I love FEAR. If it wasn't obvious from my penchant for horror titles, most readers who have read my reviews already know I have a strong affinity toward shooters and horror games. So, a game that combines both to make excellent terror-filled moments and combining them with shooting a bunch of mooks' faces off is a dream that not many developers have engaged on. This is why I was curious when I heard about Trepang2 being the supposed spiritual successor for this series.
Trepang2 advertises itself mostly with its action elements, as you can use Focus to slow down time and hit more precise shots against waves upon waves of enemies. The game certainly looked like it was going to be a good time from the trailers. But honestly, it was the more intricate moments with its storytelling and more horror-based aspects that intrigued me even more as it does have elements of horror that wouldn't be odd to see in games like Resident Evil 4 Remake or Dead Space.
Honestly, at times it just feels like the genres clash together and deliver an underwhelming experience. But once you lean on one side over the other (especially with the cheats the game offers for post-game), you begin to appreciate how great this game is for mindless fun.
The story of Trepang2 is as basic as it can get. You are a soldier who wakes up in an unknown compound where everyone wants to kill you. After snapping a few necks and throwing some mooks inside a ventilation shaft you learn that you're Subject 106, a development in a super soldier experiment that can use optical camo and has access to bullet time.
This super soldier experiment was created through Horizon Corporation. A generic evil entity seeking to make experiments to "further develop society." Of course, this experiment somehow involves using The Backrooms (seriously) as a source, so taking down this corporation on the grounds of being run by a bunch of idiots is in order as you join the TF22 forces.
The game doesn't waste any time to show us why this human experimentation is the wrong way of handling things as at points we end up fighting supernatural enemies such as zombies that can spit radioactive materials at you or some anomalous beings that mute the game's audio while chasing you in what has to be one of the most terrifying sequences in a shooter-horror game.
The graphics in Trepang2 are definitely a highlight as you see how much the game loves its flashy style and detailed graphics. While there's a lot of noise going on visually, you will more likely than not be wowed by the number of explosions going off everywhere at once while maintaining a high framerate at 120FPS. So much so that it makes me wonder why other games like Dead Space struggled to render half of what this game does.
Coupled with this great graphic presentation is the atmosphere. The game knows when to build up its horror moments as you walk through desolate corridors. At the same time, it knows when to ramp up its action elements when you channel your inner Duke Nukem and proceed to shoot down a bunch of armed troops off the face of the planet.
Onto the gameplay, Trepang2 is fairly straightforward. You have your usual controls for shooters (WASD movement, throwing grenades with G, and Mouse controls) with the added measures of using Q and E as your Focus and Cloak, respectively. Cloaking is fairly straightforward; you become invisible for a few seconds, letting you sneak by the opposition so you can surprise them from behind or scramble to a safe position in the event you are overwhelmed. Focus is a bullet-time effect that slows down time, letting you hit more precise shots while giving you a slight movement advantage.
You also have access to a stamina meter that depletes as you sprint or use slide, which is its own button press. The slide is useful to stagger some smaller enemies or get through riot shields if they are carrying any. This lets you take on a more aggressive approach toward defensive enemies as you can break their defenses with a slide and use their riot shields as a means to defend yourself from enemy fire.
Much like stamina, Focus is available in limited quantities but will recharge with each kill. Trepang2 encourages players to shoot wildly and get as many kills as possible in quick intervals. The enemies are no slouches either as they can pack a punch with their weapon selections and come in light to heavy varieties. While there isn't much depth in this game's enemy variety, the challenge comes from killing them while taking the least damage possible.
The gunplay is a true highlight. You have access to a wide variety of weapons, including Sniper Rifles, Pistols, Shotguns, and SMGs. The real beauty comes from the customization feature that allows you to alter the way guns work at a tradeoff. For example, having your shotgun do less damage overall in favor of doing incendiary damage that lights enemies on fire and has them squirming will always be my preferred method of handling a shotgun in Trepang2.
It's worth experimenting with every gun until you find the ones you like. Different enemies will require different customizations, especially in higher difficulties where the challenge comes from taking down every enemy as quickly as possible because their guns will do a ton of damage. Having cleared a few stages at the Rage Mode difficulty, I definitely can say that learning everything about how the game works is a must.
Topping the frenetic gameplay and the action are the sparse moments where the game tries to do its horror segments. I will say that, for an aspect that feels very superfluous compared to the rest of the game, these sequences stand out for how exceptionally great they are. The developers certainly knew how to make horror sequences that made FEAR 2's look like child's play as they have more organic introductions and buildups than that game did.
I honestly was bummed to know that a lot of these magnificent sequences weren't that abundant compared to the action set pieces and the explosive gameplay. When the game tried to do horror, it did so almost exceptionally in ways that other games have failed before. That ultimately disappointed me, as I was expecting more from this game than what I got.
Still, I can say that Trepang2 is a must for shooter enthusiasts looking to get spooked or just wanting a good ol' arena shooter experience where you get to shoot people down. While the mission variety isn't that great and the AI has its "running into literal fire" moments, it more than makes up for it with its unique sequences, tough difficulty, and wonderful tone that becomes more self-aware once you enable cheats.
I love this game, but I definitely think that it can be a bit of a cautious recommendation for non-shooter fans, as I think this will feel a bit empty, especially for folks looking for horror experiences brought by the FEAR franchise. Still, I got to fight a bunch of mooks in the Backrooms, so I guess that's more than I can say compared to what the people in Kane Pixels' series have to endure.
Reviewed on PC (code provided by the publisher).
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