Precursors

About

Precursors is a single player open world role playing shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Deep Shadows and was released on February 3, 2017. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

Precursors, predecessors, the legend of galaxy... Who are carrying the forebear's genes among existing races, we can suppose only... Worlds of galaxy are everlasting, beautiful, unique and dangerous. Some of them are inhabited, some ruined and deserted, other - just a smugglers trans-shipment stations.

Skip User Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Ambitious blend of FPS, RPG, open-world exploration, and space combat offering a unique and large sci-fi universe with multiple planets and diverse gameplay mechanics.
Engaging world design and atmospheric graphics reminiscent of classic sci-fi games, with creative open-world elements and a variety of missions and side quests.
Strong community support with unofficial patches that significantly improve stability, add English voice-overs, and fix bugs, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

The game is incomplete and abruptly ends mid-story due to financial and development issues, leaving many plot threads unresolved and limiting content especially after the first planet.
Technical problems including persistent bugs, crashes, broken mouse acceleration that cannot be fully disabled, and poor English translation and voice acting that hamper playability.
Unbalanced and frustrating gameplay elements such as overpowered enemies, lack of variety in character models and weapons, tedious grinding for supplies, and clunky controls impacting combat and vehicle handling.

story
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The story in the game is noted for its ambitious scope and engaging side quests but is ultimately hampered by a short, incomplete main plot that abruptly ends without resolution. Despite some humorous dialogues and interesting subplots across planets, poor translation and lack of polish make the narrative hard to follow, leaving players feeling the experience is unfinished and underserves its intriguing premise.
- “The closest comparison I could give this game's "vibe" is Knights of the Old Republic - this surprises me, because the actual mechanics are completely different and the action is way more like the other games mentioned - but the overall structure of the experience reminds me of KOTOR: moving between distinct locations on different planets (each planet featuring its own sub-story that feeds into your main quest), then doing bits and pieces onboard your ship in between worlds.”
- “This is not a super polished zillion dollar production, this is a vision and a story made by creative souls with more ideas than money and which needs some tinkering with on occasion but is still a grand adventure.”
- “Good story and many funny dialogs, too.”
- “The game basically ends as the story really starts to get going.”
- “It ends just as you start really getting into the story and is basically chopped off at a very random point.”
- “Because of the poor English translation, the storyline is incomprehensible.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The gameplay is an ambitious blend of FPS, RPG, and space exploration elements, combining fast-paced combat with deep inventory and quest systems reminiscent of games like Fallout 3 and STALKER. While praised for its engaging mechanics, variety of activities, and immersive interplanetary structure, it suffers from stability issues, bugs, and occasional punishing difficulty that can hinder the overall experience without further polishing or patches.
- “The gameplay is brilliant, mixes FPS with RPG and space, and it's got an interesting story too.”
- “Being an interplanetary agent, you fly from one planet to another, sorting things out, dealing with space pirates and villains - mix it with fun gunplay and good RPG mechanics and it's really great fun!”
- “Too bad, I was getting comfortable with the game mechanics but this was just a waste of time for me.”
- “The gameplay mixes a lot of different ideas - inventory management and equipment maintenance reminiscent of Arma/DayZ, open world FPS/RPG adventuring and side questing like Fallout 3, vehicle combat like Halo, open universe space travel/combat like Elite/No Man's Sky - it was hugely ambitious and could honestly have been a masterpiece if developed and polished to a more stable and complete version.”
- “One wrong move and you wind up stranded somewhere surrounded by a plethora of hostiles with your armor broken and you lose hours of gameplay.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The graphics are generally praised for their creative design, atmospheric lighting, and sci-fi style reminiscent of classics like Halo and Half-Life, holding up well especially for a 2009 indie game. While some note outdated animations, the visuals remain impressive, particularly when adjusted on modern hardware with options like 4K support. Overall, the graphics receive a solid rating and contribute positively to the immersive experience.
- “The graphics also look really good on a modern computer, with lots of creative design and atmospheric lighting. The visual style is somewhat reminiscent of Halo 1 and Half-Life 2, with a big dose of Star Wars influence mixed in.”
- “Very nice sci-fi setting, open world with its history, and the graphics on max settings in 4K still look nice.”
- “Given that it's from 2009, it still holds up pretty well graphically for an FPS/RPG.”
- “This one right here is a space adventure with so many possibilities, you won't forget, if you can overlook the outdated graphics and animations.”
- “Try setting all the graphic options to low, starting the game, then going back and adjusting the graphics the way you want.”
- “Try setting all the graphic options to low, starting the game, then going back and adjusting the graphics the way you want.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is praised for its hilarious Russian-style sarcasm and witty dialogue, though the lack of English translation can make it harder to fully appreciate. Players enjoy the amusing world-building details, such as the simulation of drunkenness and NPCs with quirky, relatable existential issues.
- “Good story and many funny dialogs, too.”
- “The Russian humor is hilarious, the world building is actually pretty well done. If you talk to enough NPCs, you can get drunk to amusing effect (I love how they simulated being drunk in this game!). NPCs sometimes have funny existential issues to relate.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally well-received with a good soundtrack that complements the gameplay, though some users find it somewhat repetitive. Overall, the sound design is adequate and fitting for the game's atmosphere.
- “Good soundtrack, good gameplay, working faction systems, quite similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.”
- “The graphics are nice for a 2009 game, sounds and music are correct, albeit a bit repetitive.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some glitches and technical issues typical of deep Shadows titles and Russian-developed games ported to English, but an active community provides unofficial patches to improve stability.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its creative design and atmospheric lighting, featuring visually appealing graphics that evoke a blend of Halo 1, Half-Life 2, and Star Wars influences.
- “The graphics also look really good on a modern computer, with lots of creative design and atmospheric lighting. The visual style is somewhat reminiscent of Halo 1 and Half-Life 2, with a big dose of Star Wars influence mixed in.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game’s replayability is improved significantly when using the community patch, which addresses key issues and enhances overall playability. Without it, the experience may feel less engaging or polished.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is average, with performance receiving a moderate rating of 6 out of 10, indicating occasional issues but generally acceptable gameplay.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization approach is criticized for misleading advertising that highlights only the early, less favorable moments of gameplay, potentially giving players a poor initial impression.