Beta Decay is a low-poly dystopian RPG whose grimy cover-shooting shows promise

Edwin spotted this game called Beta Decay that's not got a release date yet or anything, but looks very cool. It's being developed by Rotoscope Studios and it's a low-poly, 90s-inspired mix of dystopian RPG, survival, third and first-person shooter, with some roguelike bits slapped in there, as well. Whew, that's a lot. Potentially too much. But hey, I am here for something ambitious and interesting, of which it ticks both boxes.

One of Beta Decay's big ambitions is its setting: a big open world planet with a dense series of dystopian cities, alongside underground resource-rich zones. The idea is that you'll effectively take on different roles a bit like in, say, EVE Online. For instance, trading in shops for "digital securities" (whatever this means), to living as an engineer "calibrating communication servers", or being a faction leader executing "raids" on rivals.

The second ambitious thing? Building spacecraft. Beta Decay wants you whizzing about its world in a ship you've built with "complex subsystems", like server networks, power grids, and life support systems. I mean, sounds fantastic! But also, I do worry the game is in danger of overpromising on things that even a triple AAA studio would struggle to implement cohesively.

Phase 1 - Pre-Alpha | beta decay

There is yet more. Survival mechanics, like eating and drinking and sleeping, are crucial to keeping your character alive. And from the sounds of things, they want combat to be a bit 'extraction shooter' in its stakes, as death is permanent. I… am unsure how I feel about this. I am a fan of the high stakes, but I struggle with survival bars that require me to do the most tedious stuff so my character doesn't drop dead.

In their latest gameplay snippet above, we do get a glimpse of what that combat might look like, though. And it's perhaps the one thread that's kept me from being a total sceptic. The switches between third and first-person look rad, as does popping out of cover to deliver some choice shotgun blasts. I know it probably looks like a lot of old games, but it does remind me of Kill Switch on the PS2 and Rainbow Six Vegas. I long for those old days! Even if in the long term Beta Decay scales down some of its ambitions, I hope it at least delivers a satisfying shooter. You can keep tabs on it over on its site, or on Steam.