SPRAWL zero

Running out of ammunition in 'SPRAWL zero' is an invitation to throw the gun at somebody. It has finished being useful in the conventional sense, and there's another one somewhere in the room. This makes clearing an encounter a much more active business than protecting a favourite weapon and waiting for an opportunity to reload. You're always looking for the next thing to grab.

FIVE, the enhanced soldier doing the clearing, has Gravity Gloves to make the arrangement practical. The gloves pull objects across a room. A discarded weapon can arrive without a laborious trip to collect it; the surroundings offer further things to manipulate. The game wants attention on what is happening nearby, rather than on a cherished loadout brought from somewhere else.

That is a good foundation for a shooter looking back to the early 2000s. The bulky architecture and industrial ugliness make the period reference immediately legible, but the best part of the homage is its interest in physical interaction. The scenery offers objects to grab and throw, giving the industrial rooms a use beyond enclosing another fight.

The Gravity Shield, which catches incoming fire for return to its sender, takes that idea further. Bullet Time and Rushdown provide other ways to seize an advantage, and the abilities are generous enough to encourage use rather than anxious saving. Switching between those abilities and a newly grabbed weapon is quick enough to make improvisation enjoyable.

The tougher enemies are less fun. They take so many hits that you can get through several weapons while dealing with the same opponent. Having to find another gun was exciting when it meant changing tactics. When the enemy simply needs more bullets, it starts to feel like a protracted way of reloading.

The concrete corridors begin to feel overfamiliar well before FIVE has finished with them. Their bulk and industrial ugliness are convincing early on; prolonged exposure makes a wider view of the city seem disproportionately exciting. MAETH has given its soldier plenty of ways to interact with a room. A few more rooms worth looking at would have helped.

FIVE has been sent to eliminate the leader of a dangerous techno-religious faction, which supplies a serviceable reason to keep moving. The story is less exciting than working out what to throw at the next enemy. The electronic soundtrack is a much better companion to the fighting, keeping pace with a game whose weapons are considerably more distinctive than its plot.

Finish the campaign and there are modified replays and cheats to unlock. It's an appealing invitation to play around with the weapons some more, especially if the gun handling has kept you going through the less inspired levels.

'SPRAWL zero' is at its best when the next useful object is already in sight and changing tactics takes a fraction of a second. Its campaign cannot maintain that pleasure evenly, and the scenery could use more imagination. The disposable weapons and Gravity Gloves make its strongest fights worth putting up with a few too many concrete corridors.