Originally released on PC back in October of 2018 and the brainchild of high school student Jakub Cislo – who saw his game through several early iterations before putting together the small team that make up Buckshot Software in order to get things polished to the standard we see here – Project Warlock is very obviously a true labour of love; a painstakingly crafted tribute to the retro first-person shooters such as DOOM, Wolfenstein and Heretic that Cislo was first introduced to by his father.
This is a straight-up old school experience; a brutal, bloody strafe-fest with great big meaty weapons and hordes of hellish abominations that looks fantastic and runs flawlessly in both docked and handheld modes on Switch. What Buckshot Software has created here easily deserves a seat at the very same table as the classic games that inspired it, and instantly jumps right on to our list of highly recommended Switch FPS experiences.
In Project Warlock, you assume the role of a hard-boiled sorcerer badass who’s on a po-faced mission to rid four different periods of Earth’s history from rampaging demonic hordes before facing off against the game’s big bad end boss in the fiery wastes of Hell. As far as stories go, and very much in keeping with the games from which it borrows; the narrative here is wafer-thin and some pretty generic flavour text at the end of each of the game’s five zones is all you’ll get in this regard.
Of course, nobody comes to a retro FPS looking for some sort of nourishing cinematic experience; we want guns and guts and we want plenty of them, and in this regard, Project Warlock delivers in spades. The five differently-themed areas that you’ll traverse through are stuffed to the brim with all manner of ghoulish hellspawn to stab, hack, burn and blast to tiny little pieces as you return each and every one of them to the foulness from whence they came.
The first area, Medieval, kicks things off in pretty generic retro shooter fashion with its imposing stone castles, dank sewers and dark prisons, before the game begins to stretch its legs quite impressively in terms of colour palette, level design and enemy types across the four episodes that follow. There's all manner of Lovecraftian beasts, ancient Egyptian terrors, high tech robotic foes and hellish abominations to do battle with here as you journey through an impressive mix of locations, with the frigid tundra of Antarctica giving way to the cursed temples of ancient Egypt and the crumbling cityscape of the Industrial zone before you descend into the inky red chaos of Hell itself.
There’s a great mix of enemies here too, and your warrior warlock is armed with an excellent array of satisfyingly punchy weapons with which to rip and tear them to pieces. You’ll start out with nothing much more than an axe and a shiv, but before long you’ll have access to all the usual shooter suspects with a pistol, shotgun, dynamite, crossbow, SMG, warlock staff, minigun and plenty more besides that you’ll find hidden throughout stages.
As you play through the game you’ll earn upgrade points which you can pump into these weapons to further enhance them. For example, you may choose to add extra power to your shotgun or perhaps give it an autoloader to vastly improve its reload time. Your Magnum pistol can be turned into a nifty flare gun that sets fire to enemies, reducing them to neat little piles of ash, and your warlock staff can be imbued with ice damage to freeze your foes in place. All the weapon variations feel great to use and there's a surprising amount of detail in how enemies become increasingly more deformed, losing limbs and gradually falling apart as you shred them to pieces.
Alongside his hefty selection of weapons, your warlock also has a raft of magical capabilities that can be unlocked by procuring spells in and around stages and then activating them – for a points cost – back in your workshop between rounds. There are a bunch of pretty cool powers on offer; we made most use of the freezing blast, storm rage and a holy guard that creates a temporary barrier around your warlock. However, the magic side of things does feel like the least well-executed element of the combat. The various powers at your disposal aren't bad by any means; they just don’t come off as feeling particularly satisfying or necessary to making progress, and you can easily blitz through the game without activating any of them – especially on normal difficulty – and instead use your points to fully upgrade all of your guns.
Beyond your spells and weapons, you’ll also earn points to pump into strength, life, spirit and capacity stats whilst gradually unlocking a bunch of perks which make you heal quicker, gain XP faster, sprint at a lightning pace (perfect for the inevitable speedruns) and so on. The RPG systems are incredibly light here and don’t get in the way of the straightforward nature of the satisfyingly slick shooting action, but it’s certainly a nice addition to have the opportunity to mess around with slightly different builds of your hero on return runs through the game.
