[tab:Review]
Sometimes the phrase “what you see, is what you get” is the only way to describe a particular game. That has never been more applicable than it is with Atlus’ latest offering, God Mode. Dropping in at $10, this third-person shooter places players into the bowels of Hell to mow down palette-swapped enemies with a plethora of guns. Co-op is involved and mutators are the wild card, and that is it. Even though it wears its simplicity on its sleeve, like a proud badge, God Mode is still fun to play in the right setting.
God Mode is an online, third-person shooter that focuses on horde mode style game play. The object is to find three other players, and work through five arenas mowing down enemies, and collecting XP. The main menu tells the entire story, offering up only Quick Match and Create a Game. The trek can be taken solo, but I recommend finding at least one or two additional players, as the grind can be unbearable alone.
There are only five arenas as I mentioned, though each one is beautifully rendered. The level design gives God Mode a polished look I wasn’t expecting considering the price tag. What really kept things fresh were the mutators known as Tests of Faith. At the outset of each section, players can activate a random modifier for each wave. These can be as simple as dynamic music, or as game-changing as turning on friendly fire and giving players infinite ammo. It all happens in an instant, creating an environment of chaos. This is what sets God Mode apart, and what will keep everyone playing with friends.
The XP system is pretty standard, although it takes a massive amount of points to level up. Levels are then used to unlock new weapon tiers (which still have to be paid for with gold collected in the game) as well as new perks like healing. There are skins to customize characters that fit the tone of the game. Pirates, clowns and other ridiculous outfits flesh out the mix, giving players a little way to differentiate themselves, but none of it ever feels necessary. I did like the new weapons and perks I earned, but the grind to get to the really good stuff just felt unrewarding.
No, this isn’t the stuff of nightmares.
The shooting in God Mode feels alright when played with a controller or the default mouse and keyboard. Sadly, getting to the stronger firepower takes an incessant amount of time, and the default load out leaves a little to be desired. The shotgun packs a great punch, but reloading after two shells is annoying. The SMG handles crowds well, but its spray is erratic. Weapons can be upgraded to add more stability, bigger ammo clips and more, which becomes a necessity when playing on the higher difficulties. The title may be budget-priced, but in order to see it all, time investment is key.
I can’t help but feel disappointed that more thought wasn’t put into the setting of the game. The enemies do a great job at conveying it, but everything else feels stagnant. The weapons are generic shooter tropes, and the skins lost my interest after one customization. I would have loved to have seen some outlandish weapons to tear enemies apart, or perhaps more diverse ways of disposing of them. Still as a straight horde mode, co-op shooter God Mode serves its purpose for the price tag. If you can convince your buddies to join in, there is a lot of fun to be had. If solo is the name of your game, you might want to wait for a sub $5 sale.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
- Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77I Deluxe
- Liquid Cooling: Origin Frostbyte 120 Liquid Cooling
- Processor: Intel i7 3770K with Professional Origin PC Overclocking
- Memory: Corsair 8GB 1600 Mghz Vengeance
- Graphics Card: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
[tab:Screenshots]
[tab:END]
