Game:

Rise of the Triad (1994)

Category:

Review

Duration: 21:52

596 views

7

I'm playing Rise of the Triad, a first-person shooter by Interceptor Entertainment and Apogee Software. The single player campaign consists of four episodes featuring linear levels with retro features like keys, switches, secret rooms, platform sections, checkpoint-only saves, and a score. Five characters offer very minor variations in speed and endurance. Multiplayer has deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag modes, but lacks cooperative campaign play and fast movement speed makes for laggy online matches. Weapons are largely copied from the original game: bullet weapons (pistols, submachine guns) with infinite ammo that do not required reloading, various rockets (heat seaking, split, "drunk"), walls of flame, electric staffs, and a magic baseball bat. You can also enter dog mode, god mode, gather tokens, and wear bulletproof or fireproof armor. The enemies exhibit some different behaviors (like diving to the side), but in general simply run straight for you while ignoring any cover along the way. The simple AI makes Rise of the Triad more of a shooting gallery where you are aiming for a high score, although I did find the game quite challenging due to the number of enemies you'll encounter at one time. The level graphics are quite nice, though the gore is overdone. Cheesy voice acting and nostalgic music rounds out the package. While nostalgic fans of retro shooters might like this Rise of the Triad remake, some technical issues with physics and online play are discouraging.