On April 6, two developers announced that their boomer shooters were heading into Early Access. While both are heavily inspired by retro shooters such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Duke Nukem 3D and others, Hyperviolent by Terminist Arcade and Supplice by Mekworx are quite different in terms of gameplay and themes.
Hyperviolent
Axe and pistol, classic combo. | Fulqrum Publishing
With a name like Hyperviolent, you can expect bucketloads of blood, carnage and gore but also a constant sense of dread and possibly some jumpscares as Terminist Arcade classify this game as a sci-fi horror shooter. Stranded on a remote asteroid-based mining colony where an ancient evil has been awakened, you will explore its dark and claustrophobic corridors where enemies will ambush you when you least expect it.
However, you will have access to an extensive array of weapons to blast, chop, and gib through hordes of monstrous foes. One of the neatest things about Hyperviolent is that you can dual-wield weapons and devise a slew of gun and melee combinations that takes violence to the next level.
While the game is essentially an FPS, it does have RPG elements where you will have to manage your inventory and resources, interact with NPCs and use computer data logs to further your mission.
Now if that isn’t an obvious cry for help, I don’t know what is. | Fulqrum Publishing
During its Early Access phase you can experience the first five levels of the game; take on ten different enemies; fight in two demanding boss battles and use 12 different weapons. These elements will be expanded upon as the game heads towards a final release. Terminist Arcade has shared via roadmap that they are even planning to add in Coop multiplayer for up to four players, PvP modes and even a spaceship flying mechanic.
If you are interested in Hyperviolent, you can get it through Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG.
Supplice
Best way to get rid of aliens? With hot flames of course. | Hyperstrange
On the other side of the fence, Supplice by Mekworx was actually a total conversion mod for Doom by talented members of the Doom modding community. The project has evolved and is now essentially a standalone shooter built on the GZDoom engine. So fans of the 1993 classic can expect to feel very at home with this one.
The story of Supplice sees humanity finally becoming technologically advanced enough to not have to worry about climate change, pollution, or finite resources. Instead, humanity’s focus is now on overpopulation. To solve this, Phoebus Technology Conglomeration (PTC) have invented a new form of space travel, Flux Gates, to find more worlds for people to inhabit. But as you can expect, things go very awry.
If hot flames don’t work…a chaingun should do the job. | Hyperstrange
The exocolony known as Methuselah gets overrun by terrifying aliens and you have to blast your way through them to get out of this hell. To do that, you will be using an array of over-the-top weapons like the Cyclomortar, a gasoline-powered fireball launcher, or the triple-barreled Rotary Shotgun.
At the moment, you will be able to play through the first chapter of Supplice, which is made up of five stylish and polished levels set on derelict space stations, vacated mineshafts and deadly laboratories. The action and exploration will be complemented by a 90’s synth-wave soundtrack from the composer behind the music of Sigil and Prodeus. While five levels might not seem like much, the developers have said that each will take 2.5 to 4.5 hours to complete. On top of that, the game also supports user-made content such as maps that can be used to extend its playtime.
