Supplice is a Love Letter to Boomer Shooters of Old

Before I begin, I have a confession: I don't have a ton of experience playing boomer shooters. While I have always been a fan of shooters, first and third-person, I never stepped out of my comfort zone to find a boomer shooter that I would enjoy. But not too long ago I tried Supplice on PC and started to understand why this shooter sub-genre is starting to make a prominent re-appearance in the gaming industry.

Back to basics

While Supplice is still in early access, I can see the blueprint being formed with the intricate level designs, interesting worldbuilding, and explosive gunplay that developer Mekworx has crafted so far. The game is described on Steam as a stylish '90s throwback shooter influenced by the Doom modding community. This is quite fitting, considering that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the original release of Doom.

While I initially had to adjust to playing with a mouse and keyboard, I soon got into the rhythm of opening doors and blasting infected enemies with my shotgun. Now I can see why old-school gamers loved the pixel-3D shooters of the past, which makes me appreciate them in the modern age.

Now I can see why old-school gamers loved the pixel-3D shooters of the past, which makes me appreciate them in the modern age.

The story of Supplice is fairly simplistic, and you aren't overloaded with tons of exposition and backstory from the beginning. All you need to know is that you are an engineer tasked with helping colonists terraform new planets. When a virus breaks out, infecting the crew and any passengers on board, you are left stranded, alone, and outnumbered as you try to survive by gathering various firearms like assault rifles, shotguns, and other futuristic weaponry. Much of the narrative is explained through computer terminals that you find in the levels you traverse, which also include objectives to follow.

Blast from the past

Much of the gameplay is quick and frenetic as you try to avoid attacks from different positions and constantly move by going up and down on different floors. Just like in Doom, you don't have an aiming reticle that you can look at to get precise shots. Instead, you have to position yourself based on how close you are to the enemy. There are even alternate firing modes on your weapons that you can use to cut through the opposition, like firing a spread shot with your shotgun in place of a single shot.

All of these systems combine to make an excellent boomer shooter that is worth sinking your teeth into. Having to find various color-coated keycards to open new sections of the map is similar to what you do in Doom, which shows you that Supplice is wearing its inspiration with pride. Even the sound effects from the weapons have heft; they're punchy and visceral, making you feel the progress of blasting through infected hordes.

The game is challenging without being overly difficult. The pixel sci-fi aesthetic and enemy variety do wonders to satisfy fans of the boomer shooter genre. Even the haunting musical score will make you feel uneasy as you move through the derelict hallways and claustrophobic corridors to reach the end of the level.

While Supplice is still in early access on Steam, I feel like what the developers have crafted is a lovely homage to the boomer shooters of old that can bring in new fans to the genre. The first two episodes are available now, with the final four subsequently arriving by the end of 2024. I can see myself jumping back into this game occasionally, and it makes me want to find other boomer shooters out in the wild.