Set during Uprising in City 17, Michael,a member of the resistance must do everything he can to get combine off Earth along with the resistance,but Citadel Collapse is on it's way as well..
Lighting is pretty good. Varied colors make the exploration part engaging and gripping.
Hunter ambush was clumsy. Why were the Combine just piled up outside of the warehouse in an empty city waiting for the door to open? And I get starting me in a cramped area to bump up the claustrophobia, but it quickly became jammed and unintentionally easy to cheese because Hunters don't traverse props well. The game clearly wanted me to run out in the open, but put a crank wheel door that discourages exactly that, leading to an awkward fight crammed in a small room hurling grenades out the windows.
Combat otherwise was fun. I liked those courtyard/alley combos with the chain-link fences. Felt tight and close-quartered, yet open enough to move around. Lots of little nooks, crannies, and hiding spaces, both for yourself and Combine.
Architecture made little sense. I mean I know it's "ruined" and all that, but it's not really believably ruined. It's like someone's idea of what a ruined city might look like, instead of first starting with a city, then ruining it.
A few too many fences hampered progression with environmental overload, not knowing which direction is forward.
Combat rewards run 'n' gunning. If you stay put, you end up having to camp behind a doorway, yeeting out pot shots. You have plenty of health and ammo, be free! Don't be timid, power trip like Valve would've wanted!
Some of the apartment style buildings really captured that european hostel vibe. I'm reminded also of tall ceiling'd Irish hostels. Communal bookshelves really aren't a thing anymore. I miss that cozy, personal atmosphere.
More content than I expected. Good pacing, good fights, good looks. It's a demo and definitely needs improvement, but the foundation is there and I had a lot of fun playing this.