https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2849168803
Sunset City has been overtaken by the rabid, sugar-addled enjoyers of the popular energy drink: Overcharge! They have been transformed into aggressive monsters who seek only to kill and slurp up that sweet, sweet taurine. You play as one of the few souls who refused to drink this swill. And, as luck would have it, you are perfectly equipped to grind, run, and bounce on nearly every surface of the city, enabling you to get around quickly and kill enemies from the relative safety of perpetual motion. So, load up your volatile-plushie launcher and put on your favorite grind-shoes: because you've got to get the hell out!

You realize early on though that escaping the city won't be a quick and easy thing to do. Fizzco (the makers of Overcharge) have gone to great lengths to cover up their mistakes, and technically you are one of them. The only way to escape is to help and be helped by the few survivors of 'horror night'. These four groups are scattered about the city, doing their best to deal with the OD (Overcharge Drinkers), the still-human scabs, and Fizzco's robot workforce. The only way to do any good here is to keep on the move and kill everything that looks at you sideways.


The combat and traversal mechanics go hand in hand, like a couple on a walk through the park. They fit together perfectly and create one of the most fun gameplay loops I've experienced...ever really.

For combat, there is a large selection of weapons to choose from; while there are some basic guns that are simply functional, there are many on offer that are interesting, unique, and weighty. They remind me of Ratchet & Clank guns: both in terms of visual design and their over-the-top nature; they also level up the more you use them, increasing things like power, radius, and ammo count. And, you can attach 'amps' to your weapons (and character) to modify how each works slightly. Resulting in: a bouncing-record shooter that has the chance to shock enemies on hit, or a tesla gun that can turn foes into an explosive teddy bear once killed.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2849168837
To stay alive long enough to utilize the guns and amps you must not only keep on the move: but do it stylishly as well! Continuously using the selection of exaggerated free-running moves will build your ever-draining style meter; each level of style (1-4) activates a type of amp, steadily increasing your overall power. Regardless of the style meter though, if you stop moving for too long you will likely die quickly. Enemies are always chasing, shooting, and trying to block your path, with good aim, I might add. And, you don't exactly have a lot of health either. So, constantly chaining traversal moves together while shoosting enemies is the best way to succeed. At first, it can be difficult to juggle grinding, bouncing and aiming consistently; eventually, it becomes second nature as you learn the city and unlock new movement methods, like air-dashing and water-skimming. The more you play, the less you are bound by gravity.


Sunset City is jam-packed with color and personality and random visual gags; it feels like a character in the game almost as much as you are. There are many things going on around the city that truly make it feel lived-in. The world itself has a lot of detail, and because of the parkour, much of it is useful to you. But then there are the various factions, friend and foe, that will fight each other with no prompting from the player character. And, you can often see the OD running around searching for their next meal. There are also an expansive number of collectibles scattered about that encourage platforming, but that are actually used to buy amps and upgrades. Unknown benefactors will drop loot chests at high points around the city for you to collect. There are even a few random events to partake in, like saving survivors from baddies or collecting Overcharge from over-turned trucks the OD are scavenging. Everywhere you go there is something to witness, collect, or fight. That's without even going into the obscene amount of challenges that you can find.

Honestly, the challenges can be completely overlooked without affecting your game whatsoever. But, there are decent rewards if you go for the gold rating, and they are fun distractions that give you reason to inhabit this world for that much longer. They weren't just after-thoughts for the devs though, there is a good variety of tests to overcome, and some are actually a bit of a challenge to complete with a high score. Things like: weapon challenges, objective challenges, collecting points (literally), free-running through hoops, bomb-delivery services, and more. Getting a gold rating will generally reward you with a small amount of Overcharge, but many also give you new clothing/accessory options to wear.

This is one of the few games where I was genuinely interested in customizing my avatar, mainly because the game has real-time cutscenes. There aren't any sliders to play with to allow the creation of disfigured abominations, but there is a plethora of silly clothes and ridiculous accessories to personalize your perfect persona. You also unlock many items during the various missions and challenges, and the clothing vendor starts with a good selection as well.


The story is clearly not the focus of this game, it's really just there to keep you going from A to B and to give reason to the set-pieces. It feels bare-bones and predictable, but there are a lot of funny fourth-wall-breaking moments and jokes about the game itself and pop culture. The mission variety is well done if you ask me though; generally boiling down to killing enemies and free-running, each mission does have its own flavor, which certainly enhances the fun factor. They range from defending people with makeshift castle cannons to using harpoon launchers to pierce a building so you can climb its tallest heights. Or, even fighting a giant murderous balloon; each mission felt different and fun.


The downloadable content for the game comes free with the PC version, granting access to two endgame storylines with new locations, a handful of new weapons, new challenges, and a smattering of smaller items like amps, traps, and clothing. It's all there from the start, so some things you may not even realize are additional content. But, the new stories/areas must be accessed and progressed through to unlock some stuff. The two new areas are at least on par with the rest of the game in terms of flair and mission design, but are short, and could probably be beaten in 2-3 hours each, with side-quests. But, they are fun and help make up for the lack of endgame content.


I got much more than I was expecting with this experience, an 8-year-old title inside a 4-year-old port. But, it just goes to show how great games stand the test of time. A solid foundation of combat/traversal mechanics set in a flamboyantly colorful city with an admittedly unsurprising, yet enjoyably funny and self-aware story. Sadly the main path will only take around 15 hours to finish, but there are some DLC stories and many open-world activities that kept me entertained for an extra 20 hours. I had a blast grinding on telephone wires while launching hairspray cluster bombs into crowds of monstrous sugar addicts and slamming robot bullies with my melee guitar: Acordes de la Muerte!
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2849168883