Crusader: No remorse

Crusader: No Remorse is primarily a dynamic and atmospheric action-shooter with a third-person perspective. All things being equal, I could start the review with the words “imagine Diablo in a sci-fi setting ...” But! The recognized idol of the genre was born a whole year later and could not affect the appearance of this game. And that is great! Otherwise, the Crusader series would hardly have turned out so distinctive.

Plot: Simple and straightforward. In the courtyard of 2195, the world is ruled by cyberpunk, dystopia and the World Economic Consortium (WEC). On the agenda are iron dictatorship, low-paid labor, lack of rights for employees and an abundance of strict rules for all occasions. And this is our main character, Silencer. No, his name is not Bob Fett (calmly, fans, Fett did not have a red spacesuit). Silencer - literally “The One Who Silences” - this is not a rank, but membership in a special unit to deal with dissidents. In the intro, the protagonist and two of his colleagues return from a failed mission - “What are you shaking? Well, we didn’t shoot the unarmed crowd, so what? They are definitely not rebels. Who can have complaints? ” Claims were the robot killer around the corner. And they were - because the only survivor had grenade in stock. After this incident, the surviving hero ignited particularly strong feelings for the regime and decided to join the rebels. The rebels reasoned that the captain of the special detachment in the resistance was, of course, great, but very suspicious, so Silencer would have to gain their trust by completing extremely difficult tasks. The benefit of training is available.

Essence: The game is divided into separate tasks. The environment is diverse: factories and military facilities are balanced by offices and space stations. The locations are filled with guards (both living and mechanical), all kinds of traps and puzzles. Silencer, as a rule, provides himself with weapons and equipment - either by buying it on the basis of rebels between missions, or by repelling the enemy. We carry out the tasks alone, and the ammunition is not as large as it seems, so the game contains elements of strategy and tactics. No, no one bothers to just rush into the room with weapons at the ready and smash everything to the damn mother, but it’s more reasonable to calculate in advance who to take out first, whom to lure later, where to start the chain reaction, where to get away from firing the turret, how best to approach the security chamber and where to turn off the alarm if the camera still detects you. Also at the levels there are mechanisms launched by the player, combination locks and cards of different access levels. The game uses a modified game engine Ultima VIII, so the hero can access some acrobatics: he can not only squat, but also roll, jump over obstacles and climb some structures. Tricks and well-aimed shooting are not easy, but as soon as the player becomes comfortable with the controls, the techniques performed are not only effective, but also purely aesthetically beautiful! It’s immediately clear that it’s not an ordinary bruiser that works, but a ruthless professional.

Subtleties: Among the features of the gameplay, it should be noted a competent balance between dynamism and mental work: shootouts with the enemy are very intense, but at the same time there will almost always be time to catch your breath and penetrate the atmosphere; and puzzles, although sometimes difficult, but usually do not go beyond one specific zone. That is, if a huge tongue of flame from a broken pipe blocks you, then, as a rule, the set of gates that block this disgrace is located nearby or in some logical place.

Also note:

1. The presence of physics, albeit simplified. Barrels roll, objects fall, damaged bridges and trellises fail (not only below you, but also under the enemy);
2. Unprecedented (especially at that time) interactivity and destructibility of the environment. Even after a lazy shootout, the room can change beyond recognition, especially if explosive materials come under fire;
3. Inconsistency and variety of gameplay. Each task has several solutions. For example, you can break into a room and well-aimed fire to eliminate the most dangerous opponents, you can lure them one at a time, you can arrange a couple of accidents using simple mechanisms, or you can secretly get into the rear and crack the security system. Even code doors can often be simply blown up (you will only turn off the alarm yourself later). It is difficult to compare the ways of passing - too much depends on the tastes and preferences of the player. Here we add the presence of cleverly hidden secrets and the ability to remotely steal a security robot or a turret, which significantly changes the gameplay;
4. Design, sound and general atmosphere! Firstly, the game is beautifully and convincingly designed on its own - all the figures, effects and environmental elements are carefully drawn and animated. The palette of colors does not catch up with yawning and does not hurt the eyes. Secondly, the game contains video sequences with live actors, also well shot, played and designed. Live video was often introduced at that time, just to boast of graphics. This game is an exception: live video is more than appropriate here. Sound effects are excellent, as well as musical accompaniment in the techno style (each mission has its own theme);
5. An impressive variety of arsenal. The hero will be available not only standard pistols, machine guns, shotguns and rocket launchers, but also such exotic weapons as guided mine spider, ultraviolet rifle and disintegrator. The choice of weapons is also a difficult question: Silencer can carry only five units, and the tactics of use, like visual effects, are sometimes very different;
6. Last but not least, a convenient interface. Frankly speaking, from the game of 95 I expected an abundance of obscure buttons and an urgent need to read the manual, but in this case I made a mistake - the controls are intuitive, there are no explanations on the menu, there are no "black boxes" in the menu. Problems arose only with the mouse setting for aiming, and even that, rather, was a matter of habit. In the graphics settings menu, I generally found myself looking for 3D accelerator options through my eyes. Whatever you say, ergonomics at the level of the 21st century gaming system add to the game attractiveness.

Disadvantages: The author met the opinion that the action is lacking for the action shooter. Indeed, if only a fun shooting range relaxes you, then it is better to look for another game. You may be annoyed by the need to sometimes stop and solve an unobvious puzzle. You can also find fault with the monotony of opponents (a practically ordinary guard differs from an elite one only in armament, and there are not many varieties of robots). Probably, the music may get bored (the compositions are good, but each level you will listen to one in a circle). Someone may notice that actors in video inserts sometimes replay ... Everything, I honestly tried to find fault, I can no longer!

By the way: There is one detail that I was ready to write down as flaws. The game contains unarmed civilians who raise their hands when meeting with the hero. You can shoot them with complete impunity, the game does not even note this. Not only that: if you turn away, civilians strive to turn on the alarm (and this is a constant influx of opponents, blocked buttons and access cards), in addition, they get confused underfoot during shootings and like to hang around next to dangerous substances. We add that from their bodies you can almost always remove something useful, and it turns out that the game encourages shooting unarmed. Now I’m not even talking about morality, but about the logic of the plot, because Silencer decided to join the rebels just after he refused to kill civilians. The game should somehow mark the change in the moral guidelines of the hero! But then I thought: is it not too often for the acting out of a good character we are waiting for gifts, interesting tasks and a bright halo on our heads? And is such a good worth it? Crusader also challenges the player: kill unarmed - get a beautiful effect, convenience and a little money; you will regret - troubles and black ingratitude. As in life, the dark side is faster and easier, and only a truly ideological player can try to pass the game without innocent victims, and such a person, in my opinion, deserves the Iron Principles badge.

Summary: Solid and high-quality "shooter". The gameplay is straightforward, but you often have to move your brains. Appear beautiful explosions, firing and cruelty. You can recommend gamers of any genre preferences. The game is extremely addictive. I warned.