PAX East 2018 – Ion Maiden Reviving A Genre

Original first person shooters from back in the early 90s are staples in the genre today for what brought it to today’s popularity like Duke Nukem from 3D Realms. And now they are back with another title returning to the genre called Ion Maiden. Where I spoke with Founder & Chief Creative Director of 3D Realms Scott Miller.
Developed by Voidpoint, Ion Maiden introduces the protagonist Shelly Harrison codenamed “Bombshell”. Set in a Neo DC that was overtaken by an transhumanist cult, she is sent on an to go against the cult mastermind Dr. Jadus Heskel as his cybernetic army are thirsty for blood. Bombshell originally from the Duke Nukem series and those at 3D Realms wanted to have her own game at some point. With the title Bombshell named after the protagonist, originally starred the her but later decided to cancel the project as it wasn’t reaching their expectations and saved her for future projects. And just like The Duke himself, Bombshell has her own line of witty comebacks and jokes as you play the game.

For the demo I played at PAX East 2018, I played the preview for the game on PC. The simple first person concept was as usual, but what grabbed my attention to pursue this game was how they expanded on the original formula. Using 3D Realms’ famous Build engine and modern hardware, Voidpoint was able to take advantage of the situation and reinvent the core gameplay. Adding more mechanics like reloading, crouching, more in-depth & interactive puzzles and jumping. My playthrough had me glued every second exploring and shooting down several different types of enemies as I progressed, making the 30 min demo feel like minutes.
With a range of different weapons like the 18-round Loverboy magnum, homing bowling bomb grenades, Disperser shotgun and more. The weapons in the demo were distinct in their own way with their pros and cons in certain situations and can tell thought was put into each one to expand the grey area between each one. While I primarily used the Loverboy for a good portion, running out of ammo to explore the other weapons was enjoyable. And like said earlier about the game going fast, it played the same way. Running through sections in DC were practically seamless, load times were present between areas, but compared to original titles it’s nonexistent. And running upon hidden caches for ammo, health and armor made me enjoy the little interaction littered around the game’s world. Finding little switches to open a hidden passage or even to turn on a light in a room, I along with fans stopping along the booth were impressed.

For the visual aspect of the game, Ion Maiden out performs yet again. Using the original engine on newer tech means a bigger emphasis to detail. From sprites to the game’s setting, the game looks incredible. Sprites getting more pixel count from the original 256×256 and a wider range of colors to add depth and detail to its appearance. Another plus for using the Build engine was level design was more cost efficient compared to modern first person shooters. Speaking to Miller on the topic, he said:

We were able to be creative with the game’s level design and explore different possibilities using puzzles and hidden secrets. And with the engine we’re using for the game, it’s cheaper to make than other modern titles.

For those interested in Ion Maiden, the game is in early access on Steam and GOG. And will be fully released on both stores in Q3 of 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcAwzusZUrQ