generally runs well natively on Linux, but the experience is not seamless. Users report setup friction with custom controls and controller menu issues, Proton/native tradeoffs, cloud-sync caveats, save-corruption risk when switching builds, a HUD-disappearance bug on Steam Deck, and missing level-editor/VR support on Linux. This places the experience in the playable-but-tinkering-required range rather than broken or fully seamless.

Linux and Proton: The Linux/Proton picture is mostly positive: a native Linux build exists and multiple users report flawless or perfect operation on Fedora and Ubuntu. Negative evidence is concentrated in Linux-specific feature gaps, especially the level editor being unavailable even via Proton and VR being unsupported on Linux, plus native-versus-Proton save/cloud friction that requires backups and version selection. A SteamOS multi-controller quirk is present but limited, and it does not outweigh the working native build consensus.

Faithful Descent feel and gameplay: Reviewers repeatedly compare the game's feel, graphics, sound, and movement to Descent 1 and 2, noting it retains the classic gameplay with modern polish. It is often described as basically how they remember Descent.

Worthy Descent spiritual successor: Players widely describe the game as a true successor and homage to the classic Descent series, with many calling it Descent 4. It is praised for capturing the original's spirit while modernizing it.

Created by original Descent developers: Many reviewers highlight that the game is made by the original programmers and team behind Descent, via Revival Productions. This pedigree is frequently cited as a key reason for its authenticity.

VR support enhances immersion: VR support is a commonly praised feature, with players noting surreal immersion and cockpit views. Support is available for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on Windows.

Built-in level editor included: The game includes or has released a level editor that allows creating and sharing custom missions, a feature appreciated by the community. A level editor was also planned shortly after release.