Hard Reset Preview

Thanks to Evolve PR’s new study on “shortened public relations campaigns”, you may not have heard of Hard Reset yet.  The game, which was announced July 13, is scheduled for release next month on PC.

Up until now, not much was revealed about the game, except for a few trailers and some screenshots.  In a time when we’re used to having at least a year of build up before a game’s release, you can understand why we were a little skeptical about the Hard Reset when we received the playable preview build. 

I booted up Hard Reset and entered the bleak future of 2436.  The plot, on it’s most basic level, is machines vs humans.  In animated comic book style cut-scenes, Hard Reset tells the story of Major Fletcher, a security officer for The Corporation, who is sent to defend Bezoar from hordes of aggressive robots attempting to access the digitized personalities of billions humans.  In Bezoar City resides in The Sanctuary, which is home to this human neural network.  This is the prime target of these robot bastards, as they attempt to push beyond the limits of their artificial brains.  You play as Fletcher, sent to defend The Sanctuary.  He’s not doing it for the love of humanity, but for the butt-load of money (yes, that was a Spaceballs quote).  The plot may sound like The Matrix, but at first glance, the setting is reminiscent of Blade Runner.

The environment is dreary, to say the least.  It’s dark, it’s rainy, and it’s colorless, giving you a cold, impersonal feel to the futuristic Bezoar City.  Wet concrete sidewalks, littered with trash, and abandoned, run-down sky scrapers are lit only by an abundance of neon signs and automated shopping machines that scream detached, big corporation. With that being said, Hard Reset is simply mesmerizing to look at.  Polish developer, Flying Wild Hog, has created an environment that is void of emotion.  The meticulous attention to environmental detail is highlighted by the flickering of street lights and pulsing signs, heightening the anxiety of being in a lifeless city overrun by rampant robots.

You will feel alone.

Read more about Hard Reset Here.