In terms of difficulty, even in normal mode Project Warlock gets off to a pretty tough start as you struggle to fend off the hell-tide with nothing more than a knife, axe and weak lightning attack; however, once you get some meatier weapons and level-up your strength and HP, you may actually find that things become almost a little too straightforward. We found ourselves strafing in a blind panic and dying lots of times during the thrilling opening chapter, but then blasted through stages rather quickly from the second world onwards. We reckon, especially if you’re an experienced fan of the genre, that sticking this one on hard mode keeps things much more challenging over the course of proceedings. Bosses too, excepting the very final one, aren’t a particularly big hurdle unless you bump up the difficulty, and even then they really don’t require much more thought or tactics than strafing in a circle whilst emptying every single bit of ammo you’ve got into your enemy.
Away from those slightly lacklustre boss fights, Project Warlock’s levels fare much better, managing to maintain a tight mix of claustrophobic, mazey corridors and great big open arena areas, switching the pace nicely between moving slowly and checking your corners for hidden nasties and then giving you all the space you need to dash and strafe at large hordes caught out in the open until there's nothing more left than piles of glistening giblets.
In order to exit each stage, you’ll need to work towards locating and destroying a red demon lock which will require you grab a number of different coloured keys to open locked doors and flip a few switches here and there, but this element of things never threatens to become meaningfully taxing or complicated and the game very cleverly keeps you from getting lost by always beckoning you in the correct direction with fresh hordes of enemies.
Stages also contain a bunch of secret areas that you can hunt down in order to grab some extra loot, ammo and treasure. They're not particularly hard to find; just keep an eye out for cracks or discoloured areas on walls as you whizz by, but they do give things just a little more in the way of replayability. Also, keep an eagle eye out for a handful of familiar faces from classic shooters that you'll find hanging around a few stages throughout the game.
Graphically, the Switch port is a match for other versions of the game; this is a very good-looking title that uses its retro-pixel style and billboarding sprites to great effect. Project Warlock may initially look like the usual pixelated old-school homage, but in motion, it’s a beautifully smooth, wonderfully detailed and thoroughly modern-feeling affair. It also comes with lots of graphical options with retro shaders allowing you to adapt C64, Amstrad and Spectrum colour palettes which can then be tweaked to your liking, while bloom, motion blur and scanline effects are also on offer. You can even add all sorts of noise, jitter, distortion and wobble to the onscreen action, if you so wish. Personally, we pretty much stuck with the default graphical mode with just motion blur added to give the picture a smoother feel, but there’s no doubt retro fans will get plenty of fun out messing with all of these graphical options.
It's worth noting that Project Warlock doesn't include any gyro-aiming options. We’re honestly not sure it’s something that’s really necessary given the great big, easy-to-hit enemies you face off against in packs here, but you can lock the Y-axis in order to make aiming at your foes as simple as it could possibly be. In terms of controls, everything feels pretty great and our only real complaint is that the weapon wheel is a little awkward to use. You can switch to another style of weapon selection, but really it doesn’t improve this aspect of things much, and both options just feel a little slow and fussy, very occasionally leading to you desperately trying to cycle to the correct gun at a critical moment in the action.
Overall, however, Project Warlock on Switch is a resounding success. It looks and sounds excellent, its action is fast-paced and brutal and it nails the look and feel of the classic '90s titles from which it takes its inspiration – all whilst performing impeccably in both docked and handheld modes.
Conclusion
Project Warlock is an excellent throwback to the fast-paced, gory strafe-fests of the '90s. It's got tons of big, meaty weapons, magic attack abilities, some light puzzle elements and an endless procession of freakish hellspawn to blow into tiny chunks across five impressively varied settings. Buckshot Software's debut effort is an easy recommendation for retro FPS fans and one of the better shooter experiences currently available on Switch.
Comments 57
I've been waiting for this one! And for the review of it...so glad to see it lives up to the expectations from when it was first showed off. I'll definitely be picking this one up soon!
This one went completely under my radar when it released on Steam in 2018. Looking forward to giving this a try!
Wow this looks awesome.
Hard Mode it is then!!
I can’t keep up! Still busy with Ion Fury.
When was the last Nintendo console I said that hahaha!
The enemy and weapon art looks cool. Like the style. The scenery looks terrible and linear. Not for me but kinda hope more devs go with FPS with enemy art like this.
I can't wait to play! I'm loving ion fury (except for the not so analog movement)
I have contacted the developer and they said they would think about it, but it's quite annoying when you play something like the new Doom 64 and then play ion fury it is night and day difference, Doom 64 is way smoother because the analog stick goes all the way from 0 to 100 instead of 50 - 100 like it does on the iron fury.
I will download this tonight!
Sounds like good silly fun!
