Sunset Overdrive (PC) – Review

Marvel’s Spider Man may have been the return to form by Insomniac Games that some fans wanted, but for a select few, this is a good iteration towards their previous game.

A game that had you do acrobatics around the combat area, chaining combos while defeating baddies in a stylized open world. A launch title for a rival console, now freed from its exclusivity. Sunset Overdrive has a lot going for it, with their initial reviews being mostly positive back in 2014. But the question remains, does holds up after all this time?

Presentation

Sunset Overdrive is a charming game that doesn’t shy away from the quirkiness within its design,where the game’s colorful graphics is partnered with aesthetics you usually see in comics like Scott Pilgrim. Explosions will etched out a distinct “BOOM” aftershock or melee attacks comes with a “TWACK” effect you see in comics.

More parallels to the young adult theme is in their soundtrack, which I’m pretty sure is basically their ideal tunes for a Insomniac’s Tony Hawk Pro Skater. And for good reason too, as the tunes are only played when you do combos in combat, making it an initiative for players to get better at the game to listen to this jamming tunes.

The only gripes that I have is the game’s graphical settings, where the game relies on a DPI scaler (a Microsoft thing), locking to a monitor’s screen resolution only, making it hard for those wanting to play it on a lower resolution.

Gameplay

Although this is classified as a action adventure third person shooter, the devs themselves have stated that this game is a homage to video games, which is why you see their gameplay being inspired from the likes of Jet Set Radio, Prince of Persia, etc.

But what makes all of this mechanics work is due to the gameplay feel being great. The controls being responsive to every grind, parkour and attacks. And while the weapons feel a bit underpowered at first, upgrades using their Amp systems makes them meatier as you progress through the game.

And while it is a sandbox game, it’s doesn’t really give out of a sort of repetitive feel you get from most titles, something that they copied over for Spider Man, making collectibles fun to find.

To top it all off, the enemy AI is quite challenging due to the OD enemies and Scavers (Human NPCs) having their own skillset to combat you. ODs are basically zombies akin to say, Left 4 Dead, with different zombies types, it’s varied nature makes using the game’s grinding (not the Destiny 2 kind) and acrobatics more meaningful.

Content And Longevity

Content-wise, the game is sold on Steam (or Microsoft Store if you’re into that) comes with two story-content DLCs, bringing in the total time to complete it just around 18 to 20 hours, perfect for its price.

But one thing that’s missing was the game’s online co-op multiplayer, which might be a turn-off for some but it’s still a solid single player experience.

Verdict

Sunset Overdrive might not be Insomniac’s Magnum Opus but its a highly recommended game, a must buy for the Insomniac fans and to those wanting a new and refreshing experience,maybe try this one out.

Review based on the PC version. Review copy purchased by the reviewer