Published by Fulqrum Publishing and developed by nfoPRINCE and Terminist Arcade, Hyperviolent is a retro-inspired first-person shooter that combines the fast-paced action of classic boomer shooters with elements of survival horror and immersive sims. Set aboard a remote mining asteroid, the game sends players into a facility where something has gone terribly wrong, leaving its inhabitants transformed into aggressive, monstrous creatures. Responding to a distress signal, players must investigate the outbreak, uncover the secrets behind the disaster and, naturally, fight their way through plenty of blood-soaked corridors. Its premise might sound familiar to anyone who has played System Shock or DOOM, and that is very much the point, although Hyperviolent attempts to add a little more depth to the traditional shooter formula.
The narrative gradually unfolds through computer terminals, data logs and messages left behind by the station’s former inhabitants. Rather than presenting everything through lengthy cutscenes, the game encourages players to investigate their surroundings and piece together what happened for themselves. The discovery of Nihlium, a mysterious and volatile substance being mined on the asteroid, provides an intriguing foundation for the unfolding horror, while the increasingly disturbing messages help establish a sense of unease. An AI companion also provides some guidance along the way. Although the central mystery isn’t particularly groundbreaking, there is enough environmental storytelling to make exploration worthwhile. The protagonist, however, remains something of a blank slate, and the story could have benefited from giving players a stronger connection to the character they are controlling.
Exploration is a substantial part of the experience, with the mining facility consisting of interconnected areas filled with locked doors, terminals, hidden supplies and hostile inhabitants. Colored keycards, access codes and switches gradually open up new routes, while save stations provide opportunities to preserve progress. The level design encourages players to revisit previously explored locations as they acquire the necessary items to advance. This gives the game a more deliberate pace than a straightforward corridor shooter, but it can also become frustrating. The environments occasionally make it difficult to establish where to go next, and the absence of particularly helpful navigation tools means players can find themselves wandering through familiar corridors in search of a door or terminal they previously overlooked. Backtracking is one thing; losing momentum because the next objective isn’t sufficiently clear is another.
Combat is where Hyperviolent makes its strongest impression. The game features a sizeable assortment of firearms and melee weapons, and its dual-wielding system allows players to equip different one-handed weapons or tools in either hand. Combining a pistol with a melee weapon, for example, provides a useful balance between ranged and close-quarters combat, while more unusual combinations offer opportunities to experiment. Larger firearms require both hands, making weapon selection an important consideration depending on the situation. Enemies also come in different varieties, with some rushing toward the player while others attack from a distance. The resulting encounters can be entertaining, particularly when a well-placed shotgun blast turns an approaching enemy into a rather unpleasant collection of body parts.
However, the combat isn’t without shortcomings. Enemy behavior can be surprisingly simplistic, with many opponents approaching in predictable straight lines or occasionally getting caught on environmental obstacles. This makes some encounters considerably easier than they should be, especially when dealing with enemies at a distance. The difficulty can be increased to provide a tougher challenge, but more intelligent enemy behavior would have improved the experience regardless of the selected setting. There is also an element of resource management to consider, as ammunition, healing supplies and equipment are scattered throughout the facility. Weapon durability means that certain items require maintenance, while the limited inventory forces players to make decisions about what to carry. These mechanics add a welcome survival horror dimension, although the inventory restrictions can become unnecessarily restrictive, particularly when players are expected to keep useful equipment and supplies available.
The controls and general handling are another mixed aspect. Hyperviolent’s traditional first-person perspective makes its basic mechanics relatively easy to understand, but the movement and interaction systems don’t always feel as responsive as they should. Navigating menus and managing equipment can be somewhat cumbersome, while interacting with smaller objects or specific environmental elements may require more precision than expected. The ability to use both hands independently is an interesting mechanic, but switching equipment and finding the right combination can interrupt the flow of combat. These issues are particularly noticeable when the player needs to react quickly, and the overall handling could use a little more refinement.
Visually, Hyperviolent embraces a distinctive retro aesthetic, combining low-polygon 3D environments with pixel-based character and weapon sprites. It is clearly inspired by the shooters of the 1990s, but the combination of different visual techniques gives the game its own identity. The environments are appropriately industrial and oppressive, with dark corridors, mining facilities and occasional glimpses of the larger station helping to establish the setting. The enemy designs offer some variety, and their exaggerated death animations provide plenty of the gruesome spectacle promised by the title. It isn’t always the most visually impressive interpretation of the retro style, however, and some environments and character designs lack detail. Lighting can also be inconsistent, occasionally making it difficult to distinguish between areas that are deliberately dark and those that simply don’t communicate their surroundings particularly well.
The audio contributes to the atmosphere without necessarily becoming a standout feature. Weapon sounds and enemy cries provide the expected feedback during combat, while the music shifts between more intense passages during encounters and quieter moments that allow tension to build during exploration. The occasional unsettling sound effect reinforces the feeling that something isn’t quite right aboard the asteroid. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of dialogue, as much of the storytelling relies on written messages and computer entries, but this approach fits the game’s old-school sensibilities. Still, more environmental audio and a greater variety of enemy behavior could have made the station feel more alive, particularly during quieter sections when the player is exploring rather than fighting.
Hyperviolent has a fairly clear target audience: players who miss the days of System Shock and classic DOOM, and who appreciate shooters that ask them to do more than simply move forward and pull the trigger. Its combination of dual-wielding, inventory management, weapon maintenance and interconnected environments gives it a little more mechanical depth than a straightforward retro FPS. There is genuine enjoyment to be found in experimenting with different weapon combinations, discovering new areas and gradually uncovering the mystery behind the mining colony’s downfall. Unfortunately, the experience is also held back by occasionally confusing level design, simplistic enemy behavior and a general lack of polish.
For all its shortcomings, Hyperviolent offers a recognizable and occasionally entertaining throwback to an era when first-person shooters were built around exploration, ammunition conservation and unapologetically messy combat. It doesn’t always manage to make its survival horror ambitions work as well as its action, and some of its more interesting mechanics are undermined by awkward implementation. Nevertheless, fans of the genre will find enough here to appreciate, particularly in the weapon system and the way exploration ties into progression. Those looking for a particularly polished or innovative shooter may want to temper their expectations, but players with a soft spot for old-school sci-fi FPS games should find something to enjoy aboard Commodus.
Score: 6.5/10