Trepang² Review

 The closest thing to drugs that isn't drugs

Trepang² insert joke about sea cucumbers here is a fast paced first person shooter brought to us from Trepang studio. I don't know what they did beforehand, but apparently they made a game jam version of Trepang, and like Mario chasing around mips the rest of the game is basically build around the core gameplay.

In fact, lets get literally every single other detail out of the way first. The story is fun, the level design is solid, the graphics are the perfect combination of feeling like they're using all the existing unreal engine effects to their fullest, the weapon unlocking and upgrade system is barebones but a fun motivator and the horde mode and various secrets and sandboxes allow for tons of fiddling around and replay value.

But none of that matters because at the core of this entire game is one of the best combat systems I've ever played in my life. Taking inspiration from too many sources to list and boiling it all down into something crunchy, satisfying, equal parts fast paced and accessible, and- maybe I should explain all this while trying to avoid saying "like in X GAME trepang does Y MECHANIC"

To start, Trepang is what I would call a tactical action FPS, though the name and form has changed over time. Weapons are mostly realistic, with the odd special or super weapon, including reloads, Aim Down sights for some, limited ammo, recoil, and bullet spread. You go up against AI foes who mostly use the exact same weapons, and have built in AI and tactical awareness that is often tuneable or otherwise based around your difficulty setting of choice. You can flank them, catch them off guard, and they have a harder time hitting moving targets or shooting while under fire. Note that this kind of game isn't all the way to a simulator, like Ready or Not or Arma. The focus is mostly on the player (or in other games, them and their squad) doing generally cool or fun things. On this side of things, I want to note that Trepang has especially good fundamentals. The guns are punchy and effective while having their own strengths and drawbacks, while the AI is a ton of fun to work around and learn to attack.

Into this basic soup, Trepang inserts a couple of core abilities so fundamental to the gameplay loop that I'm going to go over each and every one of them and explain why they're so much fun.

First, and easiest, the slow motion. While clearly inspired by existing slo mo powers, where there is no fundamental change in gameplay but rather it applies a universal slowdown to the entire game world with no direct buffs to the player outside of allowing for near-perfect reaction times. (I think, could be wrong but it feels accurate) It's balanced out by requiring enemy kills in order to refill the bar. Encouraging well timed slowdowns and a conservative use of it, being able to activate or stop it on a dime allowing you to self-time your uses and conserve it, or let it ride and keep killing with every shot to build it back up as it drains. I bring it up first, because one thing to understand is that every single gameplay element in Trepang is ABSURDLY FAST.  To a genuinely hyperactive degree, every single action is so blisteringly quick to perform playing without slowdown makes me feel like I just downed an entire case of energy drinks. So unlike other slow downs where the game can feel sluggish, there's something to be said that this one just lowers it to a 'normal' speed.

Alongside it, a simple invisibility power. With a quick recharge, instantly draining and ending upon any shot or offensive action before immediately building back up, it forms probably the most core part of why this game works so well. See, Trepang is a game of hit and run tactics. You will run in behind enemies while invisible, jump them with [ACTIONS] to get the fight started, do what you have to in slow mo or out of it to deal damage, then dart away like a scared mouse once they have your number. Running around the arena for ammo or supplies while recharging your invisibility, picking off stragglers, and preparing to go back into the fray again. This loop is so good, I genuinely did not get sick of it for my entire playthrough, even if I found other personal strategies along the way. It was the bread and butter, and it's bloody phenomenal to do. The closest comparison I have is another boomer shooter on it's ultimate difficulty or high end survival horde modes. Where you have to start kiting enemies around the arena in order to survive, except it's just built into the loop so it doesn't feel tedious, it feels rewarding and like you're always less than a second away from more action.

You also have a melee suite (not counting the DLC katana) that helps account for the reloading and hit and run style. As well as a deadly gun bash and kick, you can grab fallen or unaware enemies and hold them up as a living shield. Often a way to give yourself breathing room in a fight, you can hold on to them until needing to either kill them off, or even use them as a free grenade to toss into their friends, usually also giving you even more breathing room. You'll notice I said breathing room twice there, because that comes back in to help the horde style of the games levels. You're running around enclosed areas swarming with foes, so a chance to recharge that invisibility or escape and re-flank them is as valuable as anything else. Add in a slide, that can do all of that while leading in to....

The movement, which I have to reiterate is INSANELY AND ABSURDLY FAST. Your sprint goes mach 5 and that slide instantly shoots you through entire rooms, you have a stamina bar to limit that speed somewhat.... Except it recharges to full with every kill. And for the only comparison I will make (which isn't even a mechanic) I'll mention Doom 2016's health gained on an enemy kill. Because like that, it encourages you to be constantly and completely aggressive in order to have the best chances of survival.

Which means that you can cross arenas in an instant, punch and shoot out anyone you get the drop on, stay invisible to get the drop on them, and you have a slow motion power to ensure that even if you're not able to keep up pace with the games speed you can still pull off the crazy stuff.

 I'll be honest, I just wanted to say all that so you can have some context for why this is one of the best shooters I've ever played. Go watch a horde mode playthrough and you'll instantly know if it's for you. I highly recommend it.

Reminder that I am genuinely insane and should not be trusted.