Have you enjoyed Quake, DOOM, or literally any retro shooter ever? Please download Prodeus now.
This piece originally ran on Kotaku Australia on July 30, 2021. It has been retimed as a weekend read, and because Alex was right, Prodeus whips arse.
Made by Bounding Box Software, Prodeus is the latest in what’s becoming a very long line of killer FPS throwbacks. It’s been out in early access since November last year — literally right in between the launches for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X, so if you missed it, it’s totally understandable.
However, the game has since made its way to Xbox Game Pass for PC. So while there’s still plenty of content to come, there’s already enough to scratch that Give Me A Massive Gun And Demons To Explode itch.
Here’s what happens when you’re given a minigun for the first time:
Here’s wonderfully retro sprites making satisfying explosions with precision headshots from the lowly pistol, your starting weapon.
Here’s the in-game auto map, which you control with WASD keys like it’s something out of Descent.
There’s also multiple weapons and various upgrades to unlock along the way, including a BFG-inspired behemoth that takes up a quarter of the screen.
And you can’t have a game with this much blood without a banging metal soundtrack. Prodeus, as it turns out, has one of the industry’s best. The heavy metal was composed by Andrew Hulshult, who’s worked on Quake Champions, DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods expansion, Dusk, Brutal Doom, Rise of the Triad, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, AMID EVIL and Rad Rogers.
Basically most of the best retro shooters from the last five years, then.
I haven’t played all of the content yet, but I can report I’ve loved every second so far. If I’m being more critical, I’d say the HUD maybe occupies a bit too much space — although there is a minimal HUD setting you can toggle. The enemies also aren’t anything revolutionary from what I’ve seen. They’re great cannon fodder though, and the raw movement, weapon handling and way you can freely bounce around the map is a blast. But I wouldn’t put the level design on the same tier as something like Dusk or Amid Evil, and the movement itself doesn’t have the addictive, hyperactive skill ceiling of something like ULTRAKILL.
But, fuck, I’m nitpicking here. Just look at this:
And this:
Honestly, do I need to say anything more?
If you’re not on Game Pass for PC, the best place to grab Prodeus right now is through Fanatical. (It’s $35.95, but you can bring the price below $30 with the FANATICAL18 checkout code.) Otherwise, Microsoft’s running their $1 deal for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass for PC again. Slaughter away, friends.
Leave a Reply