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Singularity
PC (Steam)
Lost to History
4.5/5 stars
Way back in 2010, a developer called Raven Software created a new First-Person Shooter with a new IP for their publishing overlord, Activision. Raven Software has been in the PC game development business for a long time, dating all the way to the early 1990s. One who has been gaming for that long (or longer) might recognize the name as the developer that brought us the horrible Fantasy “DOOM” clones, “Heretic,” “Hexen,” and “Hexen 2.” Raven Software was also responsible for a large number of licensed titles based on IPs ranging from ‘Star Trek Voyager’ to ‘X-Men.’ One might also completely dismiss any subsequent projects by them based on their less-than-sterling reputation. Indeed, the developer’s new IP, “Singularity” completely flew under my radar, as most FPSes did before I discovered the majesty of the Razer Hydra, which allowed me to enjoy the genre for the first time. Of course, “Singularity” clearly didn’t make much of an impression on the gaming landscape in general, due to the unavoidable Internet buzz it failed to generate. I only heard of the game during the past year, as it was mentioned and praised by the also-less-than-sterling Jim Sterling, whose description of the game’s style and flavor made it sound exactly like the kind of FPS I can enjoy. I have become leery of taking recommendations from messageboards and gaming pundits alike, as I have been burned by such several times in the past. However, the fact that “Singularity” was on sale for less than $10 at the exact moment I went to research it made the purchase an easy one… and it’s not a purchase I regret.
Presentation
“Singularity” is an Unreal Engine game from 2010. While the polygon models and textures look a bit dated and videogamey compared side-by-side with ‘Cinematic’ PlayStation 4 games or GPU-killers like “The Witcher 3,” I find that “Singularity’s” visuals hold up quite well. Character animation is extremely well-done, environments are aesthetically moody, and the occasional video cutscenes are sharp and stylish. Playing “Singularity” on a modern PC is a very pleasant experience.
The game’s audio is also quite well done. The soundtrack does a fine job of underscoring the gameplay’s mood, and the voiceacting is all very well done. Oftentimes foreign accents come across as cringeworthy in games without huge-budget voicework, but “Singularity’s” setting in Soviet Russia is well supported by acceptable Russian accents.
“Singularity” is an incredibly solid game from a technical standpoint. I didn’t encounter a single glitch, crash, framerate drop, hitch, hiccup, or anything of the like. The only real flaw in the game is that, while it does natively support Xinput controllers, it never displays Xbox-style button prompts, instead showing only keyboard prompts. Using my Hydra, I always see keyboard prompts anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal for me.
Story
Imagine, if you will, a game that combines the best aspects of “Half-Life 2” and “BioShock.” Okay! You’ve just imagined “Singularity!”
“Singularity” opens in the present day (2010) when a United States military patrol is dispatched to investigate some bizarre energy spikes coming from a small island off the coast of Eastern Russia, which have blinded satellite surveillance of the area. Our hero, one Captain Renko, is part of this recon squad.
Just when the squad thinks the energy spikes are a false alarm, a massive pulse of energy brings down all of their helicopters, scattering the squad members across the island, known as Katorga-12. As Renko picks his way through the ruins of a Soviet era research facility, he begins to experience strange phenomena, culminating in an energy burst that takes him back in time to 1955, where he finds himself inside a burning building. After saving the life of a Russian scientist, Renko soon finds himself pushed back to the present… only everything has changed, resulting in complete Soviet domination of the modern world.
All of “Sinularity’s” plot points revolve around Soviet research into a fictional element, found only on the island of Katorga-12, dubbed E-99, which offers power dwarfing that of standard nuclear science, though at a cost. The titular singularity is an enormous Soviet power plant running on E-99 science, which exploded in 1955, causing a number of time-related disturbances that have rippled forward to 2010.
Renko eventually meets up with another Russian scientist who is upset by the state of things and wants to fix the damaged timeline. With the help of this scientist and a female insurgent from the anti-Soviet rebel group, MIR-12, Renko sets out to fix the temporal paradox he created while surviving the hostilities of both the island’s population of mutants and Soviet grunts.
“Singularity’s” story is thought-provoking and relatively air-tight for a story involving significant amounts of time travel. I always found myself excited about what was going to happen next, as the narrative wasn’t as predictably tropey as one would otherwise expect. There is a significant plot twist at the end, as well as three different possible endings, which are all a bit somber and grim, but well-written. It took me 11 hours to run through “Singularity” on the default difficulty… but I could have happily taken more game time. “Singularity” is definitely a game that doesn’t wear out its welcome early, but instead leave the player wanting more.
Gameplay
Remember what I said at the top of the Story section of this review about a game that combines the best parts of “Half-Life 2” and “BioShock”? That applies to the gameplay as well.
“Singularity” is a semi-modern FPS. It uses “BioShock” style first-aid kits that the player can carry with them (in limited numbers) instead of regenerating health or insta-use health pickups. The player is allowed to carry two weapons at a time in their loadout. The player always has access to a melee attack instead of having a dedicated melee weapon in their loadout. The player eventually gains access to “BioShock” style upgrade perks that use E-99 tech as currency (which can be found scattered all over the game in hidden corners or out in the open). Finally, the game’s core McGuffin, a high-tech gauntlet called the TMD (Time Manipulation Device) provides the player with both the ability to manipulate time for certain objects (and enemies) and the ability to manipulate objects in space, much like the “Half-Life 2” Gravity Gun.
All of these mechanics are things that make a FPS good. The two-weapon loadout removes constant flipping amongst a huge stable of weapons to find one that isn’t out of ammo. Plenty of healing is available when needed, but without the ‘2-EZ’ stigma attached to health regen by certain H.A.R.D.-headed trolls. Purchaseable perks provide depth via customization and allow players to improve the effectiveness of their personal play-style. Plus the high-tech wizardry of the TMD allows for some good puzzle design and clever bosses that wouldn’t really work in a bog-standard military shooter.
The only real flaw in “Singularity’s” gameplay is the fact that the game is painfully linear. This linearity is enforced both by clearly-visible points of no return – where the player can see that they won’t be able to backtrack due to jumping off a ledge with no way to get back up, etc. – as well as invisible – and extremely annoying – points of no return where the player enters a new area only to have a barely-noticeable door slam shut and lock them in.
Throughout its rather short length, “Singularity” manages to squeeze in a number of different styles and genres, ranging from Survival Horror at the beginning, to Stealth, to guns-blazing Hero Mode later on. Everything “Singularity” does – and it does a LOT – it does well. It’s a game that is simply always enjoyable, which is really all any gamer can ask for.
Overall
Raven Software has definitely changed from their sordid past of ripping of terrible FPSes like “DOOM.” Now they’re ripping off good FPSes! “Singularity” is like the love-child of “Half-Life 2” and “BioShock,” with its intriguing narrative, entertaining twists, high-tech gadgetry, and solid shooting. It’s a shame this game flew under the collective radars of so many gamers, as it is really the type of experience the modern FPS should try to be, yet fails at so often.
Presentation: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Overall (not an average): 4.5/5
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