Few games have more influence on the industry than the original DOOM. Since its inception, the game changed the face of the first-person shooter genre, gaining fans and notoriety in equal part. After entering a lull, the series came back swinging with the 2016 reboot and this year's DOOM Eternal. Allowing players to raze Hell in spectacular fashion, the series again looms large in the minds of the gaming community. However, DOOM has also had a major influence in the development community. Prodeus, developed by Bounding Box Software and published by Humble Games, looks to emulate DOOM's ethos with its own flair.
Exploring the Closed Beta
While Prodeus is still in its Closed Beta, the game already shows immense promise. Essentially, it's a DOOM-style FPS with more demons and blood than you can shake a BFG at. Nothing about Prodeus is particularly new, but it's undeniably flashy. Much of this comes from the punch of its gunplay and the spectacle of its presentation. Beyond that, Prodeus is fairly standard.
Of the three missions available in the Beta, the first was largely a tutorial, and the third was essentially a bonus stage. These two familiarize the player with the mechanics, and while the first mission was rather basic, the third provided a nice obstacle course to speed through. It was reminiscent of the Pilot's Gauntlet in Titanfall 2, but not as elaborate. Still, it illustrated the fluidity of Prodeus' mechanics, which were on most clearly on display in the second mission.
This mission was the biggest and is most emblematic of what to expect from the game. It sees the player crawling through hellish facilities and outdoor spaces, finding new weapons and slaying hordes of demonic creatures. The overarching goal was to find various keycards to progress deeper into the non-linear level, eventually opening up a portal to escape through. It's familiar stuff, but it's also a solid backdrop for the much more impressive core gameplay and aesthetic.
Violence and Visuals
Prodeus has a staggeringly great visual style. It combines 2D pixel art with a fully 3D space, and the result is as compelling as a title like Octopath Traveler. It's unique in screenshots but spectacular in motion as enemies erupt with pixelized blood that coats the screen with each shot from your arsenal. It really needs to be seen to be truly understood.
The same is true of Prodeus' weapons, which span from the traditional to the eclectic. Judging by the size of the weapons screen, it seems like the already impressive selection in the Closed Beta will balloon in size for the full game. Should they all feel as incredible to use as the guns in the Beta, this will be one of the game's best elements.
However, the absolute best element of Prodeus may be its user-generated content. With a complex and robust level editor, players can get creative. Some excellent maps are already available, ranging from DOOM recreations to original stages. If this level of creativity persists and the core campaign continues to impress, then Prodeus will certainly be worth checking out when the full game launches.
Developed by Bounding Box Software and published by Humble Games, Prodeus releases for PC & Mac via Steam on November 10, 2020.
A beta key was provided to CBR by the publisher for review purposes.