Recompile – PAX East 2020 Preview
Combining branching critical paths based on player decisions, Metroidvania exploration elements, and an absolutely striking Tron-inspired visual style, Recompile is poised to make an impact. We had a chance to check out the latest demo of this new third person action adventure title with the game’s Audio Designer, Richard Evans at PAX East 2020.
Recompile drops players into a fully digitized and alien environment where artificial intelligence possess a deity-like rule over the world. Your presence in the mainframe is as much a mystery to the player as it is to the AI factions that inhabit the world. Though one thing is clear – you are a threat.
Traversal is a focal point of Recompile and in our demo it felt fast, smooth, and stylish. Early in our hands-on playthrough a double jump and air dash ability were unlocked. By chaining these powers together, you can access previously inaccessible areas of the world. These moves are as fun to watch as they are to execute. Digitized swooshes of energy pulsate from your character as you wisp and dart across platforms. Your surroundings have a living feel as they materialize and evolve all around you.
As you progress through Recompile you will encounter different factions with each representing a different personality of the computerized world. Some factions are inherently aggressive and will attack regardless of circumstance. However, confrontation with certain factions can be avoided altogether in more pacifist approaches. In these instances, players can opt for platforming or hacking over combat. These choices allow players to alter their own critical path and greatly impact how the game plays out.
Hacking challenges make up Recompile’s puzzles. In these mini games the perspective switches to a birds eye view. The player must manipulate the game world to open logic gates, similar to those found in computer programming. As mentioned before, you can choose to pursue these puzzles as a way to forgo combat and keep relations with certain factions amicable.
Recompile’s astonishing visual style give it the ability to easily grab any gamer’s attention. But what will undoubtedly flesh out the entire experience is its depth in game play, fluid movement mechanics and open ended player choice. After our hands on demo, we can’t wait to play the final product when it launches on Steam at the end of this year.
