There's honestly not much going on in this game, but it's fun.
Hard Reset Redux is a remaster of the original Hard Reset from 2012. They're both made by the creators of the new Shadow Warrior Trilogy (the 2013+ games, not the original from 1997). And you'll see some heavy pre-Lo Wang style gun/swordplay here.
However, in Hard Reset you'll play as Major James Fletcher in the cyberpunk city of Bezoar. But in all honesty, the story of this game is largely filler. That's how it feels at least. The narrative is generally told in a comic book panel style during loading screens à la Max Payne — with some voice overs in the interim during gameplay.
Gameplay:
As stated, the narrative is next to non-existent. Though, a lot of tone of the game is told through the diegetic art design.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2581605633
Otherwise, the level design is very linear — structurally it feels similar to FPS games in the 90s. The same sort of repetition through each stage where you'd need to find a colored key of some variety. In Hard Reset, you'll instead need to bypass an obstacle (typically) by way of finding and pressing a switch or blowing something up — there's actually quite a bit of environmental damage.
As far as weapons, there's actually only three in the game. However, two of them have five “modes” each that can be purchased at a kiosk as upgrades. One gun is a pretty standard, it'll house your rifle, shotgun, grenade, RPG and proximity mines. While the other is a more traditional sci-fi weapon, it'll harbor plasma bolts, arc emitters, smart rockets, a rail gun and mortar that acts a launchable Tesla coil. The third weapon is a sword. But that isn't upgradable.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2581605586
“Powerups” are clearly identified by color and shape: Health, ammo and what is effectively XP. Eventually adding up to earning a point to unlock more abilities/functions. I'm not colorblind myself, but I know a few people that are — I didn't notice any colorblind options. Though, I would say that many of the pickups also have distinctive shapes.
Anecdotes:
Hard Reset reminds me of G-String for its environment and Bulletstorm for its gunplay (minus the score part — obviously Shadow Warrior as well). As far as its aesthetics, it made me recall “Enslaved Odyssey to the West” in some of the later stages — near the junkyard areas.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2581605610
It's one of these games that has sat in my backlog for years. I feel like that's likely true for many people. This game has a sort of latent ubiquity that makes it feel extremely familiar before you even play it. I didn't play the original Hard Reset so I don't know what is actually changed. But Redux does feature the extras in the Extended Edition of the original.
The Gist:
It's a pretty straightforward game, the story is lackluster but the gunplay makes up for it. I'd recommend it on sale.
There is an NG+ mode that unlocks after the campaign is over called “EX Mode”.
Zitat:
If you've read this far, consider following my curation —
Station Argus
