PLATFORM: PC, PS5, SWITCH 2, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

This follow-up prequel to 2023’s Sprawl is a strong contender for hidden gem of the year. Inspired by the golden era of first person shooters, it’s a sci-fi romp that casts players as a cybernetically-enhanced supersoldier, FIVE, whose mission is to eliminate the leader of a nefarious techno-religious cult.

Using gravity as its main gimmick, FIVE is equipped with a number of abilities that allow you to cause chaos in all manner of inventive ways. Activating your Gravity Shield enables you to catch enemy bullets and missiles and fire them straight back to where they came from, while Bullet Time allows you to bend your shots in mid-air. Most importantly, a nifty pair of Gravity Gloves are used to activate switches, break destructive objects, pick up items from afar, throw miscellaneous bits of street furniture at enemies, and pick up weapons dropped by defeated foes. FIVE doesn’t have a single equipped firearm, instead using whatever weaponry you can find until it runs out of ammo. While that might sound like a bit of an inconvenience, there are so many different weapons littering the ground that you’re rarely struggling for firepower, and picking things up is so quick and simple that there isn’t a huge amount of difference between this mechanic and the standard weapon-swapping found in other games.

The level design is very reminiscent of early 2000s shooters, both in layout and visuals, allowing for tight corridors, open areas and hidden secrets. If you can imagine Half Life 2 but at two or three times the speed, you’re halfway to picturing how Sprawl Zero works. An absolute pleasure to play, and a real nostalgia blast for those who grew up with games like Quake 2, the original Doom and Halo, or Goldeneye!