Review: Project Warlock II (Early Access)

pczone.co.uk:

The retro FPS genre is as overcrowded as hell these days, so it’s hard to find something well made, let alone exceptional. So does Project Warlock II, the boomer-shooter sequel from Buckshot Software, deliver or wither away with the rest of them?

Project Warlock II does not appear to have any kind of a story, and I’m fine with that. If anything, a story would distract from all the ultra-violence, which would be bad. No story? Okay. 

Unlike the story, the devs crafted the world of Project Warlock II with lots of care and attention. With several varied biomes to explore, the world is fun to traverse and feels old-school and hostile, but beautifully crafted by people who know what they are doing regarding world-building. 

Similarly, with the visuals, the team at Buckshot is talented at working within the confines of such an old graphics engine to get the best out of it. 

Although reminiscent of much older FPSs such as Doom, Quake, and Powerslave, Buckshot Software presents Project Warlock II in a vibrant and unique way to have a distinctive visual style. This style gives the game a modern feel but with a retro charm. 

The lighting is beautiful, as are many basic effects used to impact the game dramatically. 

‘What are fun, blocky visuals without solid, hardcore gameplay?’ We hear you cry? Not much is our answer. But worry not. If the hard-as-nails difficulty is what you crave, Project Warlock II has you covered. 

PWII combines the old and the new effortlessly. Old school difficulty and claustrophobic arena-like environments will prove familiar to boomers looking to this title, which, after all, is a boomer shooter. But for younger players, there are more modern dynamics. 

There is a map, for instance. Imagine! Maps were never