Strife: Veteran Edition

I owned a retail copy of Strife. I consider myself fortunate to have enjoyed the game when it spearheaded the inclusion of RPG elements, player-controlled speech, and story-driven missions into the still relatively young genre of first person shooters. That being said, I think it can be difficult for people who got into gaming after Deus Ex popularized those things to appreciate how experimental and innovative Strife was for its time.
Strife wasn't just a marvel in video game design; it presented its players with fun and challenging action, and a compelling narrative. Those things still hold up well to this day, and so I was intrigued when I learned that Nightdive Studios had remastered the game and published a "Veteran Edition" of it.
When Strife had initially been published in 1996, it looked dated because it was built atop id Software's Doom engine. Quake was id Software's next title, and it was set to be published about one month after Strife hit shelves. It was obvious that Quake was about to take visuals in first person shooters to a new level of excellence. The previews that were available to the public regarding Quake's appearance and its polygon-based 3D engine likely overshadowed the attention that Strife would have otherwise attracted. Although it managed to gain a small cult following, much of the gaming press later claimed that Strife deserved to enjoy a lot more sales and fame than it had received. I echo that sentiment, and while I doubted a remaster of the game would attract the average fan of contemporary FPS games, I was excited to play the game's single player campaign again and compare the remaster experience with the original one.
When playing the Veteran Edition of Strife, the game retains an aesthetic that makes it simultaneously appear dated yet intriguingly distinct. Nightdive has given players access to many visual and auditory options that they can natively enable or disable, as well as modern keyboard controls and mouselook functionality. These improvements don't just make the game super accessible to modern gamers; they completely eliminate the need to run Strife through source ports. Strife now looks better than ever before, with bright colors, improved lighting, and overblown gore effects that I found quite startling - even when compared to games as over the top as Rise of The Triad.
From what I understand, a multiplayer mode had been planned for Strife, but never ended up getting patched into the original game. Although I am pleased to report that Nightdive has added it to the Veteran Edition, I can't speak to its quality. That's because I've never been able to find another player since I tried to take the game online in 2025. In spite of that, I feel pleased knowing that the potential to easily take Strife online exists thanks to the native matchmaking that exists in the Veteran Edition.
Strife's single player campaign has also been expanded upon a little bit. There isn't a lot of new content, but I really appreciate what was added. These new areas and challenges made Strife: Veteran Edition a joy to play more than a decade since I last experienced - and beat - the original version of Strife. I ended up discovering things that seemed completely new to me, but that might have everything to do with me having forgotten about them.
One thing that set Strife apart from all the other games that had been based on the Doom engine is its heavy emphasis on story, with new missions unfolding during game play. Many of those missions depend upon crucial decisions that the player makes within the game - either through his/her words or actions. The Veteran edition is true to the original by preserving those things. However, it mercifully gives players the change to fight their way out of a predicament they can put themselves into early in the game. It is quite possible that some players gave up on Strife because of it, being frustrated that the game 'allowed' them to get themselves into an inescapable situation. (In defense of how the game had originally been designed, the game's motto is "Trust no one", and the situation I referenced is one that reinforces that motto.)
Strife's music is serviceable. It's nothing to write home about, nor is it terrible. As with other remasters designed by Nightdive Studios, you have the choice of listening to an arranged rendition of the original tunes. The game's sound effects and voice acting are unchanged, but I think most players will be very happy with that - as both of those things are excellent, even by modern standards. The only exception I can think of are the Templars, which have a habit of repeating a noise that is as obnoxious as it is robotic. I suppose Nightdive could have added voice acting for inconsequential non-player characters, but I'm not going to hold the absence of that against the company or this product.
Should you play Strife: Veteran Edition? If you like first person shooters, I'd say you'll likely enjoy this title. It feels distinctly old school, yet is simultaneously quite different from the vast majority of first person shooters from the 90s. You won't get far trying to use violence against everyone and everything you meet, and succumbing to a desire for violence and aggression means you likely won't be able to appreciate the plot and how it is central to the places you can go.
If you're someone who likes a good combination of combat, exploration, and critical thinking, I think you may enjoy this game. Even if you played the original version of Strife, like I did, I still recommend playing Strife: Veteran Edition. If you enjoyed the original and haven't played it a while, I bet you'll like the Veteran Edition at least as much as the original - if not a fair bit more.

Probably the most underrated one from the classic, commercially licensed doom engine games. There are definitely some annoying sections (even more so when paired with respawning robots on the hardest difficulty), and the maps range from fairly detailed and open ones to just indoor mazes and corridors. But overall a very enjoyable journey with rewarding secrets (even more added in this Veteran edition), some stealth elements, some great dialogue, definitely a step-up from the Heretic/Hexen games in this matter.
Hoping for a remaster for the upcoming 30th anniversary of the game!

The remaster itself is a tad dated and janky compared to Nightdive's later remasters, but hey, this was their first so it is completely understandable. Fair warning though. Don't even bother trying the multiplayer, as it is extremely unstable.
As for the game itself, it gives you a lot of neat toys to play with and the maps are pretty great with a few exceptions (looking at you, sewer map), but the real star of the show is the voice acting. And damn, is the voice acting fun! Definitely a step above Resident Evil, but doesn't quite reach the polish of something like Half-Life.
Overall, I give it a solid 7/10 for this remaster and 9/10 for the game itself. Strife has its faults at some points, but what it does well, it does extremely well. And the medieval cyberpunk aesthetic is quite fun.
I would consider this a top three 90s Doom engine game at the least, alongside Doom 64 and the PC version of Killing Time.

Again, this would deserve a neutral to slightly positive recommendation. The game is super fun the first few hours as you absorb the "novelty" of then new doomhybrid genre, the gameplay is fine, the world surprisingly rich and interesting, but it fades out pretty quickly and at times, Strife feels a bit unfair and too difficult. And I love when games don't hold your hand, but at least telling you what to do in general, so you don't have to figure it out yourself by dying a hundred times would be fine.
Buy it on sale and experience a really interesting 90s hidden gem.

I only discovered Strife thanks to Ross Scott’s excellent Game Dungeon episode, and what a hidden gem this turned out to be! Starting with nothing but a knife and trying to take down guards with guns is a bizarre introduction, but once you push past that rocky start Strife becomes a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable experience. The level design is excellent, with most levels feeling more like genuine locations than abstract mazes. The weapon variety is interesting, the combat feels fair, and the game even allows for stealth kills with the knife or poison crossbow bolts. The comic‑book‑style story presentation and NPC interactions adds an additional layer of personality.
One of the most enjoyable aspects is exploring areas before alarms trigger, giving you a brief sense of being undercover and letting you learn the layout before the inevitable firefight. It’s hard not to imagine how other shooters of the era could have benefited from similar design ideas. For example, Star Wars: Dark Forces would have been incredible with mechanics like disguises, NPC interactions, or the ability to explore an Imperial base before triggering combat. And Strife accomplishes all of this in the Doom engine!
Strife isn’t flawless, but it’s absolutely worth revisiting. Accept that it’s a little rough around the edges, embrace its quirky hybrid design, and enjoy the feeling of uncovering a genuine treasure from gaming history. For anyone who loves shooters with a bit more ambition and world‑building, this is a classic that deserves far more attention.

I only got to play the Demo from a PC Magazine CD back in the day. This has been a complete joy to play again!

this game falls under the "alright" category for me, the movement is kinda clunky but hey the game was made 20+ years ago so i guess it makes sense. it's not bad tho.