Diluvian is a very cool Unreal Engine-powered Doom-esque FPS being created by Straitcurrent, with beefy weaponry, deadly enemies, cool retro visuals and a game mechanic that actually makes the game harder each time you die!
Diluvian handles much like Doom does, with you moving with the WASD keys and shooting/aiming with you mouse. But there are some important differences between Doom and Diluvian that make for a very enjoyable, more tactical and punishing experience.
Instead of just regular gun damage that blows holes through enemies in a flash of gunfire, weapons can cause two different types of damage – Scratch and Lethal. Scratch damage doesn’t enemies directly, instead it fills up a damage pool which is only converted into damage when you use a lethal weapon. Your basic blaster only causes scratch damage but you’re equipped with a sword that deals lethal damage – meaning that the core gameplay revolves around you blasting enemies from afar to build up the scratch damage then getting up close and personal with your sword for the kill (although you can pick up other ranged weapons that cause lethal damage). This same principle applies to the enemies weaponry, shooting you to build up your scratch damage and hitting you with lethal weapons to permanently hurt you – but you can negate the Scratch damage by reloading and replenish health by picking up health collectables.
Diluvian is not only super enjoyable, with its narrow pathways and secret areas that hide enemies from plain view, but the games difficulty level is satisfyingly tough. Remarkably Diluvian revels in its old school difficulty, and even implements a wicked little surprise for those foolish enough to die – each time you perish (aside from the first time), you have to spend a certain amount of ‘De-Points’ on a choice of four attributes (Health, Body, Shield and Speed). Although it may look like an upgrade system, these De-Points actually downgrade your character and make you weaker! So although now you may know where the enemies are going to spawn, you’ll actually have to work harder this time around to defeat them!
All in all Diluvian was a fun, challenging and fantastic ride back to when FPS games weren’t just your run of the mill, health/shield regenerating, linear based snorefests. Just try not to die – this is one FPS that will really punish you for your mistakes!
Download the Diluvian Alpha Build Here (Windows Only)