Custom PC - UK (2020-08)

R

eceiver2 is a shooterinwhichyourweaponsare

justasdangeroustoyouastoyourenemies.This

intricategun-handlingsimulatorsimulatesevery

componentofyourfirearmina waythat’sfarmorecomplex

thanpoint,shootandreload.It’sa wonderfulcoresystem

that’ssadlyletdownbya lackofqualityelsewhere.

YouaimandfireReceiver2’sgunsinthesamewayas

everyotherFPS,butit’swhenyou’rereloadingthatit gets

interesting.Eachstageofthereloadprocesshasitsown

uniquecontrol.Takingthestartingrevolver,youneedto

pressE toflickopentherevolvingchamber,thenpressV

tounloadthecartridges.Z loadsindividualbulletsintothe

chamber,whileR flicksthechamberbackintotherevolver.

With later weapons, such as the Colt 1911 pistol, you need

to thumb individual bullets into the magazine before sliding

it into the pistol handle, and also ensure the safety catch

is switched off before firing. There’s even a mechanic for

‘safely’ holstering your gun, which requires you to press

and hold Tab.

Whilethecontrolsmaysoundfiddlyandannoying,it’s

actuallyverysatisfyingtointeractwithyourgunatthat

level.It transformsthebasicmechanicoffiringa bulletinto

a dramatictensionengine.Youthinkyouhavea handleon

thecontrols,thenyouturna cornerandalmostwalkintoa

gunturret.Panicking,you’llpull ouryourguntooquicklyand

accidentallyshootyourselfintheleg.

Inthisway,Receiveris morea tacticalhorrorexperience

thananactiongame.Youplaya survivorofa deadly

psychologicalphenomenonknownastheMindkill,

whichessentiallyconvincespeopletokillthemselves.To

withstandit,youneedtotrainyourmindbylisteningto

cassettetapesknownas‘Receivertapes’.Collectingfive

of these tapes in any of the procedurally generated levels

means you progress to the next one. Not all the tapes are

benevolent though – some are traps laid by the Mindkill.

However, the shell around the game leaves a bad taste

in the mouth. Firstly, there are only two types of enemy

• stationary gun turrets and flying drones. Small and
  unresponsive to being shot, neither are entertaining to fight.
  The levels are dull too – a boxy progression of sparse tower-
  block apartments and maintenance rooms.
  The biggest problem, though, is that the progression
  system is unbelievably punishing. When you die, you don’t
  restart the level, you get thrown back to the previous level.
  Given that you can die very suddenly and unexpectedly in
  Receiver, the game feels monstrously unfair.
  Even putting that aside, the overall experience feels more
  like a prototype than a fully fledged game. The core ideas
  are interesting, but Receiver 2 simply hasn’t evolved enough
  from its game-jam origins.
  RICK LANE

/VERDICT

A neat central

concept, but

the game

feels sorely

underdeveloped.

OVERALL SCORE

40 %

Receiver 2 / £ 13.49 inc VAT

DEVELOPER Wo lf i r e G a m e s/ PUBLISHER Wo lf i r e G a m e s

RECEIVER

+^ Neat central concept

+^ Intricate guns feel

satisfying to wield

DECEIVER

(^) - Boring enemies

-^ Boring
environments
-^ Dreadful
progression
system