There are many great games at PAX South 2016, but this remastering of Hard Reset, a cyberpunk FPS classic, might slip through the cracks if you’re not looking out for it. Hard Reset Redux is a brand new version of the first game that includes all of the content from the past installment, and adds improved gameplay, enhanced visuals and more to make this the perfect next-gen edition of Hard Reset.
To get you up to speed a bit, the Hard Reset Redux story places us in a world that has mostly ceased to exist. Humanity is on the verge of extinction, living in the city of Bezoar. Mankind wages war against the machines controlling vast areas of what became the ‘Barrens’. Machines want to control and assimilate ‘The Sanctuary,’ a network holding billions of digitalized human minds. Our playable hero is Maj. Fletcher, a soldier of CLN – a corporation combat unit, established to protect the city. Machines are constantly assaulting the walls of Bezoar. Fletcher moves in when Bezoar’s protective barrier is breached.
Some of the new additions to the game are below:
– Enhanced Visuals: The game has been updated to the newest version of the RoadHog engine and includes improved lightning and effects
– Improved Performance: Enjoy faster Load times, a new Quicksave feature and full joypad support
– Brand New Cyber-Katana Weapon: A powerful new weapon which provides an effective close range combat option
– Brand New Enemy Type: Various variants of a threatening new Cyborg Zombie now lie in wait for unsuspecting players
– New Quick Dash Move: Provides players with a new movement option in battle to help avoid incoming attacks and enemies
– Rebalanced Gameplay: The game now includes improved difficulty levels and better pacing
– Different Enemy Placement: Enemies are introduced differently throughout the game, and provide a new challenge for even the most seasoned Hard Reset veteran
After visiting the booth at PAX South and playing Hard Reset Redux, it was clear that the graphics are very good and mostly intuitive controls. It is very nice to have the weapons mapped to the face buttons of your controller, making for a seamless transition from one type of weapon to the next. And on the topic of weapons, the brand new Cyber-Katana in Hard Reset Redux is a welcome addition to the game. Now when those enemies are too close for comfort, your Cyber-Katana will do a nice job of shutting them down. Also of note were some fun destructive environments and a handy new quick dash move for getting out of tricky situations.
The game was not without a few faults. While Redux has better pacing within its levels, it also doesn’t do the best job of explaining what exactly to do next during objectives. After you receive your main missions and objectives, there are a series of trials and hurdles to go through before reaching them, but the PAX South demo lacked any effective explanations of what you’re capable of. For example, to reach a certain area, you might have to be on the lookout for a cracked destructible wall. If the game would just inform you at least once to do this, it would help keep the flow of the game going and tell our brain to be looking out for that kind of thing as the game continues. Perhaps a full version of Hard Reset Redux will include more basic guides like this, but the PAX demo did not. But aside from often running around aimlessly, this is one revamp that fans should enjoy!
Hard Reset Redux will come to Steam, PS4, and Xbox One soon.
Sources: Hard Reset Redux official fact sheet and PAX South booth visit.