Powerslave

Powerslave is a video game in the action genre developed by Lobotomy Software, Inc. and published by Playmates Interactive Entertainment, Inc. originally released in 1996. It is currently playable on DOS.

Powerslave is a fun and innovative first-person shooter whose excellent graphics and level design are unfortunately overshadowed by serious interface problems and bugs (which are probably related to the fact that the game was converted to PC from the original PlayStation version).

The premise is quite promising, and departs from the 'shoot the aliens, save the Earth' plots of most first-person shooters. The player plays a black ops specialist who has been transferred to the Egyptian city of Karnak to find out who or what has isolated the city from the rest of the world. The only information you have comes from a local who somehow managed to escape: before he died, he said that someone had invaded the city, stolen the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses and was trying to bring him back to life. The intruders are also embalming and mummifying living villagers to keep the population at bay. . . .

For a 3D shooter, Powerslave offers a couple of nice twists. As with Strife, some areas are not accessible unless you push objects, which reveals new doors or provides a stepping stone to jump over a wall. As there are several places where you have to make some precise jumps, the inclusion of a third-person perspective can be of great help in calculating jumps. In addition to real-world weapons such as an M-60 machine gun, hand grenades and a flamethrower, you can also use a number of magic items that do everything from making you invincible to replenishing your life meter. These magic items add depth to the gameplay because you have to decide what to use and when to use it, not to mention collecting enough 'magic essence' that will allow you to unleash powerful spells similar to Shadowcaster.

The training mode allows you to get used to the interface and the various commands without worrying about enemies. Powerslave also features excellent graphics that far surpass the usual Quake clones. Enemies are nicely textured and shaded, and pixelation is minimal. The level with the giant Sphinx, in particular, almost evokes the same shattering effect of the last level of the first Tomb Raider game.

For all its strengths, Powerslave has some glaring flaws that prevent it from being a Quake competitor. Probably the most annoying is the game's terrible save feature, which reveals its PlayStation origins. Instead of being able to save a game at any point in the game, you have to name a new game and save it at certain points in each level; your progress is automatically saved at the end of a level. This means that if you go out and load a saved game, you'll be forced to start from the beginning of a level, regardless of how far you progressed in it the last time you played. Two other unforgivable omissions in the game are the complete lack of joystick or gamepad support (yes, it's keyboard or not), and the lack of an 'always run' button which is a common feature in most first-person shooters. The scrolling is also painfully slow, and the weapons (of which there are only seven) are all fairly mundane.

However, Powerslave's solid level design, interesting plot and puzzle elements (even if most are of the 'how to get from point A to B' variety) make it a refreshing break from the numerous Quake clones. If you hate first-person shooters in general, there's nothing here to change your mind. However, for fans of the genre, Powerslave is highly recommended.

Unofficial patch DeHackerYou will find in the download the unofficial patch made by -=CHE@TER=-, which makes the game much more enjoyable to play, you can read all the details on the English mirror page.

Powerslave is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.