- Satisfying gunplay with diverse weapon selection.
- Excellent, intense, and dynamic soundtrack.
- Intricate level design encourages exploration.
- Fast-paced, fluid movement enhances gameplay.
- Lacks originality; derivative of DOOM.
- Repetitive enemy encounters due to limited variety.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 80% · Negative 20%. Score: 20 / 100
Positives:
- The game features satisfying and impactful gunplay with a diverse arsenal of weapons, each with unique firing modes and uses. The weapons feel powerful and are effective against a variety of enemies, encouraging experimentation and adaptation during combat.
- The game boasts an excellent, high-energy soundtrack that complements the intense gameplay. The music, often described as metal or electronic, dynamically adapts to the action, enhancing the overall experience and creating a perfect ambient.
- The game features a unique and appealing visual style, blending retro pixel art with modern lighting and effects. This combination creates a nostalgic yet fresh aesthetic, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion.
- The game features excellent level design, with intricate environments that encourage exploration and dynamic combat. Levels are well-crafted, with secrets, shortcuts, and a good flow that guides the player effectively.
- The game features fast-paced and fluid movement, allowing for dodging, strafing, and precise control. This enhances the intensity of combat and creates a dynamic and engaging gameplay experience.
Negatives:
- The game heavily borrows from DOOM in its enemy design, weapons, and level layouts, lacking a unique identity. Many reviewers felt it was a generic imitation or reskin, failing to innovate within the boomer shooter genre. This lack of originality made the game feel uninspired and forgettable.
- Enemy variety is limited, with many enemies being reskins of older ones or direct copies of enemies from classic DOOM games. This leads to repetitive encounters and a lack of unique enemy design. Some enemies are also criticized for being bullet sponges or having predictable AI.
- The checkpoint system is flawed, as enemies killed before a checkpoint remain dead after respawning, removing any challenge or penalty for dying. This trivializes the difficulty and allows players to brute-force through difficult sections. The Nexus Point mechanic further exacerbates this issue.
- The game features an excessive number of weapons, many of which become obsolete as the game progresses. This leads to weapon clutter and forces players to cycle through weapons, disrupting the flow of combat. Additionally, reloading mechanics feel out of place in a fast-paced shooter.
- The game suffers from poor visual clarity due to excessive particle effects, gore, and similar color palettes between enemies and environments. This makes it difficult to track enemies and projectiles, leading to frustration and eye strain. Some reviewers described the visual style as "pixel vomit."
Gameplay:
- Exploration is rewarded with currency used to purchase weapons and upgrades like double jump and dash. These upgrades enhance mobility and are sometimes required to access secrets, incentivizing replayability. Some find the upgrade system essential to progression.
- The game features gore and dismemberment effects, with location-based damage allowing players to destroy enemy limbs. Blood stains act as a visual guide. This system promotes an unorthodox playstyle.
- The game offers options to render enemies as sprites or 3D models, blending 2D and 3D elements. This allows players to customize the visual experience and cater to their preference for retro or modern aesthetics.
- The game features a variety of enemies, including zombies and demonic creatures, with many being similar to those found in Doom. Enemies appear as sprites, while levels are 3D textured.
- The game features Nexus Points that act as checkpoints, allowing players to respawn without penalties. Some reviewers feel this trivializes the difficulty.
Performance:
- The game is highly optimized, delivering smooth performance and fast loading times across a range of hardware, including low-end PCs and the Steam Deck. Many players reported stable framerates and no performance issues, even on older machines. This optimization contributes to the game's accessibility and pick-up-and-play nature.
- The game offers a range of resolution and graphical options, including retro-style pixelated looks and CRT filters. Players can adjust these settings to suit their preferences and hardware capabilities. The game supports resolutions from 200p up to 1080p.
- The game is reported to be polished and largely bug-free, with very few players encountering any significant issues. One player reported enemies getting stuck in terrain, but overall the experience seems stable.
- Some players have reported performance issues, including high GPU usage and occasional freezes. One player noted that the game required a decent PC. These issues seem to be less common than the reports of good performance, but are worth noting.
- SSAO and SSR settings can significantly impact framerate. Disabling them can increase FPS by up to 100%.
Recommendations:
- Many reviewers recommend Prodeus, especially to fans of classic FPS games like Doom and Quake. They praise its fast-paced action, retro aesthetics, and satisfying gameplay. Some consider it a standout title in the boomer shooter genre, while others suggest it's a great entry point for newcomers.
- Some reviewers suggest purchasing Prodeus on sale due to concerns about its price relative to its content and flaws. While they acknowledge the game's positive aspects, they feel it may not be worth the full price. Issues cited include repetitive gameplay, a lacking story, and a flawed checkpoint system.
- Some reviewers suggest that players seeking a similar experience should instead play or mod classic Doom games. They argue that these alternatives offer more content, variety, and a more meaningful sense of risk and consequence. This point is somewhat subjective, as it depends on individual preferences for retro vs. modern aesthetics.
- Many reviewers are looking forward to the release of the announced DLC. They are eager to see what new content and features it will bring to the game. This indicates a positive reception to the base game and a desire for more content.
- The linear and relatively short campaign is appreciated for its focus and lack of excessive repetition. The reviewer was heavily disappointed in the official campaign. The game is a joy to play through. Smaller, linear games like this are enjoyable and don't need to be open world.
Miscellaneous:
- The game features a distinct retro aesthetic, blending low-resolution textures and pixelated sprites with modern lighting and effects. Some find the mix of 2D and 3D elements disorienting or unappealing, while others appreciate the unique visual style.
- The game strongly emphasizes community content through an easy-to-use level editor and seamless integration of user-created maps. This extends the game's replayability and provides a constant stream of new content.
- The game features a minimal narrative, with the story primarily delivered through brief level introductions and environmental details. Some appreciate the unobtrusive plot, while others desire more in-depth lore and a more definitive ending, hoping for future expansion.
- The game includes multiplayer and co-op modes, but the online community is small and relatively inactive. Finding matches often requires external coordination.
- The game incorporates destructible enemies similar to DOOM Eternal. One reviewer initially mistook their partner for enemies due to similar appearances, but resolved this by customizing character colors.
