PLATFORM: PC, SWITCH (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Originally released in 1996 exclusively on PC, Strife was seen by many as being a little out of date as it ran on the “old” Doom engine which, while impressive a few years earlier, was already being replaced by newer and even more impressive technology. However, as the years went by, Strife gained a cult following thanks to its unique (for the mid-90s, at least) combination of slick first-person action and RPG elements, which might be a fairly common blend these days but was quite a rarity at the time. An updated re-release in 2014 – with additional coding from the original programmers – brought the game to a new generation of PC players, and it’s this “new” version that has now been released for the Nintendo Switch, marking Strife’s debut on a home console.
The story goes that, after Earth was decimated by a comet, a virus spread throughout the survivors, turning them into mutants. A group of these mutants, known as The Order, is now attempting to take over the world, but your job, as a rogue mercenary working a band of resistance fighters known The Front, is to make sure The Order doesn’t succeed…
Strife‘s gameplay will be familiar to anyone who’s played the original couple of Doom games (which, by now, is probably pretty much everyone who’s ever picked up a controller). The real-world setting changes things up enough to make Strife feel different to its contemporaries, but the real difference is found in the RPG mechanics. From a central hub where you can visit shops, buy weapons and armour and chat to the townsfolk, you’re sent on various missions and sub-quests where the Doom-style FPS side of things comes into play. It might be fairly basic compared to modern titles, but the game has ages tremendously well and is still incredibly fun to play. There are occasional difficulties in working out what you’re supposed to be doing, and the PC version’s multiplayer modes haven’t been included (or, if they’re here, they’re very well hidden…), but Strife: Veteran Edition on the Switch is a fantastic way to experience a retro classic. For less than a tenner, old-school fans can’t go far wrong!
