Preview Impressions: Scathe

When Doom 2016 was released, it changed the game, no pun intended. FPS games suddenly changed focus and began to rediscover their roots a lot more, and yet there were new ideas brought in at the same time. Such is the case with Scathe, an FPS that takes influence not just from Doom, but from the bullet hell genre of shmups as well. The game releases soon and after putting some time into it, I have to say I am rather impressed with what is on offer.

Scathe stars a character of the same name who is in hell to tip the balance, seek out hellstones and defeat powerful guardians. The game plays like a maze shooter with various zones to enter and you must defeat all the enemies thrown at you. And do not get comfortable because this game has a lot of enemies on standby just waiting to get their chance to attack.

Scathe is a game that moves at breakneck speed and encourages dashing into some enemies to defeat them while other enemies will shoot out waves of bullets in all directions and require you to move fast and carefully in order to survive. This is where the aforementioned bullet-hell influence comes in, as Scathe feels like a cross between a faster-paced version of Doom 2016 and a Cave shoot ’em up in the best way possible.

You will get defeated numerous times along the way and you will find numerous new ways to attack the enemies, whether it is with your weapon, your secondary fire, magic or other power-ups. Scathe manages to combine the modern FPS with the classic feel of an arcade shoot ’em up and somehow it works.

Scathe uses a life system and when you run out, you are sent back to the hub. Given the game’s intense nature, it may be best to team up with other players in co-op, but there is a catch there as well. In co-op, all players share the same pool of lives and so one death means everyone is now closer to having to start over. That said, with crossplay, you will be able to play with friends on any platform, so finding the best friends to play with is the goal to have.

Scathe is a title I spent just a small amount of time with, but I am already hyped for more. This is a game that looks to bask in its over-the-top nature and the gore-filled world, and I am here for it. Scathe looks to be the game that builds on the Doom format in the best way possible as of right now.

The full game will release on PC on August 31, and on consoles in 2023.

A preview key was provided