PAX East: The Showdown Effect Impressions

Published by Paradox Interactive and developed by Arrowhead Games Studios, The Showdown Effect may be the most viscerally fun game I’ve played so far. And it’s only in pre-alpha. Made by the same studio that brought us Magicka, The Showdown Effect is a multiplayer 2D shooter aiming to ape the style of 80s and 90s action movies.

You play as one of a number of different archetypes from the action movie genre, like The Lost Identity Guy and the Retired NY Cop playing in fully customizable matches. Up to 8 players can play against one another in a match and they can be tweaked to any degree even to the point where all weapons, save barstools and pool cues, are available.

Every action cliché has been turned into a playable mechanic. The rolling dodge makes you immune to fire during the roll. Run in a certain direction and press jump to ricochet to another wall right up a building. Want to jump head first through the air shooting a shotgun before diving behind a bar from two stories up? I did it twice during my time with the game.

I wont go too much into the details because things are sure to change with more to be added given the game's early stage of development. In particular, one thing they are going to add are catchphrases that each character can spout for a gameplay effect like slowing another character down or adding more firepower. These have not been finalized or implemented in the demo as of yet. The great part is that it changes the archetypes from mere aesthetic choices into actual classes.

The game is rendered in 2.5D with a Metroid-like sprawl of a multiplayer level. Elevators can be dived into to change the floors, and players can jump off roofs or through windows—it’s just fun. Even when I lost, I was amazed at the mayhem and it was just as fun to die doing something amazing as it was to win the shootout.

The controls are a little wonky and take a bit of getting used to. Especially that WASD controls are used but only A and D control movement. But once you get used to button placements the controls are tight and fluid. The aiming is done via the mouse and if you miss, you only have yourself to blame. Arrowhead Game Studios will have gamepad implementation for the PC-only title once it's released.

It’s aimed for a late 2012 for the moment, but that the developers tell me that the release date may be subject to change. Be sure to keep an eye out for it.