For an entire generation of PC players, the name Crysis will still summon memories of glacial framerates, frantic fan blades, and gaming rigs that were sufficiently overheated you could use them as a stove. The gorgeous world of Crytek’s tower-toppling 2007 FPS was made more elaborate with Crysis 2, which traded palm trees and dense brush for the concrete jungle of New York City. Crysis 3 combined the two – it was the Big Apple as reclaimed by nature. Led by a former Stalker designer and combining the crafting and survival-driven gunplay of modern Fallout, a new shooter, Forest Reigns, picks up the world design where Crysis 3 left off.
Directed by Stalker Call of Pripyat alumnus Ruslan Didenko and developed by VG Entertainment, Forest Reigns casts you as a solitary survivor in post-apocalyptic Paris. But this isn’t a bleak world full of doom and gloom. On the contrary, the bizarre plant and animal life that’s overrun the FPS game is colorful, vibrant, and highly interactive. If you’re in a gunfight and make too much of a disturbance, the great vines covering the street might spring to life and choke your foes to death. Routes that were open just a moment ago may become closed over as the fauna responds to your presence. Similarly, branches and natural obstacles may peel open to provide new areas to explore.
A dedicated single-player game, Forest Reigns is reminiscent not just of Crysis, but also Far Cry and classic Stalker itself. Resources are scarce, and you have to scavenge to stay alive. Your weapons can be upgraded and customized, and you can get the edge on your enemies using improvised gear. It’s open ended and non linear, and you can choose to align yourself with any of the different factions vying for control of the city.
Watching it in action, it already looks incredibly well presented. Guns sound deadly. Enemies are reactive. The environment comes seamlessly to life, and feels as much a part of combat as you and your opponents. There’s no release date yet, but if Forest Reigns has piqued your interest, you can wishlist it here.
Otherwise, try some of the best survival games, or get a headstart on the best upcoming games on their way to PC.
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