Project Warlock hit the virtual shelves in late 2018 on PC, and has been consistently highly rated. With a port to all major consoles including Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Xbox One due to release this week, many will get the chance to try this retro shooter for the first time. For many longtime gamers, the game will bring back distinct Wolfenstein or Doom vibes, with enough differences from the classics to stay curious for more.
Given the retro artwork and gunplay, this title could be said to target the more mature gamer. For many adults, gaming needs to fit into a balance of work and family life, and playing a game through the end doesn’t exactly pay the bills. But you can’t be all work, no play. So feel free to put some time into Project Warlock.
With gratifying gunplay and spellcasting available to wreak mass havoc upon all evil, this game is a perfect way to spend some time wasting time. Assuming the user picks a difficulty level that matches their abilities, the game will take between five and six hours to finish, with roughly 60 different levels each taking approximately five minutes to complete. Assuming the occasional and unfortunate misstep along the way, and six hours of carnage is a safe bet.
Project Warlock draws very clear inspiration from classic first-person shooters like Duke Nukem, Doom, or Wolfenstein. Two clear distinctions set the title apart from its inspiration, namely the skill, magic, and perk tree system, as well as the widely different themes in each of the five different sections. While some upgrades were certainly available in previous genre titles, they didn’t seem to have the ability to change the gameplay so drastically as in Project Warlock. Here, players can commit to a melee only offense, a pure firearm arsenal, or a loadout that predominantly favored magic.
The second distinction is the dramatic shift between areas. The original stage delivers a very medieval feel, drawing serious Wolfenstein nostalgia. The dramatic shift to Antarctica is compelling, and even a bit ludicrous. The fresh redesign continues with travels to Egypt, a post-apocalyptic world complete with robotic attackers, and of course, hell. Essentially anywhere evil might lurk. In the warlock’s workshop, players have a nice portrait hung for each area they have mastered, which helps track progress towards completion.
If you have been looking for a nostalgic way to kill time, and haven’t had a gaming PC in years, you are in luck. Project Warlock releases across all major consoles the second week of June, retailing for under $15. At least six glorious hours of blissful carnage await.
