14 DAY TRIAL // Dystopian first-person shooter 2084 has been fully developed during a 72-hours internal game jam, but it already offers players two modes: story and endless training arena. The game is developed and published by Polish company Feardemic, the same that published the survival horror Perception back in 2017.
Although you get to choose between story and endless modes at the beginning of the game, you're not given too many details about what's happening if you choose the former. I've learned more about the story from the game's Steam page rather than from the game itself, a major letdown for me.
Apparently, the story is set 66 years in the future (hence the name of the game), in the dystopian Fifth Polish Republic, a fictional country ravaged by a deadly infection that affected its citizens to the point that they've become aggressive.
However, since the game takes place in a cyberpunk setting, all these zombies that you'll have to fight are equipped with cyber body augmentations, which makes them more dangerous for the protagonist.
Speaking of protagonist, you play as Laura, a junior researcher sent on a mission into a post-apocalyptic labyrinth full of zombies. Each map has been designed to look and feel like a maze, but, fortunately, I did not have any issues finding the exit. At the end of a map, there's a boss with certain mechanics that must be defeated.
What makes 2084 unique is the blend of shooting and hacking perks, which are needed in order to be successful. Instead of having ammo or health packs dropped from zombies you kill, you're required to hack devices spread throughout the levels to obtain them. To successfully hack a device for ammo or health, you must quickly press the arrow keys in the succession shown on the screen.
The shooting mechanics are just a simple and responsive, maybe too simple for my taste. There's only one gun in the game and there are no upgrades or anything of the sort. I also think that choosing zombies as main enemies doesn't really fit the dystopian cyberpunk theme. The fact that they all look the same doesn't help either.
I did love the eerie, dark atmosphere and the soundtrack, but I think the game lacks enough variations. There are too few enemy types, weapons and some of the levels look very much like those from Observer, another cyberpunk horror game developed by a Polish studio.
The best thing about 2084 is that it runs very smooth for an early access game. Still, there's a lot of content missing to be able to call 2084 a “game,” so I'm waiting to see how Feardemic plans to tackle the development cycle before recommending it. The good news is the Polish studio seems to be very serious about 2084, as the game is expected to be released in 2020, so there should be enough time to add enough content. You can find it on Steam for just $10/€8.
