Glimpsing the Shattered Horizon - Video Game Review

Very rarely is anything hugely innovative done in the first-person-shooter genre. You have a new type of weapon in this game, a new type of AI strategy in another, maybe a new game mode in yet another game, but rarely is the entire concept of a FPS changed. In a genre swathed in bald and muscled space marines, huge weapons, aliens, monsters, and vehicles galore, Shattered Horizon does away with all that excess to come up with something refreshing.

The game takes place in the debris fields created when the moon explodes. I'll be entirely honest, I am not even sure what the storyline for this game is, there is no cutscenes, no readout, even the Steam page for the game has no storyline information, but in the end it doesn't seem to matter. You know everything you need to, the moon has exploded, and two mining groups are fighting over the minerals and ore in the debris fields.

The reason story doesn't matter is it seems Futuremark Game Studio had a very thought process when they started work on the game and focused on nothing other then the presentation and gameplay. Essentially the game sets the levels in space, the player in a spacesuit, and tosses the concept of gravity in the boardroom wastebasket.

The movement mechanics in Shattered Horizon take a lot of getting used to, and your first few matches are very nerve wracking. You have to learn that this is not a game where you can twitch and move, you have to actually plan ahead a little, which means constantly looking around and adjusting your movement thrusters at all times. Now tack on being shot and and shooting back and you can see how the game can get a little frustrating for newcomers. However, as your brain acclimates to the pace of the game you find a calming peace amidst the debris and even the gunfire.

The movement and physics in Shattered Horizon are very relaxing. I have started up dedicated servers to just fly around the levels and explore and enjoy the feeling of flying around in space. The contrast of being pelted by bullets and having grenades going off around you is jarring but also makes the game seem more realistic because it is so jarring. Never before have I played a game where the locations felt so real and yet so different from my everyday experiences.

There is a realism in Shattered Horizon that isn't found in other games, and I think it's because of two things. First, Futuremark Game Studio is the new game development division of Futuremark Corporation, a PC Benchmarking company known for pushing amazing graphics. Second, every single aspect of the games levels have been tested over and over again. For example, free floating cargo crates react to grenades and even bumping into them will cause them to spin and move. I once bumped into one and then backed up and just watched it for five minute as it very slowly floated away, spiraling slowly with the inertia I imparted upon it, until it banged into another crate which sent both moving slowly. I felt like I was in a NASA film. Usually realism in a game means the blood runs red and you can shoot stuff off of desks and maybe through he odd thin wall. Never have I been so entranced by something like a cargo crate in a game.

One of my friends complained at first that there are only four levels in the game, and only one weapon. Each level is amazing impressive of course, this is Futuremark we're talking about, and this isn't a game where the biggest gun wins. This is a game where your skill and tactics matter more than your ability to get items. In fact there are no items in the level at all. Each time you spawn you get your assault rifle which has also comes with 4 grenades. Each grenade can be one of three types, Ice, EMP, or Explosive. Ice grenades do no damage but completely obstruct vision in the area much like a smoke grenade. EMPs shut down thrusters and HUDs in the area (including your own if you are in range). Finally explosives do damage and can propel objects and people. However nothing will catch fire, this is outer space after all.

Speaking of outer space the sound system here deserves some praise as well. As anyone who has read even the simplest report on what's scientifically wrong with movies set in space, sound doesn't transfer in space as there is no medium for the sound waves to move through. The game gets around this by having your suit give you virtual sound based on the environment. Sounds like a simple explanation, but it does come into play. Travel too far out of the level or get hit by an EMP and your sound system will cut out leaving you hearing just your suit computer complaining.

As I mentioned the game is made by a company known for pushing hardware, and the game looks fantastic. However that does come at a price, the system requirements are a bit steep and many people will not be able to play it yet, however if you are going to be upgrading in the next few months it might be worth it to keep an eye on Shattered Horizon so you have it when you get a computer capable of running it.

In the end the game is a very fresh and unique experience well worth the price to download it off of steam. For people concerned over the lack of weapons and levels it really isn't a problem. More levels are coming (for free none the less), and the single gun is more than adequate. The only bad things about the game is people still try to play like a normal FPS with camping and such, and the high system requirements. Other than that, the game is more than worth it.