2084 – Preview
2084 is developed and published by Feardemic and came into fruition during a 72 hour-long game jam. 2084 is a fast-paced First-Person Shooter game with a unique hacking system. The game’s development is still ongoing and it is available for early access on PC. Bear in mind that, because the game is yet to be finished, that we are previewing an unfinished product.
To be honest, there isn’t much story to be had in 2084. In its mini-campaign, you play as a young researcher named Laura. The world of 2084 is set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, but this we can only derive from Laura’s room. Here, with the use of a VR-helmet, she emerges herself into an action filled virtual reality. In that world, she has to maneuver through small eerie corridors, battle through hordes of zombies and hack her way to freedom. As she progresses in the simulation, she discovers that this virtual reality may not be as harmless as expected, and that it could contain some connection with the real world.
The visuals in 2084 are amazing. The darkness that envelops the world and its corridors add to the neon details of the cyberpunk setting. The game can be very detailed and every detail breathes horror and cyberpunk. The visuals can be very unnerving too, and that unsettling feeling you get from the imagery, you take with you during the entire game. The zombies themselves aren’t very detailed and look very bland and unimaginative. It’s sad that the game’s main enemies are graphically the least interesting. The game likes to remind you that you are in a simulation by how the zombies disappear when killed and when you are badly injured, your screen becomes very grainy and glitchy. After every level in the story mode, you are greeted by a beautiful, visually appealing cutscene, although they are sadly very short.
The music fits the horror setting perfectly with its ominous and suspenseful tracks. While you’re making your way through the game, its music is mostly subtle and the only sounds you hear are your footsteps, the wind and nearby electronic equipment. That subtle music can abruptly change by the howl of the zombie horde, followed by an a more up-tempo track. During a boss fight, the track can also change to a more electronic hard rock vibe, adding to the fast-paced action of the fight. At times you can come across an audio-log. It gives a slight hint at what the story might be, but the voice acting in them isn’t really on point.
The gameplay is fairly simple. You are armed with an energy gun with which you can also throw energy grenades. The very useful dash ability lets you dash through enemies, often saving you from being cornered. The most unique feature of 2084 though, has to be its hacking system. The game is filled to the brim with object to hack. Some interfaces on the wall have you gain health and ammo when hacked, others are hacked to open doors. You can also electrocute or kill enemies by hacking turrets, monitors or traps to give you that extra bit of advantage while battling a horde of zombies or during a boss fight. The boss fights are always very unique and each of them offers a good amount of challenge. Although the game is fairly linear and you can always see where you need to go by following the neon arrows or a faint hacking symbol in the distance, the narrow corridors can become quite confusing and they limit your movement dramatically during fights. Ultimately, that claustrophobic feeling adds to the level of suspense and always has you feeling a bit distraught.
After the first hour or so, you begin to notice the emptiness of the world and the lack of content. Battles become repetitive and there isn’t enough variety in enemies or locations. Enemies don’t always act as the game intends them to, sometimes glitching or failing to reach you when you jump into a tight corner.
After a quick tutorial, an endless mode is enabled. This mode is where the most fun is to be had. It’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of mode in a game before, but with that unique hacking system, horde mode becomes a lot more interesting and tactical. The challenge lies in how fast and effective you can hack things and when to do so. You will need every advantage you can get and because you can get a bit distracted trying to hack something, one misstep could be a fatal one. In the end, you’re left wondering how fun this mode could be with a bit more content added to it and a multiplayer platform.
Conclusion
2084 could become a great game. Notice the “could become” part, because the state of the game at this moment is an Alpha game at best. The story is beatable in a couple of hours and Endless mode, although being fun and challenging at times, can become tiresome after a few games. The game lacks a big chunk of content, but shows promise for the future. Its graphics are amazing and it blends horror and cyberpunk perfectly. It plays fluently and is very fast-paced. The hacking system is very unique, but can become a bit tiresome and overused at times. The game performs adequate, but sometimes the enemies can lag or just stop in their tracks, which makes fights a bit more manageable at times, but is ultimately not intended and clunky. The game in its current state feels bland, empty and short-lived. It could be awesome with more levels, more types of enemies, a decent story with NPCs and a multiplayer mode, but all of that is very unsure at the moment and we can only wait while the game keeps developing, maybe one day reaching its true potential.
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