Trepang2 Review (PC)

I don’t fear any time of enemy and I’m rarely fazed by the numbers they bring to the fight. But I am scared of their ability to chuck a ton of grenades around, especially when they feel they have a good idea of where my supersoldier character is. The best solution to a frag overload problem is to keep moving, preferably in unpredictable ways.

So I vault through a window and use the slide to get past a special forces operative that’s hoping a shield might protect him. I deliver a headshot from behind and quickly scan the door to the right to see what’s in the next room. A group of three enemies are there. I consider using a grenade of my own but decide to slow down time instead.

As the opponents move as slow as molasses, Subject 106 easily takes them out. I’m not even bothering with headshots and move to check their weapons and see whether I want to swap my own. I hear another group talking somewhere near, so I decide to pick up a shotgun, even if it’s relatively low on ammo. In these small rooms, it will make it easier to deal with bigger groups. I also make a mental note to look for some extra armor. A leader enemy is probably coming at the end of this wave and I need to be prepared.

Trepang2 is developed by Trepang Studios and published by Team17. I played it on the PC using Steam. This is a first-person shooter focused on big, complex fights that feature both the ability to slow down time and to turn invisible.

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Our hero is Subject 106, a supersoldier with amnesia who breaks out of a secure testing facility during the first level. He is recruited into a task force that deals with global threats and then pursues the corporation that experimented on him. Players can always refer to a list of high-value targets that the protagonist aims to take out. The second big level introduces non-human threats. The writing is decent but Trepang2 exists to deliver impressive firefights, not to tell a great story.

The first-person gunplay is the most important gameplay element and the game absolutely nails it. Subject 106 can handle a variety of weapons, slide on his keens, and slow down time. He’s a one-man killing machine and players will feel incredibly powerful as they deliver headshots, use the environments to hurt enemies, sprint away from grenades at just the right moment, and surprise enemies with quick flanking maneuvers.

Despite how capable the player’s avatar is, the game remains challenging. There are a lot of enemies constantly targeting the player and they have solid tactical skills. They use grenades to flush you out of cover, they spray bullets indiscriminately hoping for a lucky hit, and some of them wear a ton of armor. When players try to hide in the dark, they know to deploy flares. The aggressive nature of all computer controller enemies makes the game fun.

Other than slowing down time, 106 can also use a cloak, becoming invisible for a short while. This ability is best used to escape a dangerous situation or reach an all-important health kit. Don’t rely on it to assault groups of enemies. When they go on the hunt, players should move fast, jump and slide where needed, and slow time to deliver accurate shots. Get close enough to an enemy to grab and subdue, before using him as a bullet shield.

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When the monsters show up, they pose another set of tactical problems, and every encounter with them eats up ammo quickly. Trepang2 creates a variety of tactical situations and gives players the tools to create their own approach. Get familiar with the weapons, test the limits of the two featured powers, and learn how each enemy type can be destroyed.

The levels are carefully built, with plenty of med kits and armor stashes for players to raid and intel packages that reveal more lore details. High-value targets and their squads tend to create the most challenging and interesting fights. I found fighting monsters less fun than facing humans and the boss design is innovative but doesn’t always lead to cool combat moments.

Trepang2’s supersoldier has little in the way of personality. But the levels and the enemies mix to deliver challenges and opportunities that every player will deal with in a deeply personal way, creating their own massive version of each engagement. When death comes, it takes only a few seconds to return to action, time enough to re-evaluate a plan and maybe make just enough tweaks to eliminate that HVT with no health loss this time around.

Trepang2 is a good-looking first-person shooter in which players rarely have the time to take in the sights. The game’s pace is relentless and its focus on movement means that getting a good idea of a space’s layout is more important than checking out the details. But when gamers activate slow motion, it’s not hard to appreciate the enemy designs and the lovingly created weaponry, alongside the glare of the flares and the sights of bullets whizzing by.

It also sounds as explosive as it is. Weapons boom, even grenades that do not hit the target add to the chaos of the battlefield, and enemies are constantly chatting with each other and taunting players. It creates a strong sense of immersion and makes engaging full squads fun. The mix of electronic and rock on the soundtrack adds to the atmosphere.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion