Overload |OT| Descent into 6 Degrees of Freedom

[Shaneus]

Available for purchase now on Steam (PC/MacOS/Linux) (Free teaser)
Coming soon on PS4, Xbox One

Duffking's initial impressions ResetEra thread

Giveaway time!
Revival has been generous enough to offer five Steam codes for Overload to give away!
Post your favourite/best memories of the original Descent series and in 24 hours or so we'll kick off a random giveaway. I'll update this section once the giveaway has finished.
Edit: Make sure to mention that you're interested in a copy, otherwise I won't know if you want a code or not!
Update: Giveaway has been completed, thanks everyone who participated! Try the (Steam) demo!

A Visual History, from Descent to Overload

In 1993, (Revival founders) founded Parallax Software to build our dream game, Descent. It was the first 3D game that allowed you to move, turn, and fire in any direction. The mind-blowing--and sometimes nausea-inducing--gameplay was matched by the technology behind it, which pushed the limits of what was possible in rendering, AI, and multiplayer. It was a milestone game that sold millions of copies and spawned two sequels.

In 2014, after years of talking about it, Revival began working on Overload. The core objective with the game is to take elements of classic 6-DOF shooters and use modern technology to push Overload to a whole new level.

• Intense single-player action in 6-degrees-of-freedom
• 15 level campaign filled with explosive combat and exploration
• Story by the writer of Freespace 2
• Breath-taking graphics and spectacular sound, with a soundtrack by Dan Wentz & Allister Brimble
• More than a dozen sinister robot types and 3 massive bosses
• 12 upgradeable weapons
• 5 difficulty levels let you tune the game to match your abilities
• Fully customizable joystick, gamepad, HOTAS, mouse and keyboard controls
• Releasing on PC/Mac/Linux, PS4, and Xbox One

Buy now on Steam:
​

 

[Poimandres]

This looks great! Descent was so rad back in the day. Only played the first two games.

Having to escape maps at the end of a level used to freak me out big time. Getting anxious just thinking about it.

 

[Cess007]

Descent was my jam back in the day. Even when I was just a little kid, and can barely pass the first two levels, it was amazing. I remember the day my brother booted the game for me and let me play; I've never experienced that level of freedom in a game. I could move and go wherever I wanted to. I played the first two games to death, and I remember sit besides my brother watching him play :')

 

[Kraken3dfx]

I remember some of the boss battles in Decent 2 were slightly rate inducing to me because I was already pretty bad at the games, but I loved the sense of confinement trying to escape. Such a great series. Excited to check this one out.

 

[Sinatar]

So I beat this earlier today and found out something neat. Not only do you unlock New Game+ after you beat the game so you can redo it with all your upgrades, but the levels are drastically changed. Late game enemies show up at the start, ammo pickups are changed so you can use your full arsenal, it's pretty damn cool.

A lot of replay value there, especially with the absurd number of secrets there are to find.

 

[flyinj]

This is so good. By level 4 the game really starts getting really challenging.

 

[Shaneus]

Just a quick note: Make sure to mention that you're interested in a copy if you're hearkening back to days of classic Descent, otherwise I won't know to put you in the draw or not :)

 

[sredgrin]

Interested in the giveaway.

My memories aren not exactly super clear though as I bought it for my dad's computer, not understanding things like "not all PCs are created equal" and so it uh, did not run very well for me. Never really got back to them since, and am curious how this plays.

 

[OldSocksAndShoes]

Descent was one of the first PC games I ever played and it blew my mind at a time when I was used to 2D platformers and beat em ups. Really unique concept for a game that holds up pretty well.

I'm totally interested in the giveaway.

 

[Sinatar]

 

[Multiverse Moo]

Nice OP Shaneus and totally interested in a Steam copy, as my PS4 digital copy is so far away in the future! Please include me in the giveaway.

Descent was one of my earliest 3D PC games (along with stuff like BioForge and X-Wing) but having access to a joypad to play with it was kind of mind blowing. The only other thing that was remotely close was Mario 64 at the time, but that was only a demo booth at the video store.

Descent was dark, scary, and made me appreciate 6dof movement.

 

[hydro94530]

Demo kicks ass. Game purchased and installed!!

 

[Ifrit]

I´m interested in the giveaway.

I remember considering the first Descent graphically a better game than doom, because it was real 3D, the boss from the demo being hard as hell and dat music man, really underrated soundtrack.

Also the ost from the first descent is better than 2.

 

[Adam802]

I'm interested in the giveaway!

I remember playing descent with my dad when I was really little, he'd fly the ship and i'd shoot with the space bar lol. When I got older and could fly on my own, then I started playing more.

But yeah, this game is great, its the Descent 4 i've always been waiting for!

 

[erekiddo]

I'm very interested in a copy.

This was a game my brother and I would play together during some really tough family turmoil in my childhood. He came out as a gay man during a time where that was not generally accepted -at all-, and everyone turned their back on him except for me. He was even banished from our church. (How times have changed)

Him and I have always had a strong bond with video games and the Descent series was one we'd play long into the night without a care in the world.

 

[Pancoar]

Bought this game a while back, but need to get a controller before I really sink into it, it's not as fun for me on keyboard + mouse.

I really loved Descent, was one of the first games I remember playing, I would always freak out when the lights would flash and sirens blaring when you had to escape, I would get so disorientated and die a lot lol.

Was so happy to see this pop up, considering the mess that was Descent: Underground.

 

[TheCongressman]

Yep, this is the real deal. MAN, it's good to be back in a Descent game. Amazing job.

 

[Elfforkusu]

Is the final version up on backerkit? I don't know how this works. All I see is the early access version. Is it different?

 

[Sinatar]

Is the final version up on backerkit? I don't know how this works. All I see is the early access version. Is it different?

Click to shrink...

It's the same key, they just turned the early access version into the full version.

 

[JoduanER2]

Im interested in the giveaway.

From descent i remember playing the first one and finding it difficult but very entertaining. Is funny because in those days me getting new pc games was very random, like gifts or a borrowed copy that came from really random places, and those games were unknow for me because knowing about a game is not like now with the internet, but i got lucky and got to play most of the awesome games like Descent. What i remember most was when the level exploded and you had to escape, and that it had secrets in every level i think. The movement was also amazing in the sense that you could move like an alien spaceship would, which is also in the new one.

 

[Elfforkusu]

It's the same key, they just turned the early access version into the full version.

Click to shrink...

I wanted a DRM free copy, presumably from GOG.

e: Maybe it's not up on GOG yet? That would explain it. I must've misread something

 

[X68k]

So I beat this earlier today and found out something neat. Not only do you unlock New Game+ after you beat the game so you can redo it with all your upgrades, but the levels are drastically changed. Late game enemies show up at the start, ammo pickups are changed so you can use your full arsenal, it's pretty damn cool.

A lot of replay value there, especially with the absurd number of secrets there are to find.

Click to shrink...

this is fantastic

also that is a seriously prehistoric gif in the op :P

 

[Quample]

I'm also interested in the giveaway!

I remember playing the first descent at my friends place when I was a kid, maybe 8 years old? We had no idea what we were doing, but we loved it. Talk about some crazy map design.

I'm interested to try it in VR, seems like a great game for it.

 

[Schlomo]

I'd like to enter the giveaway please!

I remember playing the original games on our first PC, a Pentium 90. I think I even got a joystick because someone told me you can't really play it with just a keyboard, but the stick was used and stopped working after a few days, so I ended up playing it on the keyboard after all. I liked all the different weapons and still remember the escape sequences with horror.

 

[Alex Connolly]

My first LAN multiplayer experience was Descent, at school in the Mac labs at lunch. Absolutely insane baptism of fire for young blokes, all filing in after wolfing down their school lunches and scrabbling for the limited amount of CDs in the wallet.

Still looms large in my memory, futzing around like a drunk albatross, getting the odd kill out of two parts luck, one part semi-skill.

Very fond memories.

 

[Blu]

I'm interested in the giveaway.

The original game was my first try into 3D games and really confusing. I also really enjoyed the multiplayer.

 

[Duffking]

So in the first mission, does anyone know if it's possible to

Spoiler

Blow up the reactor? I found 12/15 secrets on the mission when I reloaded it to see if I could find a way to do it, but couldn't figure it out. It seems there must be a way because there's a few locked doors nearby which presumably open once the reactor blows...

 

[Chairmanchuck (另一个我)]

Interested in the giveaway.

