The dreary, blood-drenched shooters of the mid- to late-2000s are clearly referenced in Trepang2, but without the added melodrama to stall its pacing between battles. In addition to its various military compounds and corporate strongholds, it delivers a steady supply of boss fights based on a single gimmick that is often enjoyable but simple. This game’s six or 12-hour campaign lets you play Subject 106. A generic super soldier assigned to Task Force 27, a similarly unimaginative secret force. It starts with escaping a chilly underground Alaskan prison. Then you’ll spend the next 10 or so hours in pursuit of the evil overlords of the Horizon Corporation. A Dr. Evil-like entity with a history of failing to create its own super soldiers. A series of video game and action movie cliches followed, often executed with such over-the-top violence. I could not help but suspend my disbelief.
Trepang2’s combat does not revolve around choosing the right weapon. Any weapon is viable, whether you’re dual-wielding assault rifles or finessing your way through enemy squads. Aside from the rank-and-file enemy soldiers armed with SMGs and pistols, many Trepang’s enemies are shielded and armored and can only be hit in the head. Some come equipped with long-range firearms and will scurry around the outskirts of a battle to pick you off when you stray out of cover, and some even chase you around with explosives in hand. When I had a vast array of different variants on all sides, I was forced to improvise rather than stick with any specific weapon or strategy, and I loved it.
It’s got the usual arsenal of weapons that may seem boring at first. But they are extremely easy to use with a mouse and keyboard. If you find the funny titled “Dual-Wield Serum”, about halfway through the campaign, you’ll be able to dual-wield pistols, SMGs, shotguns, and assault rifles. The dual-wielding feature adds another dimension to gunplay because you have the ability to be lethal at close range while dual-wielding any weapon, but it will be difficult to pick off enemies from afar when you’re using a weapon. Furthermore, it’s slightly disappointing that you are only able to dual-wield identical weapons. It’s not possible to alternate between shotguns and SMGs.
The fact that you can collect different parts as collectibles in each mission is great. But the problem is you can’t adjust your loadout anywhere. In some cases, you’ll find a weapon customization crate with a Crysis-style weapon customization menu. As an example, the Pistol can come with laser sights and silencers, while the Shotgun can come with Incendiary ammunition and foldable stocks. The addons all have drawbacks that are explained in text. For example the Laser Sight increasing visibility to enemies or the Unfolded Stock making you slower to reload in exchange for better recoil. Nevertheless, they all feel balanced and expand the choices for playstyles.
The wild action on Trepang2 is also consistently beautiful. Even when I realize that my now aging GeForce RTX 2080 Super is not up to the task of handling the action, Sparks and Blood fly in all directions at gloriously high frame rates in 2K resolution at max settings on my PC, even when the action seems like it should be too much for it. Initially, Trepang’s levels are drab and colorless like most shooters from the era. However, in its more detailed environments, its action really comes into play. The festival of carnage in the Horizon HQ contrasts with the glimmering marble floors of a tower. It’s adorned with an array of LED panels that reflect waves of colorful light from the tower’s LED panels.
All missions are tied together in a decent-sized hub area. It’s where you can restock weapons and armor, or train in a combat simulator that lets you play around in a variety of environments and learn various weapon configurations. In addition, Trepang2 offers some replayability if you’re willing to challenge the slim campaign at higher difficulty levels to get more out of it. With cheat codes and secret gags, you’ll face tougher boss fights, including those that only appear at higher levels. There’s an Infinite Ammo mode and a Big Head mode that make shooting bad guys easier. It’s a chaotic joy to go through the campaign with different cheat settings.
Trepang2 is an action-packed tribute shooter reminiscent of games like F.E.A.R. but with a contemporary twist. Its diverse enemy encounters and clever level design are top-notch. Though it occasionally dips into lukewarm survival-horror elements. And that’s when it becomes apparent that it could’ve been stronger. Because of this, it focuses more on action than stealth throughout, often keeping up with the best first-person shooters during firefights. Despite padding out its length with harder difficulty modes and side missions, it still ends more quickly than I imagined. In the meantime, I’ll happily play it again again with the myriad cheats I’ve unlocked.
