The FPS genre has never really been one for the faint-hearted. They aren't necessarily going to be bloody and brutal like Doom, but you've got to be prepared for non-stop action and waves upon waves of enemies. Sometimes, you've even got a long, maze-like series of stages to traverse, or an elaborate list of objectives to complete. There's usually so much more than mindless shooting to contend with.
Some genre entries also mix things up with completely unconventional movement, or other unique mechanics that make things difficult to get to grips with. Couple that with the relentless pace of a lot of these games, and there's very little time to really learn how things work before you dive in. You just have to wing it and figure things out.
Devil Daggers
A Devilishly Difficult Time
The combination of the arena shooter concept and instant death from any hit means that Devil Daggers is certainly not newcomer-friendly. Its disconcerting visuals and the inevitability of finally being overwhelmed by sheer numbers make it an intense experience, and one at which you'll find yourself gradually improving over time.
The unfortunate character bound to this arena wields projectiles fired from their fingers rather than conventional guns, befitting this macabre setting. The targets for those projectiles, the creatures hunting you down, seem to become progressively more grotesque, but you'll also become more familiar with their behaviors over the course of runs. Out of necessity, that is, because the game seemingly has zero time to explain the finer points of strategy in a tutorial. Start a game, panic a bit, die, restart, make it just a little longer, and repeat is the cycle that new players will have to become familiar with. Perseverance and ever-developing strategy, though, is how great players are born. If the game clicks with you, you're sure to stick with it for some time.
Anger Foot
Just Kick Down The Door And Steam Into The Action
Some games are gracious enough to meet the player halfway. No elaborate and involved tutorial, perhaps, but just a quick rundown of the controls so you know the very basics. Cuphead, for instance, does this very nicely before you set out into the world. The concept with Anger Foot is similar: There's a ludicrous amount of carnage ahead and you're dropped into it without much preamble, so it's nice to at least know what the buttons do.
In the opening area, on-screen prompts provide just that, and enemies placed in the path of doors you kick your way through demonstrate how environmental kills can work. Some are also placed behind you, to teach the lesson that situational awareness is key in a game that doesn't concern itself with a minimap. From there, though, you're on your own, improvising your way through the wild campaign against countless foes (including bizarre bosses like Pizza Pig). Controls and mechanics are rather simple, but determining how best to utilize them in a particular scenario is up to you. In some titles, pure aggression is the name of the game, and this is another example.
Doom 2016
Secrets Aplenty
In the rebooted Doom, as in the original game, the horrors you face absolutely do not let up. The demonic legions grown in number and in variety as the game goes on, and they tend to be thrown at you in hordes of mixed species. It becomes a matter, then, of target prioritization. A Baron of Hell or two, for instance, can effortlessly devastate your health if you're distracted by other targets, and a charging Pinky is not a foe to turn your back on. The best course to take, however, can change from moment, depending on what's happening on the battlefield and the ammo and weapon mods you have available.
It might pay to score a quick stun on a bigger foe so you can take down a few of the smaller ones, or to dash in and whip out your chainsaw on a priority target if you have the fuel to spare. "Doom instincts" come with time, experience, and, sometimes, a lot of failed attempts at a given encounter. What Doom does so well is provide players with a wide arsenal of weapons and abilities and allow them to experiment to see what works best in particular scenarios. Similarly, its sizable stages are full of hidden secrets, and (unless you've invested significantly in upgrades that help you find them) you'll have to be eagle-eyed to figure out where each one is. On occasion, you'll see your prize in plain sight, but determining how to get to it is a different story.
Escape From Tarkov
One Of The Harshest Worlds In The Genre
Where the likes of Anger Foot emphasize stylistic violence and wonderfully over-the-top ragdoll physics, Escape From Tarkovis unrelentingly realistic and gritty. It's set in the midst of a bitter conflict in Russia, and characterized by some brutal mechanics that make it as much a survival game as a shooter. For one thing, the need for sustenance will constantly tick away, requiring some downtime to eat and drink. Aside from such needs as hydration, the health system is involved enough to mean that significant damage to particular body parts will negatively impact the player depending on where the damage was sustained.
A tutorial worthy of the name was only added with the 1.0 release, and while it's a valuable resource, it's certainly not enough by itself to make players comfortable with the ins and outs of this complex title. It's only through experience with the huge array of weapons on offer, the rules of modes and the layouts of maps that players will start to ground themselves in brutal titles like Escape From Tarkov, making experimentation and trial and error crucial.
Post Void
Don't Question It, Just Run And Gun
In terms of pure chaos and "these are the buttons to press, now get out there and do it" energy, Post Voidhas so much in common with Anger Foot. The key distinction, though, is the former's totem mechanic. The protagonist holds a curious skull totem at all times, and this is the measure of the player's health. It constantly depletes, and there are no prizes for guessing what happens when you run out. Some games' combat systems are all about being incredibly aggressive, and this is another example: You extend your own lifespan by hurriedly defeating enemies in a dash through the game's brief stages.
Beyond button prompts and an explanation that this is fundamental to the game's design, you're then let loose to experiment and try to make it all work. Repeated failures, again, will start to give you an idea of which upgrades are best to pick, how to save a few precious seconds in levels, and so on.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
