Chaser Demo

As technology evolves, it is only natural that people will leave the planet to look for resources at some point, considering the fact that Earth has already been running low for quite some time. Whether it's Mars, the Moon or nearby asteroids, humankind must do everything in its power to use technology in order to advance the species further, even if that means taking some risks in the process.

Chaser is a futuristic first-person shooter that tells the story of a man who wakes up surrounded by men in black uniforms, on board of the H.M.S Majestic spaceship. Naturally, he doesn't enjoy the environment and quickly makes a run for it, without any clue as to why he is hunted, or by who, which means that the rest of the journey is about his struggle to learn the truth about himself.

The journey takes him through a variety of locations, spanning across two planets and the aforementioned spaceship. Thus, from the desolated landscapes of Mars, to the very same sights in Siberia, Chaser must make his way through massive numbers of enemies, using an extensive arsenal to do so, featuring rifles, grenade launchers and various other futuristic weapons.

Unfortunately, the game does not impress when it comes to gameplay, since most of the mechanics are quite badly implemented and frustrating at times. The jump function, as an example, does not allow you to move more than a few inches at a time, which makes it extremely frustrating to navigate the obstacles spread around the levels. Speaking of which, most of the environments are linear and unimpressive, not to mention the invisible walls that block you from reaching certain points on the map.

There's nothing to catch your eye from a visual standpoint either, since the game features quite dull graphics and simple character animations that are anything but convincing. The special effects are not that bad, though, even if you do not get the chance to admire them too much. On top of it all, the AI is downright laughable, since it just follows a very basic script on any difficulty level.

In the end, Chaser's rather interesting back story cannot be enjoyed almost at all, due to the design flaws, bad mechanics and the linear levels devoid of any captivating action. However, the dark atmosphere and futuristic landscapes might be worth the bother, especially if there's nothing better in sight.