Beta Decay is a low-poly dystopian RPG that promises dirty trench shooting

Edwin spotted a game called Beta Decay, which doesn't have a release date or anything like that yet, but it looks really cool. It's being developed by Rotoscope Studios, and it's a low-poly, 90s-inspired, dystopian RPG, a mix of survival, third-person and first-person shooters, with a few roguelike elements thrown in. Holy shit, that's a game share. Potentially too much. But hey, I'm here for something ambitious and interesting, which ticks both boxes.

One of the big goals of Beta Decay is its setting: a large open-world planet with a dense array of dystopian cities as well as underground resource-rich zones. The idea is that, like in EVE Online, you take on different roles. For example, trading in shops for “digital securities” (whatever that means), making a living as an engineer “calibrating communications servers”, or becoming a faction leader who conducts “raids” on rivals.

The second ambitious thing? Building spaceships. Beta Decay wants you to whizz around its world in a ship you've built, with “complex subsystems” like server networks, power grids, and life support systems. I mean, it sounds great! But I also worry that the game is in danger of over-promising things that even a trio of AAA studios would struggle to deliver consistently.

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There's more. Survival mechanics like eating, drinking, and sleeping are essential to keeping your character alive. And from what I've heard, they want combat to be a bit of a “scratch shooter” since death is permanent. I'm… not sure how I feel about that. I'm a fan of high stakes, but I struggle with survival bars that require me to do the most boring things to keep my character from dying.

In the final gameplay clip above, we get a glimpse of what this fight might look like. And maybe that’s the only thing that keeps me from being completely skeptical. The transitions between third and first person look great, as does the ability to get out of cover and land a few select shotgun shots. It probably looks like a lot of old games, but it reminds me of Kill Switch and Rainbow Six Vegas on the PS2. I miss those days! Even if Beta Decay tones down some of its ambitions in the long run, I hope it at least delivers a satisfying shooter. You can follow it on its website or on Steam .

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