Sure, the game is glitchy and buggy and crashes and the levels are way too long and there's way too many enemies for what your toolset is and the screenshake makes it hard to see anything and it takes way too long to get to the game's gimmick magic spell gauntlet mechanic but damn is it charming. It's the only game I can think of that starts off as a WWI shooter and becomes a crusade into the depths of vampire hell to free the last dragon and fight multiple demon lords and that's gotta count for something.

the most unsalted tops ass shooter of the era. something of a canary in the coalmine in hindsight and the first of many dead eyed john carmack tech demos that lack the human component that made id's earlier work so compelling — namely john romero and sandy petersen

a comprehensive downgrade from atmosphere to movement to weapons to maps to enemy designs, functions, and even silhouettes. while it doesn't play poorly it settles on a perfunctory lurch early on and operates comfortably in that space til end credits roll four hours later

I revisit this thing every few years when the psyop hits successfully and seem to enjoy it less and less each time. in fairness I don't mind the quasi hub format even if it feels real conservative following hexen and strife, some of the setpieces are cute, and I eventually came around on how every monster looks like it was inspired by toy story. at one point I walked into a room full of people doin an elmer fudd thing for some reason? I don't know dude, this game's real dumb

A very loving sendup to an era that I have nostalgia for despite only getting snip bits of it in my childhood. The vibes of nu metal, punk attitude and teen edginess permeate every aspect of this game but in a way that left me completely charmed. Zane as a character was so fun to play as despite all of his attempts to be cool, you will see cracks in his character that reveals how caring and creative he is. The whole premise of this being a game he created really shines through with the settings and characters mirroring people and places in his life.

Regarding the gameplay it is pretty serviceable. It is not as fast paced or smooth controlling as some more modern boomer shooters but it still has a few tricks up its sleave. One of my favorite aspects of the game is how most levels attempt to replicate realistic locations or objects using the chunkiest models ever. These were always my favorite types of levels in older boomer shooters and its nice to that type of design still persisting to this day.

Overall I really enjoyed my time with this game and I hope the new episodes come out soon.