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When I started up this whole "reviewing games for other people" hobby, I knew I was eventually going to find myself in this situation. Here is a game that simply oozes enthusiasm and hard work...and is ultimately borderline unplayable, and far from fun. And as a reviewer it's my job to callously tear it to pieces, assign an appropriately unflattering score, and advise to seek your entertainment elsewhere. The task is somewhat akin to stuffing a child's crayon drawing into a paper shredder. And to make matters worse, the game's developer is none other than Master Exploder, the rather decent chap who recently posted some nice comments about MY game.
But let's start with the good. As I already mentioned, Lockdown exudes the sense of unbridled enthusiasm that I love about privately developed games. Also, kudos to Master Exploder for adding mouse control. It's also got a nice atmosphere and some neat ideas (such as an emphasis on light as a navigation aid). And the graphics are great (more about that later). But the positives end when you actually sit down to play Lockdown. Gameplay-wise, it's just a mess. First of all, the mouse control is beyond sluggish, with no option for adjusting sensitivity. Movement is also far too slow for the kind of dodging the game requires, and it's not at all uncommon to get caught on objects or corners for no discernible reason. On top of that, you can't tell where you're actually aiming your weapon. There's no reticule, and the gun sprite doesn't actually accurately show where you're aiming (something I had to find out through trial and error). There's also no visible feedback on enemies when you shoot them, making it near impossible to figure out if you're actually hitting your target.
Graphically speaking, the game fares a little better. Its use of colored lighting is pretty impressive, and most of the sprites and textures are good quality. However, even the graphics have some severe issues. For instance, Lockdown is entirely too dark (at least on my monitor). I like the feel that Exploder was going for, but there's a fine line between being dark and moody, and being dark and irritating, and this game often crosses that line to the point where some areas could be unplayable depending on your monitor settings. A similarly noticable but much less severe graphical issue is that most if not all of the sprites were ripped from other games. A common occurance among GM FPSs, I realize, but nonetheless an undesirable one. But to be fair, at least Master Exploder didn't rip everything from Doom like most people do.
Sound-wise, Lockdown actually stands up reasonably well. As you might expect, just about all the music is taken from other places (the famous 'Saw' theme makes an appearance), but it's used to good effect. The same goes for the sound effects, which pop up for things like doors opening, ammo pickups, and monster appearances. I don't think anything about the sound stands out, but it's solid. And some effects are genuinely creepy.
Now... this is really the first game I have reviewed that makes any attempt at a story (although 'The Crates' had a rudimentary narrative, but it was hardly worth mention). Now I like the direction Exploder was taking with the story, but...well, like most everything else in the game, it's botched by poor execution. Misspellings, incomprehensible sentences, and a hard-to-understand twist at the end... It just doesn't work very well. I applaud Exploder for putting effort into this aspect of the game, but I didn't find the final results to be convincing.
In fact, that last sentence sums up my feelings toward this game as a whole. It should be commended for its conception, but condemned for its execution. Despite the obvious effort and programming talent that was put into Lockdown, the result is hardly fun in any way. I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to give it a 2/5, with hopes (and faith) that Exploder can do better next time.
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