Hard Reset Redux Review (Xbox One)
It would have been pretty easy to miss Hard Reset when it first released in 2011. After all, this was a time when first-person shooters like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and even Halo were ruling the roost, leaving little space for any other titles. Not that the original game didn’t try to set itself apart from those rather generic games. This was a game that called back to the days of old-school first-person shooters like Doom, with a cyberpunk plot inspired by science-fiction greats such as Philip K. Dick. However, Wolfenstein: The New Order showed in 2014 that people are now ready to give other titles in the genre a try, so developer Flying Wild Hog has decided to give Hard Reset one more go with a remastered version known as Redux.
Unlike many other remasters that have come out with the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Hard Reset Redux isn’t just a straight up graphical and performance upgrade. It also includes a rather large expansion pack, extra weapons and a few new weapons that weren’t included with its predecessor. It’s a pleasant change for the developer to have actually gone out of their way to improve upon the original release instead of just giving an older game a new lick of paint.
The first impression in terms of the story is actually quite impressive. The story is set up with a series of animated graphic novel panels that explain exactly what you are doing and what the situation currently is. After this, things start to go downhill. The plot doesn’t really unfold in any real way and instead you have to piece together what you can from the dialogue between your character, Major Fletcher, and the other NPCs that you come across.
Strangely, the downloadable content expansion pack isn’t separated from the main campaign and simply starts once you are finished with the rest of the game without any transition or explanation. This jarring experience is made all the worse by the fact that Exile features a completely separate story and a brand new cast of characters that aren’t present in the main story. Overall, it is easier just to ignore the overarching plot and get on with the task of killing enemies and getting past the bosses.
One of the best ways that Hard Reset Redux could have made up for the lack of a compelling plot would have been having a great variety of distinctive enemies. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. There are very few enemy types throughout the campaign and you will instead come across the same creatures over and over again. The disappointing truth is that the challenge in this game comes more from having to beat a lot of enemies rather than having to defeat interesting and unique ones.
The same philosophy applies to your own weapons too. There are really only two different guns you’ll be using as you progress. One is a traditional ballistic firearm that you’d expect to find in any first-person shooter and the other is a more adaptable plasma weapon. Although there isn’t a great range of guns to use to tackle enemies you can also upgrade them to give new powers and abilities that allow players to tackle situations with different tactics and strategies.
Putting aside the lack of variety in terms of enemies, the actual gunplay is really fun. Hard Reset Redux is at its best when you have to battle tons of enemies all at once, blowing them up in a barrage of explosives and bullets. The developers clearly know this is the strength of Hard Reset, so they have concentrated most of their efforts into ensuring you spend most of your time doing it. The rest of the gameplay can be quite frustrating at times. The lack of a map or waypoint system makes progressing frustrating at times as it means that you will often be wandering around without any clue of where to go.
It is easy to see that the developer put plenty of effort into designing the art style. The cyberpunk setting has been captured perfectly, with the visuals clearly taking inspiration from films such as Blade Runner. These aren’t the most cutting-edge graphics you will ever see but the overall look is fantastic and it creates a perfect environment for the action taking place.
It was always going to be a gamble to release Hard Reset Redux, especially so close to a revitalized Doom that has drawn plenty of praise. The game struggles at some points and will probably fail to capture the modern first-person shooter audience that has grown up with Call of Duty. However, if you like old-school games like Doom then this will be the perfect modern equivalent. The improvements made over the original also justify purchasing it all over again.
This review was based on a digital copy of the game provided by developer Flying Wild Hog.