Is this shooter DOOM-ed?
Space colonies have to face a massive threat to their existence: gargantuan aliens from an eldritch nebula invade our galaxy, and their only instinct is to eat and digest whole starships! The player takes the role of the last soldier of the highly specialized “Gastro Force”, elite troopers trained to infiltrate the enormous alien guts to fight them from the inside! Thanks to the sacrifice of your comrades, only one station-swallowing alien monstrosity has to be vanquished. It’s up to you to set up the bomb that will blast it out of existence, but will you survive the endless swarms…
One quick look at Gastro Force and you’ll be reminded instantly of old-school shooters like DOOM and Wolfenstein. The game plays just like you would imagine and even has you collect coloured key cards to pass through coloured doors. The difference is that there is an optional map that you can display in the top-left corner which highlights which rooms you’ve been in and even gives you a various idea of where the secret areas are, as well as highlighting the exit.
You begin with a steel pipe and you continue to find better weapons as you go, these include the typical arsenal of pistol, shotgun, machine gun and rocket launcher. Ammo is plentiful for the pistol and shotgun, but the rest are scarce so you’ll want to use it sparingly. You’ll play a few levels and get used to things before a new enemy is introduced to the mix to keep you on your toes. Even on the Easy setting, some of these enemies can whittle your health down to zero quickly if you aren’t careful. I will say one thing, always check your corners…
You’ll come across boss battles now and again with each having a full health bar to deplete. These can also be pretty brutal if you aren’t careful, but for Platinum trophy hunters they will essentially only need to beat the first boss to nab it. PS5 owners can also download the PS4 version for free which contains another Platinum to get.
The visuals are a nice throwback to 90s shooters with it’s 3D pixel style and the framerate is solid throughout. It has a nice soundtrack and I didn’t come across any bugs during my playthrough.
The Verdict
Gastro Force may not be a DOOM beater, but it’s more of a tribute to it and other classic shooters. If you’re looking for that nostalgia feeling then I would definitely recommend it.