Though I wish developers wouldn't fall in love with working titles including the word "Project". It always feels like the game isn't for the players. ^^
Such a great game. Cant wait to double dip, as I've been meaning to give it another play.
I think you need to edit your article’s better.
Ah!! I was wondering about this game, because I hadn't seen anyone talk about it yet. Thanks for the review. I'm excited for this one.
*hits the article "Like" button
I will definitely be picking this up later on today! Really enjoying the retro FPS Renaissance going on lately!👏🏼
Welp, that’s that. I just went from maybe, to see you tonight
The sprites in this game just look.... not great to me. I'll probably get it anyway though as my first love is Doom and all Doom-clones. So I'm sure I'll get over the looks and love the game.
I would love to see similar looking game with an online multiplayer etc.
It looks like nobody is really interesting with the idea. We have DOOMs etc. and still no online multi.
@sikthvash If you hadn't said this I wouldn't even have realised it was released on Steam, even though I'm mostly a PC gamer and think this game looks great. Will definitely buy it either on Switch or PC soon.
I guess I'll be picking this game up as well. I've bought so many games over the last few days to the sales on the eShop and PS Store even though I know I won't be playing the majority of them until I beat The Last of Us 2. Sigh, I guess it doesn't hurt to be prepared for after. Lol.
I just cannot stand this visual style. It looks just weird.
@BlackenedHalo I hear ya. Looks like a janky Doom clone from the 90s reprocessed through an open source 3D engine. Kinda weird. If it's slick and fun I could get used to it tho.
Loving this kind of Modern-Retro stuff.
I don't get people today, when a game comes out with a single little micro stutter and a single fps is lost then the world hate that game and call it trash but when something like this comes out that look absolutely hideous and like some old duke nukem era kind of game then everyone praise it and say they can't wait to play it. This game look boring af and ugly as all hell.
Inconsistent pixel sizes on the edges makes me ill.
The 8bit pixel aesthetic is beautiful.
@skrax Yeah a lot of gamers are into this retro inspired indie stuff, and I usually just prefer the actual classics.
Looks great - the lack of gyro is such a deal breaker for me though, so I'm less sure..
Looks lovely, will pick up when on sale!
No mention of the frame rate? Is it 30fps or 60fps? Just saying flawless performance doesn't give enough information, and Nintendolife has a track record of getting that wrong as well. That's kind of important information for first-person shooters. I was burned already recently by Ion Fury, so I'm not buying this game until I know for sure how it runs.
I got stuck on Turok, but I love the genre and retro vibes, so this might be for me!
@DevlinMandrake you start and finish with a bellend. You pornstar you!
@Darlinfan.
That's as far as you needed to read.
@Darlinfan
Or maybe you could just approach the conversation less stridently and try framing your own opinions in a way that others can understand.
Instead of just throwing around words like retarded and garbage.
Maybe you'd get called a bellend less often that way?
I get that you have your opinions, and that you disagree with some other commentards on here. That's cool. But if you're going to throw names around, at least make sure that you explain to people why you disagree with them, and why you're calling them names.
Personally, I find this site to be largely full of whiners and people who toss out ill-informed opinions as though they're gospel (I know, it's the internet). It does my head in. But I'd prefer to try and provide the tools to make them better informed than just slag them off.
My problem with your comments is that you just tried to diminish the people you disagree with, rather than explain to them why you disagree and present an alternative viewpoint. That's always the higher road.
I'm not sorry for calling you a bellend, because your posts warranted it. But I do slightly regret the Joe Dirt comment. For all I know that's actually what you look like, and it's unfair to tear someone down based on their appearance. It's always more fun and stimulating to take apart their words/actions.
Got it, thank you! It plays beautifully and looks fantastic!
Yep gonna get this bad boy 2moro! Hope there an easy mode x x
After seeing this in motion at 30fps I assumed it must have been hard-locked to 30fps on consoles like Okami was. However, PS4 gameplay is locked at 60fps And considering this was made in Unity and not a 90s game engine (a la Ion Fury) I can't help but wonder why this is the case?
Nobody seems to be suggesting anything here in the comments either. Not like a game like this needs to be pushing 1080p over high frame rates.
@MARl0 It unfortunately runs at 30fps. I know better, and should always wait until I see clear evidence from youtube videos that show 60fps handheld gameplay or Digital Foundry videos that mention framerate, but I bought this and played a level and then deleted it from my Switch. Hopefully they'll patch in a performance mode because I think I might like the game if it ran smoothly. Oh well, back to Turok, Doom 1 2 & 3, etc.
