Trepang2 has got to be one of the best games I've played in recent date.

A simple little campaign horror shooter inspired heavily by the F.E.A.R series and a loveletter to original 2k's action flicks, Trepang2 makes you feel invested all the way through to the end, and has you begging for more.

I played through the game on Hard/Very Hard difficulty (a bit mixed as I found myself genuinely struggling through near the end parts) and I have to say that the AI is simply some of the best that I've seen in recent years. I am a very critical man with a true eye for quality, and so you can imagine my shock when I first learned that Trepang2 was made by four people with intent to learn Unreal Engine.

I'll start on the gunplay - it's super punchy, most weapons having a good two-tap to the head on most enemies and makes it rewarding to actually be able to place your shots. The implementation of the focus/slow-mo mechanic makes drama-ing through gunfights so much more enjoyable and really sells the feel that "you're this badass supersoldier that can never be stopped."

The sound design is near-excellent, with the SMG maybe falling short on it's feel (at least to me) - the NPC responses and interactivity with one another makes me chuckle at how each individual "type" of enemy has their own distinct personality and mannerisms, from the well-trained TALON special forces to the most basic of mallcops.

Each level flows from moment to moment really well, including the numerous horror aspects that had me - a man who doesn't take his horror well - absolutely ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ terrified in certain instances. like the Mothman jumpscare in Pandora Institute, or Site 15 as a whole being the best display of aura horror I've played in a non-for spooks game. It's legitimately crazy how the combat sequences flow into downtime really well to the point that I don't see myself getting bored or running from place to place looking for guys to shoot as I would in most other games, and instead had me looking around for story logs, or weapons parts.

Now I have to talk about the AI - the BEST selling point of Trepang2, at least to me.

The NPCs use a similar system (though not entirely as far as I'm aware) to the goal-oriented mechanics of the F.E.A.R NPCs, planning themselves out as they engage with you. Though you have more options than you would in F.E.A.R thanks to the fact that 106 is an absolute unit of a killing machine, they still feel encapsulating enough that on higher difficulties you have to plan against their planning and act unpredictable. Trepang2 doesn't follow a simple "one guy sees you and everyone knows where you are" gimmick that every other FPS nowadays does, they make callouts from one another, give each other suppressing fire and can genuinely panic once you take a hostage. All of it together combined with the gunplay leads to one of the most interactive combat experiences I've ever had the pleasure to experience.

By far one of the best games I've ever touched, I have to thank my buddy Wyat for buying me the game, and I'm very impressed with Trepang Studios for blessing us with an absolute masterclass of indie game design.