If late-90s low-poly graphics mixed with tactical FPS gunplay sounds like your ideal game, look no further than Due Process. Currently in development by Seattle-based studio “Giant Enemy Crab”, the game promises high-octane strategy in a stylishly retro package.
Commence Operation
Fans of SWAT and Rainbow Six will feel right at home in this neo-retro take on the tactical FPS genre. Set in the cyberpunk future of 20XX, players take on the role of either a “Cop” or a “Crim” as teams battle it out in best-of-3 matches.
Each round of gameplay splits into two distinct components: strategic “Planning” and tactical “Execution”. In the Planning phase, “players have 2 minutes at the start of a round to draw up a plan John Madden-style,” the game’s press kit states. “[They’ll make] use of tools like breaching charges, riot shields, and night vision goggles to coordinate the perfect assault, while defenders try to anticipate and foil their plans.”
As the round shifts into the Execution phase, all hell breaks loose. Tensions build and anxiety rises to a fever peak as the attackers make their move with surgical precision. However, plans can quickly crumble, forcing players to improvise and adapt to the situation at hand.
Where Due Process‘ mechanics shine is in the wide array of tools and strategies at the players’ disposal. Will you try a stealthy approach and disable the building’s electricity, navigating through shadows with night-vision goggles? Or will you break down the doors, only to be met with gunfire from the shopping-cart-mounted machine gun nest?
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Running in the 90s
Perhaps the most the striking aspect of Due Process is its gorgeously retro art style. If you have fond memories of dumping quarters into Time Crisis and Gunblade arcade cabinets at your local Chuck E. Cheese’s, then Due Process‘s visuals will feel nostalgically familiar. The colorfully pixelated low-poly graphics mix with the campy cyberpunk aesthetic to produce a game that looks like it came straight out of 1995.
Even with a vibrant and heavily stylized look, the developers have gone to great lengths to keeping the interface clean and easy to read. Players will have no problem distinguishing location names, enemy units, and interactable objects in the heat of combat.
While the game is still in its pre-Alpha phase, the developer’s polish and commitment are nothing short of impressive. Due Process has a bustling Discord server and an active community that maintains direct lines of contact with the development team.
Plans for a closed Alpha are in the works and have yet to be announced, but signups are still available. Be sure to check it out if you’re interested!
Giant Enemy Crab’s YouTube channel has a variety of clips that showcase different aspects of gameplay. You can sign up for the Due Process alpha here and check out the dev-run subreddit for all updates and announcements.