My first experience with Descent was because of the German magazine Bestseller Games. It offered Descent 1+2 in a pack. After I installed it I was directly drawn into the world. After coming home from school, exploring all the tunnels and ways. At that time it looked so great. I dont even remember what kind of PC I had, but it was great. After finishing 1 I jumped directly into 2. It was even better than 1 with better graphics and a few more comfort options. Just looking at screenshots now, I am hit by nostalgia. I have to say though I never played 3.

 

[KainXVIII]

Thanks for giveaway!
Never played Descent past first level but i'm planned to, OPL3 title music stuck in my head forever!

 

[Veidt]

This looks really good, still have fond memories of Descent, particularly the second one. Count me in for the giveaway.

 

[Madjoki]

Interested in the giveaway

Used to play Descent a lot in my childhood, it's been so long ago I don't remember exact details (I was like 6-7 years old then)
I have been waiting so long for proper return on Descent, but all these Descent-like games have been disappointing.

 

[Mullet2000]

Count me in for the giveaway!

I never actually played descent, but I use to watch my grandfather play it when I was about 4. For some reason the game really intimidated me, but it was still fun to watch. My grandpa was definitely the one who got me into games at a young age!

Been keeping an eye on overload for a while now. Looks like it turned out extremely well.

 

[RumbleHumble]

Very interested in a copy. Descent 2 was the very first game I'd ever purchased with my own money as a kid. Worth every damn penny. Game was so good, my mom's water broke the night we installed it because my littlest brother knew he needed to get born ASAP and play this shit.

 

[prudis]

Thanks for giveaway , interested in a copy

Descent 2 was like the game that i got alongside myfirst computer back in 1998, at the time and didnt have a clue about coimputers aswell as no clue abhout english language .... despite that i had great times with that game even by randomly pressing buttons :-D

Really curious about Overload .... will be interesting to come back to game like this after 2 decades

 

[hydro94530]

Hi all, quick question. I bought the game by itself (it's amazing) and am really digging the soundtrack a lot. Will Steam give me any grief if I request a refund on the standalone game and immediately rebuy the bundled version?

 

[HyGogg]

I'm interested to try it in VR, seems like a great game for it.

Click to shrink...

I found the VR disappointing, mostly because it's poorly opimized. It kicks into ASW (low-framerate) mode even in the menus, on the lowest settings, and ASW isn't great at handling HUD overlays in games like this, so it's sort of a jittery mess. It's also obviously a very very topsy turvy game and only for those who have VR legs of steel. I have a GeForce 1060 6GB and a 4.7Ghz Coffee Lake. YMMV.

But the game itself is fantastic. I just won't be playing it on my Rift.

 

[Deleted member 8106]

I'm interested too, I tried Descent when I was a kid and itcwas fascinating, Overload seems really a good succcessor.

 

[flyinj]

I found the VR disappointing, mostly because it's poorly opimized. It kicks into ASW (low-framerate) mode even in the menus, on the lowest settings, and ASW isn't great at handling HUD overlays in games like this, so it's sort of a jittery mess. It's also obviously a very very topsy turvy game and only for those who have VR legs of steel. I have a GeForce 1060 6GB and a 4.7Ghz Coffee Lake. YMMV.

But the game itself is fantastic. I just won't be playing it on my Rift.

Click to shrink...

The game goes into reprojection with all settings on low on my 1070Ti i5 7600 as well. Adjusting the settings does nothing to lessen the reprojection at various points of the map, so I'm hoping it's just a general optimization bug they can iron out. Lots of people on the Steam forums are having similar problems, even using 1080Tis on high end i7s. The developer is in the thread as well trying to troubleshoot it.

When the game isn't reprojecting it is fantastic in VR.

Also, the game runs at a solid 60 fps with everything on high when playing in non-VR.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

AAAAHHHHHHH

This game is fuckin rad. Everything about it feels just pitch perfect, the movement, the weapons, the bot explosions just so chunky and satisfying. This is everything Descent 3 should have been and more. Easily my best Kickstarter contribution of all time. FWIW I haven't had the chance to try multiplayer yet. Had the open beta key and couldn't matchmake with anyone? *shrug*

 

[flyinj]

The controller integration is extremely well done. This game will play very well on consoles. I love the 90 degree roll buttons combined with autolevel. It actually makes the game control even better than the classics. Also, having the game slow down when selecting a weapon from the weapon wheel alleviates the issue of not being able to quickly hit 1-9 on the keyboard to switch.

