Standing out in the saturated retro-inspired FPS genre is hard, though Kvark (pronounced like the English “quark”, I think) has generated some traction thanks to several Half-life comparisons. Despite appearances though, it was not the dystopian setting, sprawling research complexes, or unethical experiments that I found most similar to Valve’s classic; instead, it was the satisfying gameplay rhythm as it alternated between traversal puzzles and brutal, hand-crafted combat encounters.
Unlike Half-life, Kvark is much lighter on the narrative elements. It relegates storytelling to scattered notes, with limited environmental storytelling that sometimes hinted at the arrival of a new enemy type or how to defeat it. The voiceless protagonist awakens in a rundown prison, seemingly part of the Kvark nuclear power and research facility, built deep underground in an alt-history, Cold War-era Czech Republic. All the usual cliches are accounted for: a paranoid Soviet-style regime with no concern for ethics and safety; an apathetic workforce content to believe propaganda while things fall apart around them; experiments to create super-soldiers through dubious science; and endless hordes of masked goons ready to purge any evidence of wrongdoing – including you.
To Kvark’s credit, the scattered notes were mildly interesting but not necessary to keep me pushing forward when the encounter design, gameplay loop, and gunplay was so satisfying. Like Half-life, it’s a linear corridor shooter and there are times it really commits to the corridor part, maybe with the odd vent shaft thrown in. The seemingly endless, criss-crossing corridors and tunnels play a big part in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that enhances the sensation of being lost underground and desperate to escape. It helps that the many corridors, warehouses, laboratories, and offices you explore are visually striking – well, for those that appreciate the retro-aesthetic – and they look even better when glass shatters, flammable objects explode, physics props disintegrate, and reflective gore splatters the walls and floors. The music is primarily subdued creepy ambience, but it transitions smoothly in and out of thumping combat tracks.
You go about dismembering or dismantling your way through clean-up squads, mutated creatures, and bleeping robots by way of a mostly traditional arsenal. A wrench, pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, long rifle, and grenades do what they say on the tin; while the double-barrelled shotgun lets you discharge both barrels at once, a rechargeable EMP rifle charges up to stun foes, a Crossbow is a slow but powerful scoped weapon, and the minigun lets you shred hordes if you can manage the heat gauge. Just like Half-life, every weapon packs a punch and feels useful throughout – even if the assault rifle serves an effective all-rounder. The basic pistol will pop heads or sever arms with a few precise shots; close-range shotgun blasts disintegrate foes; and charged EMP blasts buy you time to put down robots quickly. Weapons sound as powerful as they feel, with loud gunfire reverberating around the environment, while nearby rumbling explosions briefly deafen the player.
The shooting is satisfying, as you’d hope from a retro-inspired FPS, but the most Half-life thing about Kvark is its aforementioned rhythm. It’s suitably relentless, but it’s more about managing resources between a succession of brutal battles than being incessantly swamped by enemies. Kvark might not have the greatest enemy variety, but encounters feel fast and deadly as enemies deal a ton of damage, even on the standard difficulty, and often charge into the area from multiple angles and in mixed groups. Basic stun-baton enemies are cannon fodder to circle-strafe or kite, but they cover the advance of ranged enemies with pistols, shotguns, or flamethrowers that can shred your health and throw off your aim with almost hit-scan accuracy. Throw in several robot variants that include flying drones, and the clean-up crews are by far your biggest threat.
In contrast, the mutants are a mix of scurrying melee variants and corrosive goo-throwers that don’t do as much direct damage but turn areas of the environment into hazards that deny you space to move freely. The boss fights might be the weakest element as they’re more gimmicky, relying mostly on recognising and exploiting patterns through several increasingly difficult phases while being hassled by lesser foes. Aside from a few perfunctory mobs roaming Kvark’s single outdoor level, encounters always feel designed to take advantage of the environment, albeit rarely in your favour. There were times ambushes could feel unfair, with enemies busting through doors or drones descending from above, but Kvark’s fast and violent combat – with a reasonably spaced checkpoint system – encourages you to retry and master each encounter to minimise wasting ammunition and health consumables.
It’s also easier to appreciate the quality of the combat encounters as they’re interspersed with downtime in which you scavenge for supplies, hunt for secret stashes of Anethium syringes, and interact with industrial equipment clear a path. That could involve riding an underground train and shifting track junctions; draining water or sludge; activating machinery to move along an assembly line; powering up three or four devices to open a barrier, or triggering a countdown on explosive charges (typically followed by a hold-out moment against converging enemies). Tying into the super-soldier premise, there’s a limited skill-tree that give you an edge without trivialising the gunplay. Some passive perks are simple boosts to weapon damage, maximum health, and sprint speed; while others offer trade-offs like increased resistance to damage at the expense of sprint speed, or a chance for kills to heal the player but decreasing their total HP and healing item efficiency.
Kvark does have a few bland or frustrating missteps – like a handful of platforming sections in the second chapter – but I enjoyed it far more than expected and it hooked me in a way few retro-inspired FPS can anymore. The gunplay and encounter design felt great, traversal puzzles were simple but engaging ways to break up the flow, the upgrade system was limited but impactful, and the retro aesthetics and soundtrack appealed to me. Too many games in the genre fixate on relentless, chaotic combat, whereas Kvark gives you some breathing space to appreciate its individual elements – perhaps the most important lesson modern developers should take from Half-life.
Kvark was reviewed on PC using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. Console versions are coming soon.
Kvark (PC) v1.0 Review
Kvark (PC) v1.0 ReviewThe Good
- Loud, brutal, satisfying, and visually spectacular firefights
- A great rhythm between combat encounters and simple traversal puzzles
- Striking retro aesthetics and great soundtrack
The Bad
- The rare platforming sections are awful
- A few poorly placed checkpoints