A lot of video games nowadays tend to be very complicated. While we here at Honey’s Anime appreciate tough games with a bit of skill involved, we also miss the days of simple arcade-like titles that you could just pick up and play. In many ways, developer Feardemic created a title that captures simple gameplay in the form of their latest release, 2084. Developed from a team who worked on Observer—an amazing first-person adventure game with psychological horror elements—2084 captures simple FPS gameplay and runs wild with it. Though we’re going to presume many of you readers have never heard of 2084 and need to know more information on what to expect and what the gameplay is like? Well we have that covered in our full review down below of 2084 for the PC.

2084 is an arcade first person shooter where players enter a VR game to defeat strange zombie-like enemies. Players will be armed with an energy gun that can shoot rapidly as well as have the ability to launch grenade projectiles. 2084 puts an emphasis on hacking as well with the player needing to hack various objects for ammo, health and to unlock doors. You’ll need to move and move fast to keep alive in 2084. If you stay still too long, you might just find a quick death from a swarm of zombies!

Players assume the role of Laura, a young researcher who happens to enjoy diving into a VR game where she kills zombies and hacks technology. In this VR world, Laura enters a strange post-apocalyptic world where she must defeat the rising enemy threat. However, is this VR world truly just a game? Enter a tale that seems to be linked to another game called Observer and see why these two worlds seem to be interlocked. Welcome to the year 2084 where technology blends with the real world in more ways than one.

A few years ago, we here at Honey’s Anime played Observer, a truly mind bending title with a focus on explorations and adventure. We have always hoped a new title for Observer would come around eventually and while we got our wishes in the form of 2084, it wasn’t what we expected either. Gone are the adventure-based elements—though there is a story sewn into the core of 2084—and are replaced with FPS gameplay where you kill zombies in a fictional VR landscape. Does 2084 hit the right notes to even allow it to use themes from Observer? We’re about to answer that question in our review of 2084 for the PC! Let’s begin with the core gameplay.

The brunt of 2084 is quite simple, folks. The idea is that players assume the role of Laura’s VR character and must run/gun through various locations—all of which seem to link to Observer—to survive and defeat a boss at the end of the level. 2084 is a super easy game to learn with only several controls and a very arcade heavy focus. Though does that work for the experience as a whole?

In terms of controls, 2084 is pretty strong despite its simplicity. Players are armed with only one weapon—an energy gun that can fire rapidly as long as it has ammo—and the means of teleporting short distances. You’ll need to use these skills as zombies in 2084 aren’t slow and shambling but fast and in your face. Alongside the gunplay—which is very fun—you’re also given the ability to hack interfaces to gain ammo, health and to progress further in each level. Hacking basically involves hitting directions in order before the timer runs out. 2084 will have you using these several abilities to progress through each stage and ultimately confront a boss at the end.

Despite what seems like an overly simple game, 2084 works quite well. Not only are you constantly moving and shooting but you’re doing so in a beautiful cyberpunk world filled with cool locations to explore and small amounts of hidden lore for those willing to explore a bit. The problem though is if you want more substance to 2084. you’re going to be sadly disappointed. 2084 does have some tricks up its sleeve but the core gameplay never changes dramatically and that means you’ll be killing zombie-like enemies over and over and hacking objects just as frequently. 2084 isn’t a long game though so you at least won’t feel that overwhelming sense of repetition for too long.

Our last reason why we don’t really dislike 2084 for how simple its design is is because of its price tag. You’re getting the main game and an endless mode—which is just survive as long as you can in one room—for only $9.99. We here at Honey’s Anime always take price into consideration with games like 2084 as it offers a lot of substance for a price that is quite low. Sure, you might not have a deep game like Observer to be entertained by, but what you get in return is a solid arcade focused FPS that is beautiful, fun and exciting. Plus, we didn’t mention this but 2084 technically is an early access title meaning, in the future, more could be added to sweeten the deal.

2084 isn’t as epic as Bloober Team’s original IP Observer, but equally, it’s a lot of fun for an impressive price tag. With some gorgeous graphics and simple gameplay, 2084 is a title you’ll enjoy if you’re really into FPS games with a focus on arcade action. We wished the story and gameplay was a bit more fleshed out in 2084, but we again look at the price tag and the realization that this is clearly meant to be a simple arcade FPS title for fans of Observer and or the genre. We here at Honey’s Anime recommend downloading 2084 even if you’ve never touched Observer—though some of the lore and hidden themes might elude you—just for a fun FPS title to play over a weekend. Here’s hoping developer Feardemic can make some more complex and deeper titles as we think the team has a ton of potential.

Again, for only $9.99, 2084 is a real fun arcade shooter that doesn’t require a lot of the player. Some of the enemies and bosses can be a bit tough at first but after a few defeats you’ll find them quite easy to overcome. 2084 doesn’t give players a lot of diversity in its gameplay but at the end of the day, 2084 does just enough to warrant a purchase in our opinions. Are you excited to give 2084 a try? Let us know in the comments below! Remember to keep stuck to our hive for more game and anime related articles courteous of us here at Honey’s Anime.