Livelock (2016)

As is in the case of 3 stars, I did like it. Livelock is a barebones isometric shooter with a rudimentary story, and a brief list of episodes to go through either on your own or with other players (the game cross-checks lobbies to find a match for your chosen level/difficulty or you can invite friends).

The story is that of a newly awakened robot, Intellect, which you can complete using one of three characters. You are off on a journey to awaken the humans to restore the devastated world (humans are to blame for it too; wars are bad). You are guided by SATCOM, and AI floating high in orbit and waiting for a perfect moment to restart the planet by awakening the few remaining human beings. A kind of futuristic Adam and Eve situation. You go from chapter to chapter, killing enemies and a handful of bosses, eventually get doubler-crossed, but win as is appropriate. It is a pretty straightforward narrative.

Again, though it is a barebones game, I did like it. It is one of those things you fire up when needing a rest between major titles or wanting something simple to take your mind off things. Each character has a set number of weapons, unlocked as you progress through levels. Each can be upgraded 5 times with one single resource you find in limited quantities in levels or collect from defeated enemies. Each character has a handful of skills with alt-modes and there are some visual customization options.

That is it. If you are looking for a complex character development system, this is not for you. However, as I said above, it is a fun game that I definitely would recommend, though probably only if it is on sale. It is a light touch, dip and dip out experience that should give you about 4 hours of gameplay (i had to find all the resources and customizations).