 

[HyGogg]

AAAAHHHHHHH

This game is fuckin rad. Everything about it feels just pitch perfect, the movement, the weapons, the bot explosions just so chunky and satisfying. This is everything Descent 3 should have been and more. Easily my best Kickstarter contribution of all time. FWIW I haven't had the chance to try multiplayer yet. Had the open beta key and couldn't matchmake with anyone? *shrug*

Click to shrink...

Yeah there have been SO MANY Kickstarters that campaigned on nostalgia and trying to recapture some thing from the past, and while some good games have come out of those, very few have really succeeded at bringing back the feel of those past games. This one and Tex Murphy: Tesla Effect are really the only ones that managed to make these pitch-perfect reimaginings of their 90s glory.

 

[I KILL PXLS]

How does HOTAS feel with this? As someone who hasn't played one since the PS1, does a regular controller feel better for 6dof shooters?

 

[Captain Goodnight]

I may be confusing my games here, b/c when I looked up Descent and Descent II playthroughs on youtube, I didn't see the gameplay that I remembered.

There was some game on PC that I played in the late 90s that, from what I recall, had an opening (or early) level of flying above the surface of a planet, with many pyramid-like buildings that would fade into view.

You could fly into some of these pyramids...........the goal was, perhaps to fly into one and destroy something.

An amazing aspect at the time, to me, was both the flying along the surface and the fact that you could enter these huge structures from various entry points and different directions (6-axis gameplay).

I thought this was Descent........was it some other series? Was it a later Descent game?

 

[Deleted member 10601]

I'm VERY interested in a copy. Descent and Descent II are still my favorite "first person shooters" beside Doom. It was such a immersive experience flying trough the 3d levels. From time to time i replay them and they are still rad for me. :)

 

[WillyTheBikeGuy]

I remember playing the first game at a friends place because my family didn't have a PC. We would play all night taking turns. My next taste of this type of game was Forsaken 64. Very interested in this and would love the chance at a free copy.

 

[Soulstoner]

Any VR impressions on this?

 

[Deleted member 43872]

Count me in for the giveaway, Overload looks super rad.

Descent 2 was a pack-in for a Mac my family bought, and since my parents didn't want me to waste my money on games that weren't educational it was one of the few "proper" video games I played before I was a teen. The 3D graphics blew my mind, and I spent so much time exploring all the levels that weren't too hard. I even remember finding the secret level on level 5. The Mac version had a great rock-industrial CD soundtrack that seemed so grown up to me. One kid in the neighborhood played it at my house and was so jealous he demanded to know if he could play it on his game system: an NES, hah.

 

[Sinatar]

I may be confusing my games here, b/c when I looked up Descent and Descent II playthroughs on youtube, I didn't see the gameplay that I remembered.

There was some game on PC that I played in the late 90s that, from what I recall, had an opening (or early) level of flying above the surface of a planet, with many pyramid-like buildings that would fade into view.

You could fly into some of these pyramids...........the goal was, perhaps to fly into one and destroy something.

An amazing aspect at the time, to me, was both the flying along the surface and the fact that you could enter these huge structures from various entry points and different directions (6-axis gameplay).

I thought this was Descent........was it some other series? Was it a later Descent game?

Click to shrink...

What you're describing sounds like Terminal Velocity or it's follow ups Fury3/Hellbender.

 

[Captain Goodnight]

What you're describing sounds like Terminal Velocity or it's follow ups Fury3/Hellbender.

Click to shrink...

YES, THANK YOU ---- I think it was one of these two games that I remembered. The parts where you would enter a mountain or building reminded me of Descent.

I think it was Terminal Velocity or Fury3 that came as a demo for some graphics card back in the day --- I remember it being one of the first games to test the limits of my card (Voodoo FX?)

 

[Illusionary]

I'm very much interested in the giveaway - thanks for doing so! The original Descent always got me extremely nervous when it came to the escape sequences at the end of the levels, though things have changed since playing at a much younger age! Forsaken on N64 was another highlight of this style of game, and perhaps actually got a bit more of my time in its day.