Review - SPRAWL

Publisher: MAETH

Developer: Rogue Games, Inc.

Available on: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

The streets are quiet and cold. The hum of machinery and drones echo through a somewhat barren urban landscape. Security and military forces rove the streets, barking orders and dispatching robot dogs onto any resistance. Yet somehow, in this world of cyberspace and cybernetics, you hold the key in the SPRAWL.

SPRAWL is an ambitious first-person shooter from Rogue Games. Featuring a 90s-inspired aesthetic and wearing its anime influence on its sleeve, SPRAWL is an excellent and unique indie shooter with great gameplay and an immersive world I couldn’t get enough of.

A New Reality

An endless cyberpunk metropolis. A Militarized government. Somehow, you awaken from what seemed like a certain death with all your military upgrades activated. A mysterious voice inside your head tells you to fight back. Armed with dual handguns and enhanced acrobatic abilities, players set off to liberate a city that needs a future. You are SEVEN. With the Icarus cybernetic implant, anything is truly possible.

SPRAWL is a first-person shooter with retro-inspired visuals and gameplay. Players gather weapons and ammunition and fight against cyborgs and cybernetic enemies. The goal in each level is to eliminate enemies, solve puzzles, and locate secrets. Players gain access to duel handguns and machine guns, but eventually, this arsenal grows to include shotguns and miniguns as well. The big center of the gameplay is the bullet-time mechanic and the platforming abilities. Players can engage bullet-time, highlighting specific weaknesses on any enemy, and using their weapons to destroy such enemies. Doing so reveals important items, from health to ammunition.

The Golden Age

SPRAWL oozes style from a fond age. I grew up in the golden age of anime, during the 90s. Cyberpunk anime like Robot Carnival and Bubblegum Crisis were just some of the shows slowly making their way to the United States. The medium was new at the time. Some shows were burned onto VHS tapes and watched in small groups here in the United States. In 1995, an anime movie from I.G Productions would change everything about the medium, sci-fi, and film. That movie was Ghost In the Shell, in which Sprawl wears its sleeve. The movie introduced a mysterious and immersive cyberpunk dystopia, where augmenting the human body leads to many ideas and risks. The movie also introduced the concept of bullet-time, which would directly lead to the award-winning movie, The Matrix.

From the very moment the menu starts in SPRAWL the inspiration is there and works well with the retro dystopian aesthetic. The haunting chorus evokes the sensation of being the lone, hidden warrior in a world of shadows. The retro visuals also evoke the golden age of shooters from the 90s with their roughed designs. It’s clear Carlos wanted to give a sort of tip of the hat and thank you to the world that he grew up in and to that end, he succeeded,. Every level has its own distinctive style and design, complete with unique challenges and sights. The soundtrack changes as the game goes along and it feels remarkable at every turn.

Bit blasting

SPRAWL does not have a multiplayer component or online component, but its focus on being a single-player game works extremely well. The campaign lasts a good 10+ hours, and that is if players are keen enough to look for the secret files. The story is engaging and the world being explored is fascinating. SPRAWL isn't anything without good gameplay, but SPRAWL isn't good. It's great!

At the heart of every shooter is the gameplay and if the gameplay works, the game is a success. SPRAWL greatly succeeds here, weaving its dystopian future with an excellent gameplay loop. In SPRAWL there is no auto-healing or auto-regeneration. Here, resources are everything, and the resource lies in the skillful execution of enemies. There are small pockets of ammunition and health scattered throughout levels, but it is through the skills elimination of enemies that yield the best chances are survival. By going into bullet time, SEVEN can see weak points. Early on, this includes the head, which can be shot at or decapitated. Headshots fill the bullet-time gauge and health. Other enemies have explosive backpacks that detonate in a satisfying mess when shot.

Carry a Sense of Destiny

The weapons all have a certain attitude and crunch. The handguns are reminiscent of the high-powered side arms in Blade Runner and the shotgun truly feels like a futuristic boomstick. The last but important component is the platforming. SEVEN can run, wall jump, and slide. Combining this with bullet-time and shooting makes for a euphoric shooting sensation as if it is an evolution of skill shot-focused shooters.

When everything is balanced and in synergy, SPRAWL is absolutely amazing. It is hard to complain of any real faults SPRAWL. The only drawback is once the experience is over, it's over. There’s limited replay value. At the same time, with the game being so strong in its gameplay elements, it is worth a second playthrough, especially to collect the secret MOTHER tablets.

Get into the SPRAWL

SPRAWL is an excellent example of what an independent retro-shooter can be and what it is capable of The game wears its inspirations on its sleeves to great effect and the gameplay is simple yet extremely effective. Developer MAETH is clearly onto something great here and I hope we return to his universe soon. SPRAWL is a great game!