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God Mode
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Graphics & Sound:
God Mode is more fun than it is good. It is as bare bones as shooters come, eschewing a single-player mode, multiple play modes, character classes and other items usually associated with the genre. Instead, it is a straightforward variation of a wave-based "Horde Mode," but with an a few fun twists that can easily turn one game into "…just one more game.
God Mode isn’t a looker by any stretch. Some of the set pieces scattered throughout each map are neat to look at, but at the same time are a bit generic. Each does stick to a consistent theme, but I can’t point to any that I liked – either because of layout or visual design.
You’re offered multiple unlocks to change your character’s appearance, though the choice is severely limited and controlled with a stingy character level gate mechanism. New items become available as your character levels, but I don’t know why. Items are cosmetic, so would have preferred if you just had to purchase them, not wait to reach a certain level for the option to purchase.
Sound is really just noise. Guns sound like guns and you’re treated to a soundtrack that fits the overall mood and style of the game. There’s also a snarky demon that pipes up from time-to-time, but I personally didn’t derive much amusement from him. Or, at least not as much as some other players I’ve encountered.
The game also grapples with a few random issues. Characters glide along the ground, animations are wonky, and it is sometimes hard to navigate levels or figure out what you’re supposed to do next. There’s also an ugly texture-load issue at the start of some levels. The issues don’t cripple gameplay in any way and really just point to a lack of polish (likely due to budget constraints), but are noticeable.
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Gameplay:
Up front, God Mode is an online only experience. There’s no way to play solo, nor is there any way to fill your team of four with bots (at least, no way I’ve been able to find). If you’re not the social type, God Mode probably isn’t for you, though PS3 owners aren’t the chattiest bunch either, so you could jump into a game and just pretend the other players are bots if you choose.
The game’s premise is simple. You are a soul trapped in a version of Hell where you are forced to run around shooting monsters with three other souls. Maps are broken into several arenas, which your group must fight through. Clear the room and you move to the next one until you either face a boss-type monster or another monster-filled room. As reward, you are granted experience and time in a room where you collect gold.
The room-to-room action is decent. It certainly isn’t the best combat experience around, but it is more than serviceable and a lot of fun once you unlock new weapons and upgrades. Though you’ll get experience every time you play, it isn’t a whole lot. To ensure more experience you need to activate Oaths, a set of penalties ranging from less ammo on pick-up to all enemies dealing poison damage. The stiffer the penalty you set (you can set multiple), the larger your experience modifier. You can nearly triple you experience gain with one Oath active, while more can cause you to gain a character level or two per match.
I was surprised at how easy it was to find games. Usually with smaller releases like God Mode, I spend just as much time sitting the lobby watching the game clock as I do playing the game. Not to say there weren’t a few hiccups, but in general I was usually able to get into matches whenever I wanted to play.
Map selection is limited, so expect to play through the same five or so maps every time you play. God Mode employs a "voting" option, allowing players to vote on which map to play. The option makes sense with lots of maps (or players), but with barely a handful, it becomes a limiting factor since players seem to gravitate towards one or two maps. |
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Difficulty:
Oaths offer a great risk-reward system. You can play with no Oaths active, but it takes longer to level up and earn new weapons and upgrades. These are important, since better weapons means more kills and more experience. Taken alone, Oaths don’t add too much of a difficulty spike, unless you’re at a low level. When stacked, encounters are, as expected, much harder. Reduced ammo is one thing, but reduced health and armor combined is another. You’re never locked into you Oath choices and can toggle them between matches if you want, granting some control over difficulty.
Matches also have an overall difficulty scale attached, which is set before trying to join a game. Higher difficulties seem to scale all of the usual parameters: damage taken, damage done, number of enemies… you know the drill. Unless you thrive on challenge, it is best to up the difficulty as your character progresses. Harder difficulty settings do require a little more teamwork, so you will want to try and recruit some friends. In my experience, the current community is small enough, and dedicated enough that I was usually able to find good groups with some consistency. |
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Game Mechanics:
Tests of Faith offer a neat twist on to the usual "Horde" gameplay. Each time you enter a new zone on the map, you are hit with a different mutation, altering the normal flow of play. Unlike Oaths, which only affect you, Tests of Faith influence your entire group. However, not every Test of Faith is a penalty. Some will hit you with less health, ammo or no shields, though others equip you with a massive one-hit kill hammer or invincibility via "God Mode." There’s no rhyme or reason behind which Test of Faith you’re hit with, so you can see a bunch of good, bad, or just plain weird Tests of Faith in a row.
Some of the more interesting Tests of Faith alter the game to the point where you have to work together as a team. One shrouds the entire zone in a thick fog, so you have to stick together to survive the wave. Not surprisingly, this mutation was usually a major obstacle without a good team. Another forces everyone to pull from shared ammo, health, and armor meters. Sometimes you’re hit with a weird one like "Party Hats," which places a funny hat on all enemies. As far as I can tell, the hats do nothing to alter play and though funny, I would have preferred more game-changing Tests to silly ones. They’re funny for sure, but the humor is short-lived.
God Mode really stumbles when it comes to weapon upgrades and unlocks. Each level brings new toys, but you only get one or two per level. I understand wanting to keep people playing by dangling a sweet backpack-fed machine gun or some other nasty weapon in front of them, but the path is usually a slow one. On top of that, weapon selection is a "no choice" proposition. People are sure to find favorite weapons and stick with them, though it usually seemed like the new weapon was usually the more powerful and a no-brainer. Upgrades add some spice, but I usually tossed fully-upgraded weapons aside for new ones or just passed on upgrades for lower weapons while saving for the new one.
Upgrading suffers from a few poor design choices, such as the ability to select on upgrade buttons – with a affirmative sound – before you’re able to purchase them. Few aspects of the game are explained, requiring you to learn by doing rather than being told, so hearing a confirmation while trying to select an unavailable selection is disorienting. It’s a small issue, but UI details like this really get under my skin.
In all, God Mode is the sort of game you can jump into for a quick, fun session and jump out just as quickly. Things may change in time, but right now the game has a good following and is worth checking out if you’re up for a low-frills, multi-player action game. |
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-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
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