Played 2.1 hours, wish I had refunded on Steam a few minutes before.

The first Max Payne remains is my favorite PS2-era action game, I have had a passionate love affair with PC-first low budget indie games since Minecraft's original launch, due to the ability that format gives the developers to pursue unconventional ideas, and take the time necessary to adequately execute on a concept. The best of that format (Outer Wilds, Disco Elysium, The Case of the Golden Idol) offer novel, polished experiences that, outside of occasional Nintendo releases, we almost never see in the AAA or even AA space.

This game is not low-budget, it's cheap. The 2.1 hours I have spent with it feel more like 10, due to the grating, repetitive nature of the level design. There are a total of 2 repeat enemies so far, with single encounters with 2 others. Each of these has exactly one mode of attack, and is used in the same 2-3 ways throughout the levels. The levels themselves have so few assets, recycled so gratuitously, that they often feel like pre-alpha leaks. They do not build one another, offer twists or new obstacles, or even any particular strategic challenge in the combat. The 4, generic weapons so far are just as effective against each of the enemy types. The reason Max Payne's combat worked so well was that the slow-mo diving changes the approach to combat against ranged enemies a great deal. With these melee enemies, the slow-mo ability hardly makes a difference. It is a surface-level aesthetic imitation without a basic understanding of the foundations.

Even if the game has just one more level to go, I don't want to see it. Writing this review was more stimulating.