Locum Tenens

About

Locum Tenens is a single player shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Deriv'era and was released on December 18, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Scientific spaceship Saratorum drifts near the planet Nadalon. An alien craft appears out of nowhere. All attempts at communication fail. Time passes, and crew members, one after another, start to act weird. It was already too late when you gathered your courage and decided to act. Now only your weapon can help you warn your Homeworld about the alien threat. Inspired by Zero Tolerance and classi…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 10 reviews

gameplay3 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Locum Tenens offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic shooters like DOOM and Zero Tolerance, with modernized controls and atmosphere.
The gameplay is engaging and satisfying, allowing players to develop a flow state while dispatching enemies, despite its challenging nature.
The game is a passion project from a solo developer, showcasing a lot of thought and care in its design, making it a hidden gem for fans of the genre.

The game can be frustratingly difficult, especially in later chapters, leading to potential player defeat and slow progress.
There are technical issues, such as enemies attacking from outside render distance and awkward movement mechanics that can disrupt gameplay.
The lack of a save/load mechanism can be frustrating for players, especially given the game's unforgiving nature and the need to defeat every enemy to progress.

gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The gameplay is engaging and well-crafted, blending elements of a 'boomer shooter' with survival horror mechanics, particularly during tense moments with low health. Players appreciate the strategic pressure from the autosave system and the thoughtful design that allows for easy differentiation between enemy types and a variety of weapons. The game runs smoothly across different Linux distros, offering a nostalgic yet challenging experience reminiscent of classic titles.
- “Gameplay is a 'boomer shooter,' but at times feels more like a survival horror when running low on health near the end of the relatively quick levels. The game autosaves every floor, eliminating the need for save-scumming, which adds a nice pressure to keep the player cautious and thinking more strategically. Clearly, a lot of thought and care went into the project, making it easy to differentiate between enemy types, with no redundant weapons. It launches and plays without issue on a couple of different non-Ubuntu Linux distros I tried it on.”
- “It brings the original mechanics onto the PC (and the PSP), running on a charming and oft-frustrating (but never unfair) engine, with increasingly varied and complex levels packed with enemies.”
- “The mechanics are tough, but you don't know how good you have it if you've not been able to play a game like Zero Tolerance. Strafing just works, you get a whole-level map that you can keep out while you navigate, and a question mark will appear on it if you're missing a few pesky enemies.”
- “Gameplay is a 'boomer shooter,' but at times feels more like a survival horror when running low on health near the end of the relatively quick levels; the game autosaves every floor, making save-scumming impossible. This adds a nice pressure to keep the player cautious and thinking more strategically. Clearly, a lot of thought and care went into the project, with easy differentiation between enemy types and no redundant weapons. It launches and plays without issue on a couple of different non-Ubuntu Linux distros I tried it on.”
- “It brings the original mechanics onto the PC and the PSP, running on a charming and oft-frustrating (but never unfair) engine, with increasingly varied and complex levels packed with enemies.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with many users finding it unremarkable or average.
- “The music is mediocre.”
- “The soundtrack lacks variety and feels repetitive.”
- “The audio quality is disappointing and doesn't enhance the gameplay experience.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Players express a desire for deeper exploration of the game's world and its narrative, indicating that the story could benefit from more detailed development and background.
- “I would like to learn more about the world inside the game and the story that takes place in it.”
- “I wish the game provided more depth to the world and the story that unfolds within it.”
- “The narrative felt shallow and didn't engage me as much as I had hoped.”
- “I found the story to be predictable and lacking in originality.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its relaxing quality and well-paced design, offering a refreshing contrast to the pressure often found in traditional shooters.
- “I like the atmosphere, the pacing, and the fact that it doesn’t put pressure on you like old-school shooters did - it actually feels relaxing.”