Hard Reset’s name is, to some, a cringe-worthy play on words. Fighting in a futuristic world overrun with robotic AI enemies set on destruction, and as always, you’re there to put a stop to their devilish plans.

Yet Hard Reset’s title lets in on more than just its plot. It’s an apt description for the game’s design philosophy -  a slate wiped clean of the past ten or so years of progress (or regression depending on what side of the fence you sit) – in its devotion to a retro style of shooter, where the simple act of pulling the trigger was enough to keep you happy.

The trouble with most attempts at the retro throwback is that they’ve actually been old games; washed up rock stars trying to find a foothold with nothing but nostalgia to their name.

Unlike others who have come along bearing the “Retro” title – here’s looking at you Duke Nukem – HR doesn’t feel old, at all. It instead feels like a modern interpretation; it’s a tribute band, performing covers of everything you loved about the “good old days” but with a layer of polish and modern knowledge making them smarter for it.

The game opens with something about AI, robots, an evil guy and a protagonist who speaks in the now all-too-familiar gruff voice, all told through regular comic style cutscenes. It starts out so immediately complicated and asks you to invest straight up without much of an explanation, that you go from being confused to just not really caring pretty quickly.

That’s most likely for the better though, as those who do wrap themselves up in what little story there is will leave disappointed in the game’s closing moments. The set list ends abruptly and mid-song.

Yet if you’re happy to overlook its confused and overly complicated lyrics, you’ll find yourself drawn in by its tempo and rhythm. Hard Reset is all about the satisfaction you gleam from pulling the trigger, and you’ll be doing a lot of it over the course of the game’s campaign.

In classic style, there are only two weapons in Hard Reset – a pulsating energy weapon and a rifle, but it’s through the upgrade system where the true variety is found.

Every weapon has four separate upgrade paths, bolting on new options for each base weapon – Shotgun? Check! Grenade Launcher? Check! Multiple-enemy electrocution ray? Of course! If that’s not enough, every weapon upgrade features its own set of additions you can spend your levelling points on, allowing such a wide breadth and depth of customisation depending on the weapons you enjoy using the most.

And by gosh do you need them.

Hard Reset isn’t afraid of throwing enemies at you – where other games would be happy to throw two or three at you and call it a hoard, Hard Reset throws twenty or thirty in a room and yells “Have Fun!”.

Crowd management as well as environmental kills are your main focus in battle, switching up between the variety of weapon modes to counteract certain enemy types and groups. Encounters are frantic, fast paced and up tempo.

There’s a hectic yet controlled rhythm to the performance that ticks along at an infectious pace. No sooner than you’ve defeated one room full of enemies are you on to the next – progressing through linear corridors and arenas.

Yet encounters can also be infuriating and sometimes frustrating ordeals. Hard Reset’s modern influences are clear in its checkpoint system, with nary a quick-save in sight. It’s a clear design philosophy choice, though if you’re going to go so far down that path, you have to ensure you’ve done it well.

Sadly, checkpoints in Hard Reset are sporadic: sometimes you’ll find yourself revived mere minutes before you died, but more often than not they’re further back than you’d appreciate, especially given wave encounters or multi-stage boss fights lack a single mid-battle checkpoint.

It’s not much trouble if you’re only dying sparingly, but Hard Reset’s name also lets in on another area of its design – it’s hard, and you’ll be resetting often. Environmental additions to your arsenal can turn to detractors pretty quickly, as the battlefield becomes an explosive mess of fire and electricity – the perfect place for accidental deaths.

Add to this the game’s love of ramping up the difficulty every now and then by flooding a room full of enemies, and you have the recipe for not success, but death.

Yet between those hectic firefights, there are a few downtime moments scattered throughout, allowing you to gather yourself and blink for the first time in a good twenty minutes or so; clearing your eyes and allowing yourself room to absorb the world buzzing around you.

Rain drops continue to batter your vision while flying vehicles whisk by above your head, and it only takes a glance up at the skies now and then for a feeling of scale and place to set in again, after the “I’m everywhere and nowehere” action moments.

The ambient backing tracks kick in and the game’s neon lit city streets combine to create some truly haunting and sombre moments as you progress. Flying Wild Hog have committed to the game’s style and aesthetic so enthusiasticly, down to the most minute weapon detail, that you can’t help but want to soak in every rain-covered drop – even if it is over fairly quickly.

Though despite the game’s abrupt end, I couldn’t help but feel I’d had my fill of Hard Reset’s tune by the time it closed out. So many games have attempted the classic “PC Shooter” throwback over the years, yet none of them have managed to meld their old-school stylings with modern sensibilities as well as Hard Reset has.

Yes, there are times when a narrative may consume me, or where progression of the medium is important, but every once in a while a bit of dumb fun can be just that, fun.

The game hits the sensory reward notes so well, that I honestly can’t remember a recent game where the act of pulling the trigger has provided such an enjoyable harmony.

Originally published at Pondering the Pixels