@Dragonslacker1 if you read the review you would have seen that the reviewer said the game feels too easy in anything under Hard mode.
@60frames-please
Whilst 60fps would be nice, your incessant need to have games at 60fps almost seems like a mental illness.
The fact that you've already given the game your money before doing research also suggests it's a mental thing rather than a moral thing as well.
@Coach_A. Yeah I saw that but I’m rubbish at games! I like to make it as easy as possible, I don’t need a challenge x
@Coach_A It is both mental illness and immorality.
@60frames-please are you okay?
@Coach_A I just like fun games that run at 60fps
I played this game on PC a while ago and it was a major snooze-fest. I'm glad the reviewer thought it was nice, but for me it was just retreading the same ground as an old Doom/Quake game and just made me want to pull out one of those!
@60frames-please 60FPS or death. Well, or it makes me feel like I need glasses.
@DevlinMandrake There's no need to be rude dude.
@Darlinfan
That's Richard Garriot? Never seen him looking like that before. Still, anyone responsible for Ultimata Underwolrd 1 & 2 can get away with having a really bad mullet.
@JayJ
I was defending you against someone calling you retarded. Apoligies if I ruffled your feathers.
@TG16_IS_BAE I feel like games look blurry when running at 30fps. If they are high resolution they only look high res when you stop all movement, which makes the high res pointless since 98% of videogames have nearly constant movement. I'm not 60fps or death though. Just 60fps or damn that kinda sucks. I play Lonely Mountains Downhill, Breath of the Wild, Kingdom Two Crowns, FF X, Witcher 3, Animal Crossing, etc on my Switch. But playing Doom 64, Grid Autosport, Rush Rally 3, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, Marble It Up!, Splatoon 2, etc provides such a nice satisfaction and comfort due to he smoothness and clarity of their 60fps visuals. I really like that clarity of movement!
@60frames-please Lol, me too!!
Nine (9) identical ads show up throuhgout this review...
@Darlinfan
That's rough. Hope they pull through dude. My brother and his wife have both got it, and it killed my Dad back in April.
Bigger issues than arguing over games. I got no problem with you either, even if we do bump gums in future. We both seem to be outspoken tossers so it's fairly likely.
Stay safe, sir.
@Dragonslacker1 there's a casual mode with unlimited lives/continues.
@Darlinfan
Yeah, it was pretty harsh for a few different reasons. I didn't really let myself feel it too much though. It's weird but it seems selfish at the moment when the whole world's going through it.
I sincerely hope your people make it through. Take care dude.
@Darlinfan
That's good advice, it's just difficult to find it. My other half is on the vulnerable list so we're shielding as a household. She can't go out so it's coming down to me to do all of that stuff. Plus we're both working from home with 2 kids to look after. One needs schooling and the other is just coming up to 2 so basically needs constant attention.
I'm holding it down and just plodding along (partly because that's what my Dad always taught me to do) but at some point I'll need to take the time to crash and burn. I'm hoping for a controlled descent rather than a fiery impact.
@Darlinfan
Thanks for saying so man. It's not even really a choice though, you know? The kids rely on me so I've to make sure they're taken care of. And my missus does to a certain extent at the moment too. I'm burning the candle at both ends a bit to get us through and that'll naturally take a toll. But it's what my Dad used to say about how you've just got to keep going, no matter what life throws at you, for as long as you can you keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Easier said than done sometimes, but the world won't stop spinning because I'm having a bad day. So one foot in front of the other it is, even if sometimes they're small steps or you've got to get a mate to help carry you a distance, or you're carrying a mate yourself.
Anyway, I hope the sun's shining wherever you are, on you and yours at least.
I love this game although I suck at it. FPS games are my weakspot. I havent been into the genre since the early 2000's when I was playing Unreal Tournament. Now I cant aim, nor survive for the life of me.
@120frames-please I was just reading the old comments for this and Ion Fury. Was considering getting Ion Fury but saw you mention the framerate. 30 fps in a game like this definitely puts me off. I had a look to see if it was updated and while it's been improved with patches, it still seems to be 30fps. However, apparently there is a cheat code (Konami code) that when entered during gameplay, makes the game run at 60 fps unlocked. Maybe worth a try.
@OorWullie From what I remember in researching that game it doesn't stay at 60 at all after you use that code. I've never bought or played Ion Fury, so can't say for sure though.
Definitively this needs gyro-controls. It would be a 9 then.
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