Developer: Moonray Studios
Publisher: Moonray Studios
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Tidal Shock – Preview
Shooters are one of the biggest genres in the game world and a lot of different versions and styles have been created thus far, but mostly they revolve around walking around. What if there would be a game where you have to swim your way to victory, while also shooting the crap out of people? Tidal Shock is here to deliver, although only in Early Access right now.
The objective of the game is rather clear, namely that you have to collect ‘charge’ and deposit it in a reactor while swimming in this huge cave. Although this might sound easy, less is true. As you’re in an underwater setting, the threat is all around you. Enemy players can be lurking in every nook and cranny of the map, just dying to take out someone that reluctantly is swimming by. The other issue is that the reactor is moving around the map, meaning that you got to be fast if you want to deposit your collected energy. As the Steam page describes it: ‘Tidal Shock is fast-paced, easy to pick up and hard to master.’
If you’re looking for intense ability trees, load-outs that make you dizzy, or anything else fancy, you’ll be gutted or happy to know that this isn’t added in Tidal Shock. When you respawn, you got to go on a hunt to obtain better weapons or defensive abilities. So, that means whenever you’re nuked by someone else, you lose the weaponry you collected and a part of the charge. It’s a good thing that the area is swamped with a diversity of offensive and defensive goodies. You can recognize the several different weapons thanks to the color code.
Being in this ocean-setting means that things look a tad different than normal shooters, and Tidal Shock gives you a nice environment for you to dive into. The oceanic landscaping you will see might look a bit barren at times, seeing that the bottom of the sea has more to offer than rocks, but on the other hand, more details might be distracting you if your keen eye is on the lookout for some kills or charge.
In a game like this, it’s only natural that sound is your best friend. In this underwater world, things do sound different but that doesn’t mean that this sense can be ignored. You can hear enemies swim, you have to evaluate where shots are coming from and the type of weapon that they’re using to know if you should be scared or not. This also means that during a game there won’t be any music playing, but you’ll be focused more on getting your charge safely to the reactor.
One thing that might seem a bit tricky is the fact that it’s a 360 all-around experience in 3rd-person, and that it might become a problem for people who get seasick or nauseous quite fast. Something else worth mentioning is that this was tested while being in Early Access and that only the free for all mode was available. When the game releases, there will be more modes like duo and squad. Next to that, you can also buy some mods to change the suit of your character, bringing the fun level up a notch. Overall, it might seem a bit bare, and hopefully, the developers have thought of some extras to add in the future like a ranked mode or other fun stuff.
Conclusion
Tidal Shock might be one of those games that seem a bit odd when you take a first glance at it, but it might actually be to your liking after you’ve tried it out. The underwater world might scare some people as it’s a whole different way of moving, but don’t be afraid to try something new now and then. When the game comes out, the new game modes and mods will hopefully be available in full force, with maybe some extras for the future.
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