Project Warlock (Nintendo Switch)

Project Warlock will initially jump out at you for its incredibly unique graphical style. It looks very much like it was designed as a SNES/MD game first and a computer game later, it’s much more sprite based rather than the look shooters like Doom, Blood, Duke & Hexen(where this game takes its inspiration from) had at the time. 

While it may not be the most pleasant to look at in screenshots, all you need to do is see this title in motion to really grasp how good this style looks and how much it adds to the game. Giving it a distinct look and a buttery smooth glide to the game & don’t worry there is still plenty of the red stuff to go around!.

There isn’t much story to go around but with titles like this, you don’t really need it!. There are little text blurbs at the end of chapters but just take the fact you’re a time-traveling Warlock killing monsters. That’s all you need and it will serve you well!.

The main meat of this title is the gameplay, it’s a classic FPS, of course, it was going to be!. Project Warlock nails the Hexen/Heretic feel but then also smatters in Doom, Ion Fury & a little PowerSlave for good measure (Exhumed to some!). 

Project Warlock is set across 5 chapters, Medieval, Egyptian, Future, Antarctica & Hell. A fairly diverse set of levels, each containing 5 sections usually consisting of 2 levels each. A whole lotta levels for you to dominate or die in!. 

The gunplay and weapon diversity in Project Warlock is fantastic, ranging from Knives and Staffs to Rocket Launchers and Chainguns, there is enough weaponry here for any budding Warlock, not to mention there is also a whole bunch of magic too!. The weapons all feel so satisfying to use, there is juicy feedback and no weapon that is completely useless, you’ll be using the lot!.

As mentioned in the blurb, we got the FPS but we also have a little smattering of RPG. Throughout the stages, you’ll find treasure and kill monsters (as standard) this nets you XP, get enough of this stuff and you’ll level up. 

Every two levels you get to return to your base, here you can use the tokens you gained from leveling up to customize your Warlock. Maybe you favor magic so you can put your points there OR if you just want to shoot everything in sight that’s an option too!.,

Another deviation from the genre Project Warlock offers is its difficulty. Anything other than the casual difficulty gives you a set amount of lives, waste these, and it’s game over and back to the start of the game for you. No Quick Save, you gotta “git gud” quick cos death isn’t too far in this game, especially early on when ammo is scarce and your not leveled up. 

While playing the game both docked and handheld I noticed no issues on either with graphics or performance. The controls are standard for the genre though weapon switching can be a little finicky until you get used to it.

Project Warlock is a hard as nails, buttery smooth, fantastic feeling, death-dealing 90s FPS homage to take note of. While recent titles have either been absolutely spot on like Ion Fury but not offering much extra or slightly lacking like Apocryph, Project Warlock meets them both in the middle with the core of the 90s and little tweaks from the modern-day to create a unique and entertaining FPS game. If you love first-person shooters you will love Project Warlock!.