Any FPS fan worth their salt has played an arena shooter, right? There’s nothing quite like being trapped in a confined space full of things wanting to end you to really get the old adrenaline going. Throw a few traps into the mix and we’re really cooking. None of this is new and I’m already telling you what you already know. What you don’t already know about it is It Consumes. This curious arena battler has just been announced and it has a very dark twist.
Created solo by Chris Parbery and due for release for PC via Steam at some point soon, It Consumes is doing something quite unusual with the FPS Arena format. One of the things we’d consider fairly important in these games is the ability to see, right? Well, It Consumes is turning the lights off. As a result of this, we’re going to have to learn to play in a very different way pretty quickly if we’re going to last long.
So to paraphrase what I’ve just said, It Consumes is a roguelike arena-FPS set in total darkness. As the player, you’ll use demonic sonar to reveal the world around you; not to mention all the Lovecraftian horrors inhabiting it. If you’re going to survive and plunge ever deeper into the pitch-black, monster-filled void, you’ll have to upgrade your abilities and uncover hidden secrets that may aid you on your path. Adding to all of this is the fact that this is a roguelike. One of the worst things you can do in any game from that genre is getting complacent. Every run is going to be different so don’t even try to memorize the levels. Oh, you can’t, you can’t see anything, can you? Some readjustment may be necessary if you’re going to stand a chance here.
It Consumes features a highly stylistic visual design that will see players viewing their surroundings through sonar pulses. Your foes will come into view as an ominous red wave washes over them, only for them to disappear again a few seconds later. You’ll have to manage the timing on these pulses to give you the best window in which to kill your enemies. If you don’t nail this quickly you’ll find yourself relying only on sound, and when you can’t see anything that can be deceptive.
If shooting things in the dark sounds like something you’d really like to do you can wishlist It Consumes over on Steeam now. I’ve even provided a handy little link for you here. I know that you shooter addicts are always looking for a new, insane challenge so killing things with the lights off should fit that bill nicely. Us roguelike addicts are completely masochistic anyway so it’s all just par for the course really. Either way, It Consumes looks like a blast for anyone looking for something a bit unusual to sink their teeth into.
