Hands-on: GTFO Combines Destiny with Alien

You open a huge metal door. In the thick fog and dim light, you see two deformed silhouettes of motionless monsters. A few bursts from the rifle does the trick. You move on, find one of the IDs you're looking for, and suddenly, the hideous monsters overrun the team from every direction. The roar of weapons becomes relentless, the escape path is cut off, the enemies only grow larger in numbers, and you're running out of ammo. And then appears a monster twice as big as any other, seemingly immune to your bullets. In 40 seconds, the team of four becomes a team of two; then, it's just yourself. And then, the end. Mission failed. Wipe. You have to start all over.

GTFO is not just a coop shooter, in which the only thing you have to do is go forward and shoot everything that moves. It may look very similar to Killing Floor 2 at first glance, but in fact GTFO is more reminiscent of Destiny's complex raids, only with atmosphere reminiscent of the Alien movies. This is genuine hardcore, only for flawlessly cooperating teams that work like well-oiled machines – for now, you can forget about matchmaking. Before opening each door, entering each room, you've got to have your strategy figured and ready. As developers often point out, going Leeroy Jenkins in this game is not an option.

Leeroy Jeeeenkins!

The example of Jenkins' impatience is given for a good reason, because the success of any mission in GTFO depends on good communications between the players, and the preparation of a good plan in advance. The main opponents – frightening creatures called the Sleepers – are usually not aware of our presence until we cast light onto their... sort of heads? Or until we make noise. Therefore, it is sometimes better to quietly bypass the threat or, if there are only a few monsters in the area, eliminate them with melee weapons, preferably in a coordinated manner. The scanner revealing the position of the Sleepers turns out much more useful than guns, and it's absolutely imperative that one team member constantly uses it.

However, you cannot complete an entire mission without making a sound – sooner or later, you will have to engage in direct combat. This usually results from human error – alarming the creatures with careless moves; sometimes, there's just no other way, as some entrances are wired. Then, you will be able to resort to autonomous sentry guns, mines, or a clever foam that can slow Sleepers down and seal doors. And, of course, you have a short moment of "a calm before the storm," when you will be able to make hasty preparations. The gadgets seem to be very inventive, and they come in quite a few varieties, though, as is the case with ammo, they never come in abundance.

It is those, very limited resources that constitute the high level of difficulty of GTFO. They change the rules of the game. Communication is of great importance – you need to plan everything: ensure a safe retreat, concentrate traps and defense where it will be most effective. Fortunately, players can share supplies of ammunition or first aid kits, and find them in cabinets scattered among the maps. The level design is also of great importance: the visibility is limited, there are stairs, ladders and other elements that impede movement, both for us and the enemies. But actually... who are we fighting, when, and why?

Underground prison and the Warden

The team in GTFO consists of prisoners locked in an underground complex. Each mission is an order from the mysterious Warden, who gives them different tasks: collecting some IDs, getting to the reactor to manipulate some settings. It is not known who built the underground complex, who the Warden is, or where the Sleepers came from. The mysterious atmosphere, created in a masterful way, is one of the biggest advantages of GTFO. Great, disturbing music goes hand in hand with dim rooms filled with fog, industrial sounds coming from different directions. We feel a bit like the crew of Nostromo, studying alien artifacts, and a bit like the commandos infiltrating the LV-426 colony in a decent survival horror.

The developers plan to expand the game's lore a bit, in the form of collectable logs, for example, but the game will not feature plot in the traditional form. It will, however, provide enough materials for the community to infer theories and presumptions from elements other than gameplay. The main assumption is not to distract the players from the heart of the action. Too many plot-related elements scattered around the levels could divide and sidetrack the team, as some players will be more interested in the lore than others. The traditional story would also not be conducive to the release model of the game, as it will be divided into seasons (called rundowns), with mission packs available at successive intervals.

The Perils of Early Access

GTFO can be very climatic and, with the appropriate team, creates some really spectacular moments, but of course, as for a game in Early Access – on top of that created by just nine people – not everything is perfect here. The version I played had some really glaring issues in terms of sound and visuals, within the most crucial elements of gameplay. In the thick of battle, it's almost completely impossible to note when our HP becomes critically low. It's also hard to tell when we hit an enemy – it's only apparent by the changing color of the crosshair, which isn't very visible among the chaos. Add to this very quiet sounds of gunshots, and surprises such as enemies that refuse to die despite being mauled by a war hammer.

The developers at 10 Chambers Collective have promised to address these flaws, and I assume they'll be able to mend them quickly, because overall, the rest of the game's sound design is awesome. When the alarm resounded in the background, I had the impression that it was really coming from the end of a great hall. The surround sound system makes GTFO a truly stunning experience. Unfortunately, the visuals did not provide comparable sensations – they seemed a bit diluted with redundant filters. On the other hand, I wasn't playing on maximal settings.

However, neither sound nor the visuals seem as problematic as the lack of matchmaking – this could potentially deter quite a few players. Here, the developers seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. The gameplay which requires such close cooperation and communication can become quite impossible if the team will consist of people speaking different languages, not interested in joint action, or leaving the server for no reason. Having to choose a trusted set of friends was a painful, but perhaps necessary compromise.

Get The F…

GTFO is certainly not a game for everyone, and from what I've learned, the developers have no intention of making it more accessible. It's a niche production for those who love a really big challenge. Cooperation is not just a term denoting the ability to play together, but a prerequisite to move at least one step forward. There's no need to grind to level your character up for one big raid in the game – in GTFO, almost every mission is a raid. If anyone felt like this type of gameplay wasn't fully used in WoW or Destiny, GTFO should provide exactly this type of experience. The game impresses with the atmosphere and the sense of constant threat, and gives enormous satisfaction from every successful attack, now only requiring a technical review. This is a very interesting alternative for any team accustomed to tight cooperation. Instead of rehearsing Leviathan or the Garden of Salvation for the hundredth time, maybe it's worth seeing what the Warden has to offer in the underground prison complex?