Project Warlock is another one of the many boomer/retro/throwback FPS I've been playing through. So far it's the first FPS of recent memory to take most of its inspiration from Wolfenstein 3D. While this leads to some impressive pixel art and sprites, it also takes a hit in the level design as there's only so much you can do with strictly horizontal Wolf 3D levels.
The game consists of 5 episodes which take place in different settings, and in each episode there are 5 chapters which usually have 2 to 4 individual levels each which can be completed pretty quickly, hence the reason for the game having over 60 levels to begin with.
Other pros of PW include the soundtrack and the upgrade system, which adds a level of experimentation to the game. Each weapon can be upgraded to one out of the two given choices through unlock points scattered throughout the levels. You can also upgrade your character statistics, such as melee strength, ammo capacity, mana capacity (known as spirit) and health. You earn upgrade points for your character through levelling up which can be done by collecting gold and killing enemies. Occasionally you will get a player perk point which you can use to buy a perk if you have reached a certain level for a particular stat.
Most of the weapons in the game feel great to use. The shotgun with its full auto upgrade can shred through hordes and the super shotgun can reliably delete enemies in a few shots. The minigun is also good at shredding through anything that gives you a dirty look. Dynamite and the rocket launcher are great explosive additions to the arsenal as the screenshake and gore effects make them hit even harder. The flamethrower can easily melt enemies in a second, making it great for those many sudden monster closets that appear later on when the game is done messing around and literally wants to murder you for collecting a key.
However, there are aspects of this game that I'm mixed on. One of them is the balancing for spells and weapons. In a game like this which is littered with upgrades for almost every aspect of the player, there is bound to be options that are objectively superior. Even if you disregard the upgrades, some weapons in your arsenal go mostly unused throughout the game due to how lacklustre they are. The pistol is only good if you upgrade it to a .50 Magnum and even then you still won't be using it a lot. There's also a crossbow, a laser rifle and a staff I didn't use a lot because the minigun, flamethrower and shotgun, all with the right upgrades, makes these weapons useless. The spells are even worse, as there's only two spells that are just objectively better than the rest, those being the freezing spell and the lightning spell. The lightning spell is ridiculously overpowered if you've upgraded your mana as it becomes so good at clearing rooms that the BFG-9000 equivalent of the game becomes overshadowed.
There's also some questionable level design and enemy placement. The 4th episode plays like a complete mess as the game throws so many projectile and explosive enemies in the cramped Wolf 3D style levels that the damage is unavoidable. There's also a surprisingly high number of levels which start with you getting attacked by a horde of enemies before you even have time to react.
The game also suffers from glitches and performance issues. Don't be fooled by the game's looks, your frame rate will tank in the more hectic battles, which is just completely unacceptable for a game that looks the way it is. Lastly, I encountered a fair amount of bugs and glitches. One of the bugs included a secret switch which I could repeatedly press to exceed the secret count for the level as it logged a secret for each time I pressed it. The more common bug I came across was elevators and moving floors just cause me to fall off the map. I could even easily replicate this bug falling through the map and it amazes me that this wasn't patched.
Overall, Project Warlock is an easy recommend for anyone who wants to try another boomer shooter in the always expanding line-up of throwback FPS games, just don't expect to be able to max out all your upgrades and stats in a single playthrough, this game is honestly perfect in length and would only take 5-6 hours to beat.
The game consists of 5 episodes which take place in different settings, and in each episode there are 5 chapters which usually have 2 to 4 individual levels each which can be completed pretty quickly, hence the reason for the game having over 60 levels to begin with.
Other pros of PW include the soundtrack and the upgrade system, which adds a level of experimentation to the game. Each weapon can be upgraded to one out of the two given choices through unlock points scattered throughout the levels. You can also upgrade your character statistics, such as melee strength, ammo capacity, mana capacity (known as spirit) and health. You earn upgrade points for your character through levelling up which can be done by collecting gold and killing enemies. Occasionally you will get a player perk point which you can use to buy a perk if you have reached a certain level for a particular stat.
Most of the weapons in the game feel great to use. The shotgun with its full auto upgrade can shred through hordes and the super shotgun can reliably delete enemies in a few shots. The minigun is also good at shredding through anything that gives you a dirty look. Dynamite and the rocket launcher are great explosive additions to the arsenal as the screenshake and gore effects make them hit even harder. The flamethrower can easily melt enemies in a second, making it great for those many sudden monster closets that appear later on when the game is done messing around and literally wants to murder you for collecting a key.
However, there are aspects of this game that I'm mixed on. One of them is the balancing for spells and weapons. In a game like this which is littered with upgrades for almost every aspect of the player, there is bound to be options that are objectively superior. Even if you disregard the upgrades, some weapons in your arsenal go mostly unused throughout the game due to how lacklustre they are. The pistol is only good if you upgrade it to a .50 Magnum and even then you still won't be using it a lot. There's also a crossbow, a laser rifle and a staff I didn't use a lot because the minigun, flamethrower and shotgun, all with the right upgrades, makes these weapons useless. The spells are even worse, as there's only two spells that are just objectively better than the rest, those being the freezing spell and the lightning spell. The lightning spell is ridiculously overpowered if you've upgraded your mana as it becomes so good at clearing rooms that the BFG-9000 equivalent of the game becomes overshadowed.
There's also some questionable level design and enemy placement. The 4th episode plays like a complete mess as the game throws so many projectile and explosive enemies in the cramped Wolf 3D style levels that the damage is unavoidable. There's also a surprisingly high number of levels which start with you getting attacked by a horde of enemies before you even have time to react.
The game also suffers from glitches and performance issues. Don't be fooled by the game's looks, your frame rate will tank in the more hectic battles, which is just completely unacceptable for a game that looks the way it is. Lastly, I encountered a fair amount of bugs and glitches. One of the bugs included a secret switch which I could repeatedly press to exceed the secret count for the level as it logged a secret for each time I pressed it. The more common bug I came across was elevators and moving floors just cause me to fall off the map. I could even easily replicate this bug falling through the map and it amazes me that this wasn't patched.
Overall, Project Warlock is an easy recommend for anyone who wants to try another boomer shooter in the always expanding line-up of throwback FPS games, just don't expect to be able to max out all your upgrades and stats in a single playthrough, this game is honestly perfect in length and would only take 5-6 hours to beat.