Hard Reset Review

Game:  Hard Reset
Year (s):  2012
Company:  dev.  Flying Wild Hog
pub.  Flying Wild Hog, 1C SoftClub
Engine:  Road Hog Engine
Type:  Old School Shooter
Viewpoint:  First-Person
Metacritic Score: 73
My Score:  A forgettable game by a developer that might have potential.

Price (as of February 26, 2013)

Regular list price on Steam:  $14.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping):  $12.89

Game Time: about 7 hours

Obligatory Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFkOrBkVNhg


Plot

You're a cop in the city of Bazoar.  Artificial intelligence was created, and the robots attacked.  There is a little more to it than that, but it's written incredibly badly (not in an effort to be humorous) and never cements into anything.

"Plot" is told through comic-book style cutscenes between levels, but it's so illogical, inconclusive, and chock-full dramitically shouted swear words that the game would have been better without it.

Engine

I don't know how much work goes into building a game engine.  I couldn't find anything about this particular engine, so I don't know if it derives from something else (id Tech 4 and Source are now open-source).  In any case, it looks pretty close to id Tech 4 (albeit with better lighting effects), I assumed it was the ubiquitous Unreal Engine 3, and if they made it entirely from scratch, good on 'em.  Glitch free.

Save System

Manual Save?  Not sure, never tried.
Quck Save?  Same as above
Area Load Save?  Yes
Checkpoint Save?  Yes

Combat/Gameplay

Hard Reset does a good job on most old school shooter mechanics.  You never reload, bosses are huge, and ammo/health is instantly used by running over it.  You have two base weapons, a standard assault rifle and a plasma rifle, with distinct ammo.  Upgrades allow different weapon modes for either, from shotgun and RPG to railgun and energy mortar.  Alternate fire modes can be unlocked for each weapon mode.

Combat is closer to Painkiller than to Serious Sam.  Hordes of enemies will attack, but you won't always have much room to maneuver.  For this reason, I would recommend playing it on easy the first time through.

The environment can be used as a weapon in many areas.  Explosive barrels and electrical sparks are common.

Expansions / DLC / Sequels

The DLC, "Exile" comes with the game, offering a few more enemies, levels, and upgrades.


Final Thoughts

The weapons system was cool.  The engine looked fine.  The combat was pretty solid.  The story could use a story.  It's not a game I'm going to recommend you buy, but I will point out that this is the first game from a small developer.  One learns best by doing.  As a fan of the linear, old school genre, I am looking forward to what Flying Wild Hog does next.