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Unloved

Unloved

This indie game started life as a Doom mod, and now it's a gore-fest of a shooter.

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Unloved is a first-person shooter game made by Paul Schneider, and it's based on the Doom 2 mod of the same name, replicating the bloody gore-filled action in the same way and kicking it up a notch, mixing it with a dark and eerie atmosphere. However, not all is perfect in this blood-spattered shootout.

There are a number of positives in Unloved, and one of them is, unsurprisingly, how violent and bloody it is. For an indie it's surprising to have this level of gore. Considering it's based on the Doom 2 mod, the violence isn't that shocking, but it's nice to see how it has evolved - it reminded us a little bit of games like Killing Floor 2 that delight in the spray of blood and the intensity of the action.

Another positive is how smooth the game runs. There was the occasional dip in frame-rate when the action got frantic and lots of enemies filled the screen, but the game's settings can be changed to combat against the problem. Other than the occasional dip though the game ran smoothly across all game modes and in both solo and multiplayer. Unloved also has gamepad support too, so for those who prefer to use a controller rather than a mouse + keyboard this makes the experience that bit more comfortable.

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Unloved has three locations to play in, and while this doesn't sound like much, you can adjust the size of them and the layout of the area changes every time you play. Another great feature is 'Twisted'. By selecting this option the location that you play in contains elements from all playable locations, and this is a great feature that keeps the maps feeling fresh.

Trinkets are upgrades that you start with. One example of the Trinkets is the pistol bullet case, which makes you start with a pistol and 40% of the ammo. There are better Trinkets that you can unlock with karma, though, and you get karma by playing and completing objectives. These boosts give you an advantage when you start, which are needed when you play on the harder difficulties. They also encourage replayability, and more karma can be earned by completing different challenges.

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The game's monster design is great too - they look disgusting, grotesque, and some move unnaturally, truly like something from the depths of Hell. They wouldn't look out of place in a full-on horror game, which isn't quite what Unloved is trying to be. A great feature with the monsters is that sometimes they'll fight each other too, especially if one's projectile misses and hits another. It's a cool thing that adds a little bit more detail to the game, not to mention a bit of humour.

There are three game modes available to play in Unloved, the first of which is Ultra-Violence, which is the default game mode. There's also Arcade Style, where there are more enemies, and items are picked by a button press rather than holding the button. Arcade Style also makes the player move faster, however, you get a lower karma reward. Lastly, Classic Horror is more focused on the horror element of the game. Enemies are reduced in number, they are tougher, and the player moves more slowly than in the other game modes, moving away from the action and making you that bit more vulnerable. All the modes are playable solo or co-op, so you can join in with a friend.

Ultra-Violence is best played with friends, as for those who are not skilled in the FPS genre it may be challenging. This mode also feels better when played with others as more people looking around for the objectives to make the game flow faster. Arcade Style is quick and provides frantic action, feeling a bit like Doom. Played solo it feels great and you really do get those old-school vibes, but multiplayer becomes very hectic very quickly, as such keeping you on your toes. Classic Horror is for those seeking more of a challenge, and is best experienced solo as multiplayer kind of detracts from the horror. However, as you progress it slowly becomes more action-orientated, which is a shame as at first it felt different to the others. In the end this is just a slower version of the main game, and the horror aspect doesn't last.

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As mentioned before, there are few problems with the game that hold it back. One of these problems is the mission objective, which is rather simple: collect three crests and then power up the elevator to escape. This would have been better if it featured in just in one mode, and after a while it becomes tedious as familiarity sinks in.

Another problem relates to how you pick up items, or to be more specific, how you pick them up in the Arcade Style mode. Rather than items being automatically picked up as you walk over them, you have to press a button to pick them up. It sounds like we're nitpicking, but in the other modes it adds intensity to the game as you have to hold the button down instead of pressing it. In Arcade Style, however, it slows the fast-paced gameplay down and disrupts the flow, and it would have been better without it.

The character customisation isn't perfect either. Even though it's first-person you can customise your player-character, but unfortunately this is rather barebones and there isn't much to change other than colours and titles, which is a shame considering you can see other players and variety would have spiced things up a bit. Beyond that, the game also isn't very graphically impressive, despite the blood effects, which is a shame given the fact it was made using Unreal Engine 4.

Unloved is a good first-person shooter that had a lot of promise. Its violent nature, enemy design, the 'Twisted' option for locations, and its smooth performance are the game's highlights, however, it suffers from a number of problems that really do hold the game back. Whilst it could do with further refinement, it still has heart, but with shooters like Doom and Killing Floor 2 making an impact in 2016, Unloved may get a little overlooked. Hopefully future updates can turn this from being an okay shooter into a decent one.

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06 Gamereactor UK
6 / 10
+
The game runs smooth, The monster design is great and look the part, 'Twisted' option for locations keeps maps feeling fresh, The amount of violence is great.
-
Character customisation is barebones, Doesn't look brilliant, The way you pick up items in Arcade style disrupts the flow, The Classic Horror game mode is a missed opportunity, The game's objective is the same across each game mode.
overall score
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Unloved

REVIEW. Written by Brandon Green

"Whilst it could do with further refinement, it still has heart, but with shooters like Doom and Killing Floor 2 making an impact in 2016, Unloved may get a little overlooked."



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