Beacon Hands-On

Recently while attending Unite Europe we were able to get our hands on a number of promising new titles that were recently developed within the Unity engine. One of the clear standouts was Beacon, an upcoming procedurally generated twin-stick shooter, with a visual aesthetic similar to that of Supergiant Games' Transistor. The title is due to become the first retail release from Monothetic, a San Francisco based indie, a studio that appears to have an affinity for immersive sci-fi experiences.

The developers initially had their sights set on a photo-realistic sci-fi horror shooter, but before long decided to shelve the project, as they believed it was out of their reach. Instead they decided to focus their efforts on a much simpler concept and tapped into their joint love of roguelikes, whilst still keeping the sci-fi theme intact. Initially developed 2D, Beacon then made the leap into the third dimension after the team realised that they were primarily made up of 3D artists.

The game starts as your ship unexpectedly collides with an alien planet. After emerging wounded and disoriented from the scorching remnants of your ship, you must search the mysterious world you find yourself on to amass the components necessary to build a beacon for your escape. Your getaway won't be an easy one however, as fire spewing droids and deadly insects roam the planet's surface and strive to make your journey as difficult as possible.

At first you are given nothing but a frail pistol and a belt full of grenades to fend off your alien attackers, but there's the opportunity to strengthen your arsenal through loot crates which remain dotted across the planet's surface. These pickups are completely randomised and contain the likes of grenade launchers, assault rifles and adhesive throwables. Additionally, there are a number of power ups you can grab during levels that grant you boosts in skills such as speed, stamina, and fire rate.

Like many roguelikes, Beacon isn't a game that you can simply power through guns blazing, as it requires plenty of trial and error to become more familiar with its mechanics and enemy patterns. Its an undeniably difficult experience, but one where you feel more capable of succeeding upon each restart. To make things more challenging, health pickups remain scarce and you'll often find yourself desperately searching for a top up as your dwindling health continues to be impacted.

While the game's enemy encounters and loot pickups stay true to typical roguelikes and are randomly generated, the level design differs as they were hand-built by the developers. Instead of feeling like you are trapped within the confines of a never ending dungeon, Beacon's environments instead offer a sense of familiarity and work to give its overarching plot a sense of direction.

If you're seeking an extra amount of challenge you can descend down into one of many noxious arenas that lie deep under the planet's surface. Within them you must plough your way through seemingly endless waves of enemies, in order to emerge victorious with a well deserved sense of pride and a haul of goodies. These optional areas break up the linearity of the game's predetermined levels and also offer braver players plenty of additional challenge.

The game feels unique in the sense that it allows you to evolve and adapt in order to increase your chances of survival. After you've taken out an enemy, fragments of their DNA will scatter across the ground, which you use when restart to receive stat boosts and mutations, which can shake up the game significantly.  The level of impact the DNA has on your character is dependant on what type of enemies you defeat, with bosses of course providing a much potent stat increases compared to typical weaker enemies.

Within its current pre-release state there are a number of alterations that the developers are planning to make to enhance the overall experience. One is to add an inventory, where you can review all of the collectables that you have gathered across your journey. There has also been talks about adding a tutorial section to game, as currently you're offered no initial guidance when setting out into the alien world.

With a beautiful art-direction, fluid controls and a fascinating take on the roguelike genre, Beacon is definitely one that you should look out for in the near future. Its an experience that will keep you itching to return, as it's gameplay is varied and addictive and there's always the opportunity to further develop your character's skills.  While an official release date has yet to be slated, it has been confirmed that Beacon will be arriving soon to Xbox One, Mac and Windows PC.