Beyond Sunset

Review

Your name is Lucy, and you are suffering from memory loss due to the side effects of cryostasis. But one thing that strikes you immediately is that your reflexes are very responsive, and you seem adept at using weapons. Interestingly, another woman named Yuri also recognises these qualities and offers you a trade. Become a Samurai vigilante and get rid of the plague and crime that fills the streets of the Cyberpunk Sunset City.

Beyond Sunset is an old-style first-person shooter developed by Metacorp / Vaporware and published by Movie Games S.A. on the 9^th of November, 2023, as an early access on the Steam platform.

The game consists of three chapters, two bosses and plenty of wave fights. As I loved playing the original Doom, I was looking forward to giving this game a shot! I wasn’t disappointed at all, but it took me some time to get used to the map display. It would have been better to have an asterisk symbol instead of a small yellow line that disappears on and off the map, which was quite frustrating. One aspect that the map does well is to show you where you can save the game and where to get the upgrade for your weapons, as it clearly highlights the vending machines. But ultimately, you must discover the level and memorise the different ways to go from one part of the map to the next, particularly in the first chapter.  Chapters two and three are pretty straightforward. I really enjoyed the different fighting environments when you access the network. Instead of having guns to eliminate enemies, you throw two different projectiles with your hand. Each projectile will destroy one type of enemy but not the other. Chapter one mostly fights enemies in the network, while chapters two and three also have puzzles. I think the developers have done a good job designing the level layout.

There are plenty of NPCs to talk to, but I only found a couple of side missions in the first chapter. In chapters two and three, you have pretty much just follow the path. There are plenty of secret rooms that I haven’t found. Is there anything else to do? I’m not sure.

The combat is frantic; if you liked the original Doom, you’d probably like this game. I especially like the wave fights in confined areas, as you must keep moving and shooting your way through. Even if it doesn’t feel that your shots are accurate, don’t worry about it, as jumping, dashing, and shooting simultaneously is so much fun. Will you die often? It will depend on your skill set, but in my case, I kicked the bucket quite often, mostly in the last chapter fight.  All of which brings me to the boss fights.

Interestingly, I found the first boss a bit of a pain in the backside, and I mean it in the nicest way. It was difficult, to say the least, and took me quite a while to pin down its sequences. The second boss was done and dusted in a matter of a few replays, which was not quite what I was expecting based on the first boss. The final fight in chapter three was a six-wave onslaught with a mixture of enemies from all chapters. It was a real struggle and took me ages to beat. But that’s what you want in these types of games: a good challenge.

In terms of weapons, you start with a Samurai sword, and in my case, I managed to find the gun, assault rifle, and an amazingly effective shotgun. I believe there is a submachine gun and maybe other weapons, too, but I haven’t found them. Maybe they are located in secret rooms on the first level, or you can purchase them at the vendor store if you have enough coins.

You have three powerkills to use and they can only be activated on an enemy that doesn’t have armour. Each time you use it, it will refill your health and ammo substantially, but it takes time for the powerkills to refill themselves.  

Review written by THE CPT FROGGY for Zeepond.com

Beyond Sunset Steam Store Page