I think as FPS games have evolved over the past 20 years, they have gotten much easier. Playing this game, I am really having to double-down on my focus. No more auto-heal to rely on, and I am loving it.
Maybe I’m just having a retro-gasm, but this is the best time I’ve had playing an FPS in years. And coming out into the city for the first time? Who says old graphics can’t look glorious?
I built many a level with the old Build engine back in the day, but none of them could hold a candle to this.
I’m very impressed with what they’ve done here.
And I’m off…back to it.
I think that bottom one is actually from Marathon.
In their early access statement, they specify isn’t really early access, more like you get what’d be the free portion of a shareware fps, or something. Excepting you pay up front, of course.
No, you don’t have to use a keyboard to look around. Since Ion Maiden is based off Eduke32 (a community-developed source port), mouselook’s supported, and playing on a controller isn’t too bad either.
I’m pretty sure the bottom map is the Early Access “campaign” I just played. The big circular area is the boss arena, and the other chunk is the city street section. The tunnel connecting the two is the subway.
It’s a bit of a cheat in regards to the point of the illustration though. That’s actually three Build levels smashed together. When you play them it’s pretty seamless, but there’s definitely level breaks.
Yeah, I learned the headshot thing later in my run. While I’m enjoying all the weapons, I find that the revolver – the name of which I forget – is the one I keep returning to.
I’ve played or at least tried pretty much every fps from '95 onwards and I’ve yet to find one that feels as good as Duke3d (with mouselook). There’s something really special about this engine.
This isn’t about nostalgia – that’s really important to make clear. I mean, yes, I can’t untangle myself from that entirely, but I’d contend that so much has changed in the realms of FPS gaming in the twenty-something years since that those core ideas are now maverick and refreshing. That the game boasts in its own sales pitch that it contains “no procedural generation” is very telling. Obviously the Serious Sam games’ occasional appearances have kept this spirit alive, but in their own distinct broad territory. FPS hasn’t felt like Ion Maiden for a ridiculously long time, and it’s absolutely glorious to have it back. I cannot wait to see the full campaign later this year.
I would love to play a free demo of this, but I don’t think I could make it through an entire campaign unless it’s 6-7 hours. I wonder how long it will be.
The Ion Maiden project leader said the final game is going to be roughly eight times the size of the preview, will feature full mod support at launch, and an update with deathmatch and a unique multiplayer mode will be made available before the end of the year.
Well, like most Build games, it varies based on how comfortable you are with the mechanics. My first time playing, each level took me around an hour, mostly because I was taking my time searching for all the secrets and getting used to the weapons and enemies, but now I can blast through the preview in about 15 minutes.
Edit: A recent thread in Ion Maiden’s Steam discussion page, complains that there’s less than an hour of content, so anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours is a safe bet.
The final game will feature achievements, more enemies, weapons, and alternate firing modes.
I think if you blow through it without looking for secrets, then yeah, maybe a couple of hours.
If you like to find secrets and such, it’ll be a bit longer. I’m 90 minutes through and I don’t know how close to the end I am, but I’ve gone fairly far, it feels.
