Gunscape

Besides classics like Half-Life and Quake, few games have managed to spawn so many clones and spin-offs like Minecraft did, which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Minecraft is not even that old. However, the sandbox nature of the game practically assures its immortality, because there are countless ways one can improve on the formula or come up with different gameplay mechanics.

Gunscape is a multiplayer first-person shooter that takes inspiration from Minecraft when it comes to the block-based graphics and the level design, but doesn’t include most of the other aspects. As such, while the maps and the visual design may look a lot like what you might have seen in Mojang’s creation, the environment is not destructible and most of the sandbox elements are missing as well.

However, what it lacks in freedom the game makes up for with guns, because there’s a wide variety of them and they have numerous effects. Hence, whether you enjoy blasting your target using shotguns or you are more of a rocket launcher fan, there is something to make everyone happy. Not only that, but you can also play the game in a variety of modes, including classic deathmatch confrontations and co-op missions with friends.

Although most of the sandbox elements are missing, that doesn’t mean everything is gone or set in stone either. In fact, the game comes with quite the powerful and versatile editor, which allows players to design and publish their own maps, thus making them available to everyone. Hence, the map pool is constantly changing and evolving, which makes the experience that much more interesting, seeing how the chances to get bored of playing the same maps are practically null.

From a technical perspective, the game is as basic as it can get, which should be good news for those who own older computers. The textures are very low-resolution and single pixels appear to be covering large portions of the screen, but you can still make out what’s happening quite easily. However, there is the occasional bug and glitch you might stumble into, given the fact that this is still a beta version currently under development.

All things considered, Gunscape may not ever gain massive levels of popularity, but it can become a nice alternative for those interested in this specific type of games. Hence, with enough work and dedication, the developers can turn this into a refined product.