➤ Trepang2: the review of an unoriginal but very fun shooter 🕹

Trepang2's review tells us that the game has very little that is original, but it draws inspiration from so many things that the resulting confusion is fun.

We have already asked ourselves in the past if solid, fun, but unoriginal gameplay is enough to keep a video game working. During the Trepang2 Review We asked ourselves the same question and gave ourselves the same answer as always: yes. This shooter is a chaotic mix of genres and references in which, if we took into account its individual elements, we would see a title that struggles to stand out. However, as a whole, it offers an inherently fun experience, at times pleasantly scary and at other times blatantly rude.

Developed by Trepang Studios and edited by Team17, this shooter will make those nostalgic for Crysis happy thanks to the protagonist's superpowers that are very reminiscent of those of the Nanosuit. Invisibility is at the heart of the stealth sections (all optional and can always be dealt with with firearms), while in place of Crytek armor is a time-slowing feature. Trepang2 is a schizophrenic game because in its 11 levels (seven main story and four secondary missions) it goes from being a survival game with a gun and torch, to a psychological horror with surreal environments, without forgetting to become an arrogant shooter with hordes of enemies. to face Doom style, ending with zombies and mutants to slaughter in a short time to blow up a reactor.

wake up 106

Trepang2: the review of an unoriginal but very fun shooter — Trepang2 will be remembered not for its sensational narrative, but because it is an inherently fun experience that never fails to entertain.

La history of Trepang2 begins in medias res with the protagonist, Subject 106, who is saved from a black site by an evil multinational, the Horizon Corporation, who acts as the main antagonist throughout the game. The first level is very simple and straightforward, consisting of a few stealth segments interspersed with the usual large rooms filled with enemies that will come at you in waves. Each mission has a more or less powerful final boss that you must eliminate through battles that are never easy. However, already halfway through the second level, it immediately becomes clear that things are not as simple as they seem. Your opponents begin to reveal secrets and give you clues that, at the end of the game, fit into a puzzle that reveals the final twist. Unfortunately, both in the individual missions and in general there is very little original at a narrative level. There are many stereotypes and the motivations of the opponents leave a lot to be desired. The beauty of Trepang2, however, is that all this is absolutely irrelevant because the chaotic and extravagant gameplay manages to entertain and entertain, leaving the narrative in a secondary role.

Despite the lack of originality, the game's writers must be recognized for having a certain ability to connect levels and scenarios so far apart. In fact, from a military setting a la Metal Gear Solid we go to laboratories full of zombies a la Resident Evil, from the disturbing surrealism of a psychological horror like Alan Wake to the technological futurism of Crysis. Transitions are not always perfect, but the experience is consistent, once finished: many different parts that mix together and form a pleasant experience.

On a narrative level, what seems like a defect from afar, but makes you smile up close, is the dubbing English which we believe was imagined as deliberately exaggerated to reference the great action adventures of the past. Both the COO and her traveling companions seem trapped in an '80s B action movie. It's a little alienating at first, but then it becomes a nice comic interlude between one level and another.

With guns firing

The arsenal available to Trepang2 players is sufficiently varied and customizable, although with some dead weights that we advise you to avoid. We start with the inevitable pistol that can already be equipped with a silencer at the second level and become the best friend of stealth players. In fact, each weapon has two or three available. customization options through accessories that can be installed on the workbenches distributed throughout the levels. To unlock an accessory you will have to look for some collectibles, which look like a yellow military-style briefcase, inside which contains the sight for the machine gun or the incendiary bullets for the shotgun. The classic assault rifle and the drum grenade launcher that you will obtain after defeating a boss could not be missing. Then there's a futuristic dart launcher that fires three mini-grenades with delayed explosions and a very fun minigun, which can also be obtained by defeating the juggernauts, the classic armored enemies that act as mini-bosses.

The weapon you should carefully avoid is the DMR, the sniper rifle, because it is ineffective in 95% of the battles you will face in this game since they take place at medium and short ranges. The weapon we always carried with us was the shotgun which, combined with the power that slows down time, can eliminate groups of four or five opponents in a few seconds. The abundance of ammunition depends on the difficulty level and the weapons wielded by the enemies you defeat. However, in the lower levels (including the normal one that we recommend starting with), there are several ammunition boxes scattered throughout the levels of the game. Subject 106, then, has two life bars, a blue one that indicates armor and is recharged by collecting plates dropped by enemies, and a green one that represents health and is regenerated through medical kits. The last quarter of the latter regenerates automatically but with so little health a couple of bullets are enough to take you down. The final component of your arsenal is throwable items which include grenades, stun grenades, tomahawks, and firebombs. Grenades are very powerful and can take out even an armored enemy if placed well. The problem is that your opponents throw a lot of them and this will force you to always be on the move because even on normal difficulty the explosion of a grenade at your feet will kill you with a single shot, even with maximum health and armor.

In the fight against enemy soldiers, the Trepang2 symphony takes shape and shows its full potential. HE fight They're always hectic and you'll often find yourself sliding, running, taking enemies hostage and throwing them against walls to take them out. The options are many and the volume of fire from the opponents is always high. The artificial intelligence of the enemy units is well done and will search for you in every corner of the map: staying still is not an option. Invisibility, then, is not just for stealth, you can use it in combat to appear behind an enemy, use it as a shield and fill remaining opponents with lead. It is even possible to take two weapons akimbo to multiply your destructive potential but they cannot be fired independently, pressing the trigger both fire. This is great for damaging bosses that have very short windows in which you can hit them but will use up your bullets very quickly. We especially appreciate the final boss who, without giving away spoilers, will force you to use everything in your arsenal to defeat him.

Conclusions

Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (6) 8.4 your vote

Trepang2 is a game with very few original ideas, but whose gameplay is so well done that the story immediately takes a backseat and the mechanics taken from other titles are mixed in a very pleasant smoothie of chaos. We also really appreciated the mix of genres in this shooter that ranges from Call of Duty action to horror in the style of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. There is also a level with hordes of mutant zombies and a final boss that chases you through very narrow corridors. The weapons are well made and each one has a well-defined identity with the possibility of creating synergies with the power of invisibility and time slowing. You can take an aggressive or stealthy approach in almost every section of the levels (except boss battles), and the attachments available for each weapon encourage customization in one sense or another. The game suffers from some occasional drops in frame rate and crashed only once, but checkpoints are very frequent so we had no problems. If you're looking for an inherently fun shooter experience where the narrative element can take a backseat, Trepang2 will give you 10-12 hours of fun and plenty of replay value to conquer its numerous difficulty levels.