Immortal Redneck (IR) has been developed and published by CremaGames as a first-person shooter. While the title is still being developed as a work in progress, all the correct boxes are already being checked by IR. IR is a title gamers will want to check out by providing an interesting aesthetic cross between The Mummy and Valve’s Team Fortress 2, IR.
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Immortal Redneck Game – The Story
Upon launching the game, players are greeted by a short film that introduces Immortal Redneck, the main protagonist himself. Immortal Redneck does not only wear red plaid and overalls but also has an attitude and southern accent to match, fitting right into the stereotypical beer-chugging and America-loving archetype. Racing in a 4-4 through the sands of Ancient Egypt, I can only speculate that he came on holiday. As the intro-cinematic fails to provide any narrative details on his ambitions and motives, I say speculate.
Immortal Redneck is saved by a mysterious group of Egyptians who restore his physical strength but leave him “mummified” in the process, recklessly flipping his vehicle and left helplessly buried in the sand. After that, the cut-scene ends promptly, leaving the player scratching his head but definitely wanting more. It was very well animated and left a positive first impression, even though it was short (probably too short). Immortal Redneck begins with the player spawning at the base of a pyramid on the first floor, after a short tutorial. Fight upstairs to escape the grip of your mysterious saviors, captors, I mean!
Combat
Going into the IR, I wasn’t expecting a lot of fighting. While the trailers boast over 50 weapons and more than 100 perks, most of it was attributed to the initial hype of the public announcement of the game. After playing the little gem of CremaGames, I can say now that I’ve never been more excited about being proven wrong. Combat, with gunplay feeling smoother than butter, is explosive and addictive. Instead of avoiding encounters, I found myself actively seeking them out, not only because it is satisfying to shoot mummies in the face, but also because I put a smile on my face by doing it with a shotgun. This goes without mentioning the vast list of weapons you have covered across the board that was not yet unlocked-rocket launches, flamethrowers, Gatling guns, and crossbows-Immortal Redneck. The variety of enemy AI that the game presents to the player is the icing on the cake. There are at least six or seven different types of mummies on the first floor of the pyramid, trying to ruin Immortal Redneck in all his glory. During my initial adventures, I was pleasantly surprised to not see blatant re-skinned enemies. Not only does each enemy have a unique identity, but also a specific skill set and loadout to go along with it. Varying pools of health, different abilities thrown your way, varying behaviors of AI, Crema nailed it.
RPG Elements
Classes: While players begin their pyramid adventure by default with Immortal Redneck, IR is advertised to offer, at least eventually, several more playable characters. I simply played the hell out of Immortal Redneck in this review and I enjoyed every second of it.
Skill Tree: Players respawn at a starting hub after death, where they have the option to buy skill upgrades using the currency gathered from mummy bodies. Although it is impressive that in this fps a skill tree is included at all, the scope of the tree itself keeps me clapping. Skills range from simple attack improvements to more basic health and ammo capacity, and so those lone survivors are definitely rewarded here.
Perk scheme: While not the most exciting feature, in the form of scrolls that will further buff player characters, players can gather passive benefits. However, careful as gathered scrolls reset upon death.
Level Design
In Ancient Egypt, IR sets itself more specifically inside a pyramid with several floors to climb before the player is set free. With multiple passages and doorways to explore, each floor of the pyramid acts like a maze. The player will be locked inside by passing through a door, and a particular number of enemies will begin their attack. Doors to the next room do not open until the one in question is cleared of these hostiles, and until the entire floor is cleared, the process repeats from room to room. Graphically, to some degree, the stages themselves are reminiscent of Team Fortress 2, and I have no reservations about the loyalty of the IR in that department. By design, to some extent, the phases emphasize problem-solving, as map design is not as linear as one might think. The game introduces vertical levels that are not so easily spotted and is a feature that will be appreciated by players. Get ready to go jumping, climbing, diving, and swinging!
Audio
In Immortal Redneck, the audio is exactly what players would expect from a shooter set in Ancient Egypt. To create an atmosphere that won’t disappoint, fast-paced drums are coupled with flutes and other tribal instruments. In some instances, animal screeches are even introduced, providing some complimentary audio that accents the settings as a whole. The music slows down to a more relaxing hum from combat, as expected, while combat turns stuff up five notches with faster-paced beats, queues, and triggers. In fact, I enjoyed combat music so much that I found myself over-engaged just to keep pumping the adrenaline for a few more moments. The sounds of weapons are not something to write about at home, but the average is not necessarily a bad thing. They serve their purpose, and there will be no complaints about that from anyone.
Difficulties
The game does little, on the surface, to challenge the player. The game’s challenge certainly has more depth than meets the eye, though. As players advance through the pyramid, while the engagements themselves are not too difficult, the longevity of the stages themselves poses a real challenge. Any player can decimate a few mummies on floor one in room three, but when players are tasked with surviving and managing resources in room two on floor number five, it becomes a completely different conversation. Killing the mummies is the easy part, actually. It pays close attention to health bars and ammunition counts, which introduces the real difficulty, and the game will ultimately kick your ass most times. Not to mention, the rogue-like gameplay of IR brings elements of permanence into the mix. When your ass is actually kicked, all progress (with the exception of currency) is wiped before death and players rest on floor one. You guys are savages over at Crema, and I like it.
The Humor
My favorite part of Immortal Redneck is this feature, hands down. For new players, the developers could not have chosen a better starter character than the flagship redneck of the game, as his humor kept me laughing the whole time I was killing mummies. Lines like, “Hold my beer” drive this game over the finish line when engaging enemies and simply “Fuck” when taking damage. In a multi-class shooter, character creation is rare, and IR does it well for its beginning class. Sure, other characters will have less wit and sarcasm, but I’m sure they’re going to offer other personalities that players will identify with and overall appreciate. Likeable characters are not always something that is accomplished, and in Immortal Redneck, I’m proud to say I love Immortal Redneck.
REVIEW OF IMMORTAL REDNECK
What’s Good:
- Satisfying Fight
- Elements for RPG
- Ingenious humor
What’s not so good:
- Limited Story Limited