404Sight

How about an Unreal Engine 4 powered game that’s free to play and was built to make a statement? 404Sight is a speedrun game with parkour elements that is created to highlight the importance of Net Neutrality. You play as a female runner who must make her way through each level without getting slowed down by an Internet Service Provider.

First thing’s first, 404Sight looks really good and gameplay is complemented by that. Not only are the controls easy to master and intuitive but even built using UE4, the game runs very smooth. For a free to play game, there’s really nothing serious you can point a finger at.

Behind 404Sight strongly stand a number of graduates from the Entertainment Arts & Engineering program at The University of Utah which have set out to cause awareness of what limiting Internet access and its speed means in a manner that can easily be described as elegant and creative.

By default, 404Sight is played from a third-person perspective which enables you to view a broader portion of the world around you. The game uses a ping mechanic which scans your close proximity for portions of the level that grant you a speed bonus or will slow you down to a crawl. There are also a few more bad surprises that fall from the sky or appear out of nowhere and have the same goal, to make sure they limit your movement capabilities.

Playing in 3rd-person view, the game seems pretty laid back because you will have plenty of time to dodge or change paths thus avoiding danger. However, we recommend you switch to first-person view, and turn off auto rotate for a much better experience. Doing these two things considerably boosts the difficulty level, getting dizzy once and again is almost a guarantee and everything just gets better. That’s when the game shines the most.

To wrap it up and to simplify things, play 404Sight. It looks good, gameplay is excellent and you really will be part of a wonderful experience. It won’t be perfect but it certainly is a lot better than other titles for which you pay for and don’t flinch once.