Lately, I’ve been a major fan of what Nightdive Studios have been doing with their retro titles. I’ve played their Turok “remaster”, recently reviewed Shadow Man: Remastered, and am heavily awaiting the arrival of the System Shock Remake that’s in the works. Their latest title operating on their crowned jewel KEX Engine, PowerSlave: Exhumed is yet another title that I thoroughly enjoyed from the time that I picked up my Switch and began playing.

Gameplay

For a game that came out almost 25 years ago, PowerSlave’s gameplay still remains a very original concept, mixing gunplay with environmental puzzles and even some pretty complex platforming segments. This was created at a time when FPS titles were more than just gunning down enemies in a cinematic setting. This is just good old-fashioned retro shooting at its finest.

I had an incredibly fun time playing and never really ran into any issues aside from a silly issue where any time I’d get close to breakable objects I’d slide away from them slightly. Aside from that though, the gameplay is solid. Though some newer gamers may not like the fact that shooting is pretty accurate even though you don’t really aim, that’s part of the draw for titles like this. There just aren’t many games like this floating around anymore but I’m glad that Nightdive is doing the dirty work and reviving a select few.

I’ve also gotta say that I love how the gameplay is set up. It’s in the same vein as a Metroidvania; you have specific areas within a certain level that can only be accessed once you get an item from another. There are about 20 levels in total and you will be bouncing between them most of the time as you further peel back each one’s layers until you finally uncover all of its secrets.

Adding some modernity to the game, the Switch version includes the option to use motion controls. I can see people having a lot of fun with this but for me, I just struggle using my body at the same time I try to navigate the Joy-Cons. Definitely a plus to be sure though.

Audio and Visuals

I really enjoyed the new breathe of life that the devs added to the game without totally taking away that retro original feel, whether that’d be audio or visuals. Everything feels as if it improves what the game already looked like without trying to fully remake it. All of the passion from the original team is there mixed in with the passion of the new.

Further improvements include things like 4K resolution, SMAA anti-aliasing, and anisotropic texture filtering. There’s even a CRT filter for the folks like me that still have that soft spot for those fishbowl screens. I appreciate the large number of settings and sliders to play around with here and even the choice to just play it with the original look too is cool.

Replayability

PowerSlave: Exhumed is one of those older titles that isn’t demanding in the story section or in the fact that there are tons of mechanics you have to learn and remember. This is the perfect FPS to just pick up and play for a half-hour, sit down, and come back to a week later. It offers bite-sized gameplay that feels welcoming every time you wake up your console for a breezy and fun gameplay session.

What It Could Have Done Better

Besides that one hiccup I mentioned with the breakable containers, I think the game is pretty great otherwise. One aspect about the enemies that kind of rubbed me the wrong way is that a few do feel a bit annoying and show up way too much for my liking. They’re meant to get the better of you but I just felt like it was a bit cheap at times, because they just come out of nowhere as if they just appeared behind you.

Verdict

PowerSlave: Exhumed is just a reminder that games like this still have room in the FPS genre. Aside from the Doom franchise, we really don’t get too many FPS titles that just offer the chance to shoot stuff and do some fun platforming. Bringing this classic shooter to current gaming platforms through their fantastically designed KEX Engine, Nightdive continues to deliver fun titles with a bit of modern flair. One can only hope that they continue the trend going forward.