At first glance, you'll probably think that Hard Reset is a high budget game made by a big developer like Valve or Crytek. In reality, the game is made by an indie developer called Flying Wild Hog. The demo opens with an animated comic strip that attempts to set up the world, time period, and why your character is there. After watching the intro sequence three times now, I still don't fully understand some of the finer details. The basic premise is that you are a member of the Corporation, a sort of police force tasked with protecting the Sanctuary from the Machines; which are sentient robots that are attempting to evolve their AI to a higher point. It sounds confusing I know, but I wonder if events are explained more clearly in the full game. Toward the end of the intro, your character, Fletcher, is sent out to investigate a fresh murder scene. You are then tasked with scouting the area and finding the Machine killers.
Visually, Hard Reset is simply gorgeous, with towering buildings, flying cars, and advertisements everywhere you look. Even though the game is set in the year 2436, the smaller buildings look distinctly modern while still being advanced enough to fit in such a futuristic setting. Aside from the environments, the weapons, enemies, props, and effects are all equal to that of a large development studio.
Unfortunately, the sound, while still good, does not hold the same consistent quality that visuals do. Weapon and environment sounds are solid at all times, with punchy gunshots, interesting enemy sounds, and subtle ambiance. The voice acting is much more hit and miss though, with well performed dialog in the introductory cutscene, but bland and uninteresting during gameplay. Hopefully the gameplay voice acting improves over the course of the full game.
Speaking of gameplay, Hard Reset is moderately challenging on Normal difficulty. The demo starts you off with only one small Machine to destroy and two weapons. The first weapon is a standard machine gun that shoots at a very satisfying speed, while the other appears more alien in design, and fires orbs of energy. Personally, I found that the energy gun was significantly weaker than the normal machine gun; so I hardly used it. Each weapon has one 200 round clip, and ammo is easy to come by once you begin destroying larger numbers of machines. If you do run out of ammo though, it will slowly regenerate so long as you don't fire. The Machines themselves will ruthlessly pursue you once they spot you, and can easily overwhelm you with their sheer numbers.
To help thin the crowds quickly, various environmental objects can be destroyed to create large explosions or electricity to shoot out and short circuit the machines. Along with with ammo and health pickups from defeated enemies, you will also collect credit chips that can be used to upgrade your weapons. To use them, you'll need to find an Upgrade Terminal. Upgrade Terminals allow you to enhance your current weapons, or add attachments, such as a shotgun or grenade launcher, to them to make them more versatile. You can also upgrade your armor with the ability to enter a slow-motion state when your health is critical, among other things.
Aside from the rather confusing story and the weak gameplay voice acting, Hard Reset appears to be an excellent game for anyone who enjoys First-Person Shooters or independent games. It is with that said that I classify Hard Reset as a Need!
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