As part of the gamescom 2020 "Opening Night Live" stream, a new trailer for indie retro shooter Prodeus has confirmed that the title will be hitting early access on November 10, 2020. A throwback to classic id Software games such as Doom and Quake, it looks absolutely incredible for those that can't get enough of retro shooters.
If you're dying to give it a shot, an exclusive new beta is happening over on Steam. On the Steam store page for Prodeus, just click the "Request Access" button and you'll be put into a queue to try the game early.
As for what you can expect with Prodeus (other than tons of guns and demons), the new trailer reveals some lite online functionality in the form of leaderboards and challenge maps. There will also be a map editor that is very reminiscent of Doom 2016's "Snap Map" feature. It seems like you'll be able to slot pieces into place and create your own maps with little coding skill.
I've still yet to play Prodeus, but everything I've seen looks great. I might be somewhat biased in terms of loving retro shooters, but there is a delicate balance of level design, enemy design, and gun feel that goes into making particular games stick out. Something like DUSK is a masterclass in nailing all of those aspects while Hellbound is an example of immense potential that feels a bit rushed.
Prodeus, so far, looks like it will be able to walk the fine line that its inspirations straddled. It almost comes off looking like a lost Doom 64 sequel, what with its overall darker aesthetic and heavy metal music. I'm very partial to the semi-sprite based nature of its visuals and its mixture of newer technologies to create truly jaw-dropping environments.
Prodeus does still have a console port in the works, but that doesn't seem to be launching at the same time as the PC early access version. There's likely a few months left for development before the game officially releases in 2021. We'll make sure to keep you updated as we learn more closer to its release date.