Overload

Basically what my toddler brain thought Descent 1 looked like back in the day. Perfect modern D1/D2 style game, and beautiful VR

It feels like Descent, plays like Descent, even sounds a lot like Descent.

Is it a Descent clone, or "Spiritual Successor"?

Don't know. But I do know I'm having too much fun to care which it is!

It's exactly what you want if you want to play a modern version of Descent. Ball busting bots, Smooth interior flight design, satisfying arsenal, fun fighting arenas, spacey soundtrack highlighted with tasty electric guitar riffs, mazelike levels crammed with secrets, satisfying upgrades all while the gameplay is both punishing and rewarding. Story and plot are a little weak, but that's standard for a flight sim game/boomer FPS. If you can handle a VR headset it is a surreal virtual reality experience that makes the environment entierly immersive. The voice talent is pretty good as well, even if you are just listening to Automated characters and voice logs. Punchy zapper enemies that are satisfying to shoot and kill. It just comes back to the opening statement. It's exactly what you want from a modern version of Descent.

Awesome game. Just like original Decent. Sad almost no one knows about this this game.
Native Linux build is HUGE plus and much better for Linux platforms.

After the sheer disappointment and fiasco that became of the copyright holders of the Descent IP trying to re-boot the game, this re-imagining by the actual programmers of the old game is a worthy tribute to the groundbreaking (at the time) release of Descent. Descent was a game that various PC manufacturers used to include on CD-ROMs with their PCs to showcase the power of (at the time) cutting edge Intel processors, leaving competitors like the Commodore Amiga, Atari and Apple Mac in the dust. I was 5 years old when Descent was released, and back then I only had access to the shareware version bundled with a Packard Bell Windows 95 PC, I have since re-played a bit of the full version and its successor, Descent 2, and experiencing them as an adult and being able to understand the story has made memories come flooding back. Overload is just about perfection in re-imagining what Descent was intended to be back in the day, my only gripe is that when a reactor blows, it makes a weird alien sound telling you so, and not similar to the announcement in Descent which put the sense of doom into you. The story is good and it genuinely feels like something out of the Descent universe, if dumbed down slightly. I have been able to experience it thanks to an invincibility cheat, but even then it is a welcome challenge to work out how to blow a reactor, and I always find the hostages, or as they are now called "cryopods". I highly recommend this game.

A fantastic Descent-like game. I recommend it to anyone who was a fan of the 90's classic.

'Overload' is an action game inspired by a stone-cold and underappreciated classic...
The Good:
+ as a spiritual successor to the 'Descent' series it combines full "360 degree" flying movement with fast-paced action in dark, claustrophobic tunnels
+ pretty cool soundtrack which adds to the atmosphere
+ features an upgrade system, which rewards exploration even beyond short-term power-ups
+ amazing lighting- and particle-effects make the combat really satisfying
The Bad:
- it copies it's inspiration to a fault what with cool enemy designs but mostly formulaic levels; as such, it struggles to have an identity or leave a lasting impression
- most wall textures and level layouts are pretty bland and generic, many areas look similar, making navigation harder than it should be
- they really didn't think about balancing with those upgrades (who in their right mind upgrades the boost in a game like this??)
The Summary:
The game 'Overload' is almost as generic as it's title but if you're a big fan of the Descent series (like me), you're bound to have a good time with this one.
7 out of 10