ULTRAKILL is an ultraviolent, fast-paced FPS developed by New Blood Studios. It features skill-based combat and was inspired by shooters from the 90’s and heavily inspired by the Devil May Cry series. Currently, ULTRAKILL is in early access with two chapters that have come out so far, the last one has yet to be announced as of the time of writing this review.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fast-paced combat with challenging gameplay
- Fun weapons to use with different variations to help take out enemies
- A fantastic soundtrack that is just awesome to listen to
- Nice 90’s based graphics that look really cool
Cons
- Gameplay may get tedious after some time when you beat all the levels
Story
The story for ULTRAKILL is left rather vague. However, there are some bits and pieces of information that are told about the game. Humanity has gone extinct. There were machines that were used to help keep the peace in civilization or to help with daily stuff like purifying the tainted air. However, at some point, these machines committed a crime against humanity and may have something to do with humanity's fall. They are fueled by blood and some of them decided to descend into hell to get more of it and have even adapted to the hell energy to kill more efficiently.
That’s all of the information I have gathered so far that I explain without spoiling the story.
Gameplay
You play as V1, a very pissed off robot that will be fighting a variety of enemies like Filth’s, Stalkers, and Stray’s. You will need some weapons to do the job and the game gives you the tools you need. I am talking about revolvers, shotguns, nailguns, rail cannons, and a few more. In order to heal yourself, you will need to be close to enemies to absorb their blood, so the closer you are, the more health you will get. You can even get your hands on weapons called arms, which are an actual arm that you can equip for V1. There are only three of these out so far, but my personal favorite has to be the Knuckleblaster, where you punch an enemy and then your fist explodes, dealing massive damage and sending enemies flying.
This is a movement shooter, so you should be moving at all times to avoid getting hit. If you don’t well then you will just die, a lot, but you will die a lot anyway because this game can get quite challenging. However, the challenge is fair, so you won’t feel cheated out.
At the end of certain levels, you will fight a boss and they can prove to be quite a challenge, especially the final boss of the chapter. They are like a big roadblock that you need to get through in order to progress further in the game.
There is also the Cyber Grind, a mode where you will be able to fight an endless wave of enemies with bosses appearing as regular enemies as well. The tiles on the grid change each round and will support different ways on how you approach and take out enemies. You can even customize the layout of the area, such as making the textures different or the skybox.
There is only one issue I have with ULTRAKILL, issue I found was the fact that ULTRAKILL can get kind of tedious. When I was done playing the main game, there was not a lot for me to really do in my eyes that would feel fresh or interesting enough to play more of.
Another issue I found was the fact that ULTRAKILL can get kind of tedious. When I was done playing the main game, there was not a lot for me to really do in my eyes that would feel fresh or interesting enough to play more of.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is fantastic, it has some really good tunes for you to listen to and jam out while slaying enemies or dying. My two favorite songs have to be Divine Intervention and The Cyber Grind theme. Both of these songs just stuck out to me but there are other songs that are good to listen to as well.
Graphics and Performance
The graphics for the game have this 90’s based 3D retro style to them. Despite the game's dark themes, they felt colorful and alive. You can go through a nice garden to inside a temple in a desert. I tested the game on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, and 16 GB of RAM. I had no issues while playing and it ran really well at 60 FPS.
Final Verdict
Despite it being in early access, ULTRAKILL is a very fun FPS with great gameplay and perfect for those who are seeking a challenge. If you are a fan of games like Doom, then I honestly think you will enjoy what is being offered here and I can actually recommend the game at full price. However, waiting for a sale is another option that you could do but that depends on your point of view on the game. It’s only 22.79 CDN so I think it’s worth the price it’s currently at.
This game definitely gives off that original Doom vibe.