Zergface
Zergface
I've played some of it, it was nice but something a bit difficult to get into to me personally. I want to give it another chance and a proper one too. The music however I'll admit is absolutely magnificent. Up there with some of my favorite video game soundtracks. Don't get me wrong, I like the ambient and DnB SS2 soundtrack, but I just wish they retained that awesome industrial feel the first one had. Rhythmic, mechanical, and eerie. Encapsulates the game extremely well.
I think in the 90s there were many sorts of experiments of melding FPS games with adventure games/RPGs. Of course, SS1 and 2 encapsulate the "immersive sim" and games like Deus Ex and Thief to come (I really never understood why people call them "immersive sims". They are immersive, but so is any FPS game I feel. I don't know what they simulate though. Any game simulates a character, I guess, but enough autistic semantics). One other one I really enjoyed was Strife: Quest for the Sigil from 1996. I can't call it a "hidden gem", it's more of a cult classic; very well known among retro FPS fans, not so much among those outside of it. I can definitely see why; by the time it came out, it was considered bit dated. I don't see it that way though; 3 years isn't too far off from DOOM's release, which this definitely takes after, but I wasn't even alive then so I can't tell you.
I had great fun with it. The story is great, the levels are beautifully built, and the music is really nice too. I recall Nightdive remastered it as Strife: Veteran Edition. I must admit the radio buddy (Blackbird, as she's called in the game) has a nice voice but sometimes she gets kinda annoying; she does a good job at building up the story though. Strife has multiple endings too. I must admit, in terms of the gameplay, it very much is DOOM-esque. Large maze-like levels, enemies and NPCs are just 2D sprites, etc.
The art is great too. The character design and cutscenes have a very distinctly 90s Western feel to them, which honestly looks great to me; some may find it kinda cheesy though. I linked the intro down there so you can give it a look for yourself. Still, great fun for anyone who just wants a DOOM-style retro FPS with some adventure/RPG elements.
