Hard Reset Redux (PC)

Hard Reset: Redux is an improved, updated, and expanded remake of 2011's single-player dystopian-cyberpunk FPS, Hard Reset. You have three main weapons: A futuristic katana for melee attacks (non-upgradeable); an assault rifle which can be equipped with rockets, grenades, and mines; and a plasma rifle that can be upgraded with X-Ray scopes, electric mortars, stasis fields, and more varieties of dishing out blazing electric death. Both guns feature their own bevy of alternate attack modes, each with their own Alt-fire modes, as well as other upgrades such as scopes. The weapons are upgraded with the points you accumulate during gameplay, both by killing enemies and by picking up yellow upgrade pods. These points are also used to upgrade your character's shields and the like, so choose wisely.

(P.S.: If you already own any of the original editions of this game (or the 2013 remake of Shadow Warrior) on Steam, this game will always be 85% off of the current base price there! That makes it three bucks as of the time of this writing.)

The Flow and the Story

Controls and Gameplay

Hard Reset: Redux uses standard WASD controls, which should be familiar to any FPS veteran. Also reportedly works well with an Xbox One controller. A recent patch opened up more control possibilities, as well as a graphical boost. The environment is littered with blue electrical devices which will let off debilitating arcs of electricity when damaged, as well as red containers of things that go BOOM reeeeal good ;) Several of the latter will allow you to easily blow up walls to allow you access to secret areas, and both are sometimes needed simply to unlock the path forward, as you'll often need to follow power lines (a la Borderlands) in order to find the right fusebox to blow up in order to bypass a barrier.

Graphics and Atmosphere

Dark, gritty, cyberpunk-y. Takes a great deal of obvious inspiration from the likes of Neuromancer, Blade Runner, Shadowrun, and the like – which isn't bad company to be in. Fires and wrecks dot the landscape; glowing neon advertisements for shops, titty bars, and much, much more are omnipresent – and, for the most part, can be destroyed if you like. The game even encourages you to do this, by making random environmental destruction part of your post-level tally. The feeling of having been dropped into a bombed out warzone (which is exactly where you are) is conveyed quite well. The recent patch also fixed some slowdown issues which had previously been caused by the use of SSAO – the game now once more uses a “baked” AO/SSAO hybrid approach.