Quite an achievement for what is actually a very straightforward, simple shooter!But perhaps this is where the robo-dog is buried: Sprawl takes on one thing and pulls it off brilliantly. It wants to let you experience the iconic action of Ghost in the Shell or other cyberpunk anime of the 90s up close in the form of a brisk movement shooter. And with a few compromises in the B grade, it succeeds quite brilliantly
Why is Sprawl so popular?
Sprawl is still heavily discounted for a short time on Steam. Until 7 p.m. (March 4, 2024) you get a 50 percent discount, so you only pay around 7 euros for the full version
The package includes a five-hour single-player campaign full of linear action levels. A few strengths characterize Sprawl:
The look : As you can see from the trailer, Sprawl has a stylish retro look that is reminiscent of many 90s cyberpunk anime. Precisely because high-end graphics are not used here, the game runs smoothly even on your pocket calculator.
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The Movement : Sprawl is pretty much the opposite of a cover shooter. Instead, your cyberpunk pro runs along walls, slides past enemies and unpacks bullet time while jumping to deliver precise headshots.
The shootouts : Keyword Bullet Time Sprawl plays like a first-person Max Payne in many ways, but spices up the sliding and slow-motion kills with some strengths from the more recent Dooms. Each enemy has weak points that you can expose and attack.
The atmosphere : Whether you’re up against corpo soldiers or cyber dogs, Sprawl’s genre aesthetic is spot on. Each rugged level environment conveys the feeling of being a tiny cog in a corrupt, run-down metropolis.
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Sprawl is not perfect. The gunplay sometimes lacks oomph, the controls take a long time to get used to even with a mouse and keyboard, the tutorial doesn’t explain the finer points of the mechanics adequately and overall you can tell that a small team was at work here. Nevertheless: For 7 euros, the single-player shooter is definitely worth it
