Typical of productions published by Devolver Digital, STRAFE really does not take itself seriously. We immediately realize this during the tutorial, where a generous-chested young lady comes to explain to us the underside of the science fiction universe in which we are immersed. Shot in live-action crossed with a filthy visual filter, the sequences with the hostess transpire the 90s, just like the history of the game which bathes in this retro atmosphere. The player embodies a scavenger (a scavenger, a space scavenger) who will have to wander through abandoned space stations in order to recover what may be of value. Unfortunately, as a novice, you have to make do with the most ghetto places, those that are still full of materials, but also enemies. We will therefore learn the basics of FPS (walking, strafer, jumping), as well as the art of managing the trash collected. These piles of waste will be able to be recycled in terminals placed here and there, and exchanged for armor points, ammunition, and even upgrades for our gunslinger. As far as life is concerned, nothing like that, only a few canned food dispensers will recover some HP.
The character has indeed a very high speed of movement, can jump, shoot and that's about it. No headaches with fall damage or any other niceties. Here, you'll have to be quick, and have the mouselike reflexes of a Swedish teenager stuffed with Adderall and cocaine.
Enough theory, time for practice. We start directly in a lobby very inspired by Lunar Apocalypse in Duke Nukem (or the first Quake teleporter room of the name) facing three glass tubes containing weapons. It's time for the most important choice: that of your main weapon. On the left, the shotgun: big damage up close but little ammunition in the magazine. In the middle, the submachine gun: classic FPS, it prefers to be handled in short bursts to maintain its accuracy. On the right, the railgun: kills in one shot, but shoots slowly and has a very small magazine. Question of taste and style of play above all. But the choice is not trivial, this weapon will have to accompany you during your exploration which can be spread over 12 levels. As soon as we start, we find a graphic style very inspired by Minecraft with its large pixels everywhere, without it being annoying. And as soon as the game starts moving, the sensations of yesteryear come back immediately. The character has indeed a very high speed of movement, can jump, shoot and that's about it. No headaches with fall damage or any other niceties. Here, you'll have to be quick, and have the mouselike reflexes of a Swedish teenager stuffed with Adderall and cocaine. It's not the individual enemies that are going to be a problem for you, the latter often having a rather slow movement speed (compared to us), but their number which is simply mind-boggling.
NOSTALGIA IN YOUR MOUTH!
Each level is a labyrinth that you have to go through until you find the exit of the level, a small summary coming to congratulate our efforts. We will thus – as in the old FPS – be able to assess our performance, whether it is headshots, enemies killed, secrets found, liters of blood spilled or time spent on the level. Moreover, as often in Devolver games, STRAFE does not hesitate to gore. Each headshot will see the enemy's body take a few steps before collapsing, while a geyser of blood spurts from severed carotids. This hemoglobin then covers the ground definitively like a Killing Floor. In general, nothing disappears in STRAFE, so you can tell if you've ever been there by the number of corpses strewn on the ground, walls painted red and ammunition casings on the ground. Very practical not to go around in circles. Unfortunately, STRAFE's main difficulty is going to be surviving long enough to progress. On 12 levels, we have never managed to pass level 5, as the enemies hurt, and so much the equipment is absent. Of course, we can occasionally recover a weapon from one of our fallen predecessors, but overall, the lack of loot and the exorbitant price of equipment at the recycling terminals forces us to remain most often completely destitute.
Unfortunately, STRAFE's main difficulty is going to be surviving long enough to progress. On 12 levels, we have never managed to pass level 5, so much the enemies hurt, and so much the equipment is absent.
Another pitfall: if most enemies only do damage in melee, they make no sound. No growling, no footsteps, nothing. No way to know an enemy is behind you until they land a blow, which instantly cuts 30% of your armor. We will therefore very often die, and very often start again. No question of learning the levels by heart either, these are procedurally generated, just like the fauna that populates them, perfect to avoid repetitiveness. Finally, this excessive difficulty means that we most often end up creeping forward, railgun in hand in order to kill the enemies before they come after us. A tactic that pays off since you cross the levels with a minimum of life lost, but which completely undermines the interest of the game. Don't get me wrong, we're going from a fast-FPS to a Sniper Ghost Warrior 3. Too bad, especially since the game is steeped in good intentions and great ideas, like this black double-barreled shotgun that turns the game into SuperHOT. One of the best tributes we've seen in video games.
