Industria is a curious title that edges between various inspirations without falling victim to just being a tribute.
INDUSTRIA
Developer: Bleakmill
Price: $20 USD
Platform: PC
MonsterVine was supplied with Steam code for review
Where loud and proud is increasingly becoming the default in FPS on every level, Industria is a much slower, cautioned approach. Set in the last days of the Berlin wall, a young woman dives into parallel dimensions in search of her work colleague and lover who recently vanished into thin air.
Clocking in at around 4 hours, Industria has a short amount of time to deploy its load effectively. There’s a clear attempt to build an atmosphere, a sense of emptiness in an environment once teeming with life. The pastel-shaded Soviet-era architecture is neatly fused with industrial tones glossed over with the uncanny shine of something not being quite right. It never sits quite right, forever feeling like a distortion of reality.
Devoid of any real soundtrack, Industria’s cold presence is rarely welcoming, yet never off-putting. Synergising with the art style, the music briefly appears, rarely settling in to become part of the furniture. Add to that a distinct lack of noise outside of the player’s direct interactions and what you have is a palatable experience that says so much without saying anything at all.
Industria’s gameplay is a simple focus on shooting with the odd puzzle thrown in for good measure. There’s no regenerating health or two-weapon limited, preferring a more classic approach of health kits and bottomless pockets. Admittedly, it’s a refreshing approach that allows for some minor elements of resource management. Each weapon fits a situation, there’s no relying on one tool here.
Carrying that hint of classical principles, Industria’s enemy types carry unique threats. From slow-moving heavy hitters, ranged threats and suicide bombers, each enemy can end the player’s life swiftly. Engaging with the quicker foes with a melee weapon isn’t optimal, but not impossible. Matching up the weapon to the foe is more of a strong suggestion than an order.
Though they might be interesting to look at and fight, enemy A.I. leaves a fair amount to be desired. They’re often slow to react to the player’s position, sometimes failing to react at all. The biggest issue appears to be problems with the line of sight. Given the player can pick up items around them, the enemies line of sight can be easily broken. A good example of this is simply placing a barrel in front of an oncoming melee enemy, upon being met with the obstacle the enemy will case to attack and return to their position.
It’s an issue that happens even when there’s no intent from the player. Doors, train carts, boxes all force the enemy to return to their starting point. Technical issues tend to be Industria’s biggest weakness. Frame rates will dip quite often, especially in the latter stages of the game. From anywhere between 40 to 65, it happens enough to become annoying but never experience defining.
In an age where every seemingly every game demands your attention for countless hours, Industria comes as a welcomed surprise. A well-crafted package that, despite some flaws, never truly comes off the rails. The plot and solid gameplay carry the experience neatly towards the closing act. Whether or not the climax of the story will be good or not falls more into perspective and how much you value the idea of the unknown.
The Final Word
Short, solid and enjoyable, Industria’s price tag is the only real point of contention, but regardless of whatever price is paid, there’s a good game to be had.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
