Apocryph: an old-school shooter

 Switch
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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Mar 19, 2019
    60
    It's been quite the period for shooters on the Switch, with the port of Turok the Dinosaur Hunter and the modern buddy-cop shooter, Rico, all releasing along with Apocryph over the last couple of weeks. Apocryph's stylish commitment to the classic shooter genre tradition, and its dark fantasy vibe, make it the most distinctive and appealing of these games. That design also lets the game down when it comes to delivering a satisfying shooter, but people who can still pick up Heretic or Hexen and enjoy them for what they are will also be able to get a couple of hours of frantic fun out of Apocryph.

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No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
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  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. bungler
    Sep 30, 2019
    1
    I wanted so badly to enjoy this game. In just one word, this game is terrible. It's a sloppy attempt to cash in on the recent nostalgia run ofI wanted so badly to enjoy this game. In just one word, this game is terrible. It's a sloppy attempt to cash in on the recent nostalgia run of classic FPS reboots. As a PC gamer in the 90s -- a big fan of Heretic, Doom, etc.. This port on the Switch seemed like a fun way to take some classic FPS action on the go. That couldn't be further from the truth.

    The bad:

    - Sloppy and difficult controls. The left stick for movement seems overly sensitive and results in you wobbling around levels like some kind of a drunk warrior. I suspect they could have added some kind of smoothing or averaging to fix this, other FPS games on the Switch do not have this problem.

    - Enemy AI is so bad it reminds me of that terrible classic from back in the day "Extreme PaintBrawl". Basically every single enemy just charges at you full speed ahead, so the gameplay in every single fight is just you running backwards frantically. Go back and play Heretic, it will make even that game's AI feel incredible.

    - Inconsistent and often low frame rate.

    - Awful music that sounds like a K-Mart brand Doom (2016) soundtrack. Mixed in with overly peaceful out of place medieval style music.

    - The corner stone of any FPS: Weapons that feel awesome. These weapons feel weak and there's no explanation of exactly what they do. No tutorials, nothing. Just give it a shot and see what happens!

    Overall this game feels extremely amateur and unpolished. I couldn't finish it and I would suggest skipping this game all-together.    … Full Review »
  2. EvilBlade
    Mar 21, 2019
    9
    Well... It is what it says it is - an old-school first-person shooter. It's set up in a dark-fantasy world, so it really looks and feels likeWell... It is what it says it is - an old-school first-person shooter. It's set up in a dark-fantasy world, so it really looks and feels like a good-old Hexen.. or Heretic. But it's made with a modern engine (Unity if I heard it right somewhere). Anyway, for those who grew up with the shooters in the 90-s (like me) and misses them - it's a perfect game to recall them once again... Well, almost perfect. What really "grinds my gears" when I'm playing it is that monsters can't see you through the bars. Even if you stand right next to them just over the corner! And they are faced towards you! Although you can see them perfectly clear! But they will just remain dormant until you come out of this corner or throw a grenade, which will deal some damage to them, from behind it. And sometimes it's so funny and absurd that it breaks all the dark atmosphere of the game. So I would give it an 8.. or maybe even 7 out of 10, but it's just $15 and even half that price here in Russia. And for such a small price it can be almost forgiven.. After all, it really gives me lots of joy and makes me remember all that FPS games that where popular when I was a schoolboy.… Full Review »