Shattered Horizon
It's not very often a competitive online shooter will make you rethink how you look at the entire genre. Shattered Horizon, on the other hand, forces it upon you. Set in the near future, all of the battles take place in zero gravity, around space stations, mining facilities, and asteroid belts. Since there is no 'up' in space, everything is relative, and thus combat tactics become almost limitless.
A lot of unique elements have been incorporated into a game like this for it to function properly. Players can land and walk around on any surface (in any direction). This is a necessity to be able to have accurate aim, especially when sniping. Simply floating around, the recoil will cause problems. Normally sound cannot travel through space, but since audio cues of gunfire or explosions are so important in a game like this, the developers have sidestepped the problem with your suit's 'audio simulation' which effectively gives you sound.
However you can engage in a 'Silent Running' mode. This shuts down your entire suit, your audio simulation and major maneuvering abilities, along with your HUD. This allows for a lot of stealth abilities, especially if you stay in shadows, but without your suit powered on recoil is brutal. With the audio simulation turned off, all you hear is your breathing, blood pumping, and vibrations of your gun firing. This adds an eerie level of realism, and when used properly you can sneak around anywhere.
All of this combines into a very enjoyable game that really takes some time to get used to. There is only one weapon, the assault rifle, which converts into a sniper once you are zoomed in and doesn't need extra ammunition, just reloading. The use of grenades are also done well, seeing as they don't do direct damage but have more tactical uses, such as smoke, EMP (which shuts down anyone's suit in the blast radius) and the MPR which sends out a shockwave pushing everyone further into outer space.
Instead of a skirmish depending on the weapons used, they rely more on the player's skill. While this was intended to provide a more strategic approach to combat, it doesn't expand up to the entire team. Without voice chat, most players simply strike off on their own, and the entire team suffers. When a team does pull things together, miracles can happen, and battles are intense. Until that though, battles that are intended to be coordinated are naturally messy.
Shattered Horizon excels in its simplicity. It's easier than it looks to pick up and play, and the sheer uniqueness of it will keep you coming back for more. More maps are promised to the four that come with the game, and the entire game is well balanced. Once you get used to the idea of zero gravity combat, it suddenly feels quite natural. At a price tag of only $20, Shattered Horizon worth getting.
Likes
- Beautiful visuals and sound
- Well planned out maps and locales
- Unique gameplay
Dislikes
- Mean system requirements may lead to crashing
- Slight learning curve
- Long loading times to join games
Level 42 Review Score
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The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.
