Strife: Veteran Edition

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 346 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Strife: Veteran Edition Game Cover
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The Original Strife is back! Hailed as the original FPS-RPG game that spawned countless imitators, Strife: Veteran Edition is a love letter to the classic from 1996. New Features Include: Support for high resolutions, with proper aspect ratio. OpenGL for video backend to provide portability and support for vertical sync. Dynamic lighting and bloom Widescreen support. Ability to freely rebin…

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Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 346 reviews
story65 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • Strife combines classic FPS gameplay with RPG elements, offering a unique experience that stands out among 90's shooters.
  • The game features a compelling story with well-voiced characters, engaging quests, and multiple endings based on player choices.
  • The Veteran Edition enhances the original with improved graphics, modern controls, and quality-of-life features like objective markers on the map.
  • The level design can be maze-like and confusing, making navigation difficult at times.
  • Some weapons feel underwhelming or situational, leading to frustration in combat.
  • The game can be punishingly difficult, especially in later levels where ammo and health are scarce.
  • story211 mentions

    The story of "Strife" is a notable departure from typical first-person shooters of its time, incorporating RPG elements, branching narratives, and character interactions that enhance immersion. While some players found the plot to be somewhat cliché or confusing, many appreciated its depth, engaging world-building, and the inclusion of voice-acted dialogues that contribute to a compelling experience. Overall, the game is recognized for its innovative storytelling approach, making it a standout title in the genre.

    • “The story and voice acting are great; they help you really get immersed in the world.”
    • “Strife is a remarkable game that pushes Doom's primitive engine to its absolute limit, featuring some gigantic maps, a complex mission-based structure, and a compelling setting.”
    • “This is a story-focused shooter with light RPG elements, something that seemed to me like the Doom engine would not be capable of—the player's stats increase as they progress, memorable characters and locations are visited and often revisited, and the player can even make some limited choices that lead to different outcomes in the end.”
    • “The story is strong, with maybe two dozen voiced characters.”
    • “If you're expecting side quests a la Deus Ex or even a branching story, you'll be disappointed.”
    • “The plot involves a couple of twists that you may or may not see coming.”
  • gameplay81 mentions

    The gameplay of Strife is a nostalgic blend of classic first-person shooter mechanics reminiscent of Doom, enhanced with light RPG elements such as dialogue trees and a hub world for exploration. While the game showcases innovative features for its time, including stealth mechanics and a branching storyline, some players find its execution clunky and the RPG components underutilized. Overall, it offers a fun and engaging experience, particularly for fans of retro FPS games, despite some dated aspects and occasional frustrations.

    • “I'm pretty amazed at how advanced it is given its era, with spoken dialog and a kind of decision tree mechanic.”
    • “The gameplay is awesome, and surprisingly modern FPS games could learn a thing or two about level design and mission structure from Strife.”
    • “Strife delivered an amazing gameplay experience that to my mind was unmatched at the time.”
    • “Many of its ideas are ones I enjoy a lot in other FPS games, but the execution just isn't there in Strife. Its RPG mechanics are a rarely utilized side feature, and it's hard to even call its stealth... stealth, given your lack of options and ways to stay concealed. It largely amounts to a few sections where you can avoid starting a firefight for about five minutes instead of five seconds.”
    • “Faced against its 90s contemporaries, it is much more advanced, with stealth mechanics, a proper, connected world, speech with multiple options, and various RPG mechanics, but it hasn't aged particularly well. The ambition of a project like this in 1996 lends itself to being, not unapproachable, but rather clunky and with noticeable large flaws.”
    • “It means the game is really not worth adventuring much into, as the mechanics it introduces have been done better in later games and void a lot of the frustrations and clunkiness of this game. It should be played to appreciate its historical position, now that it can be more properly evaluated alongside games like Quake and Duke Nukem 3D, which were much more popular at the time.”
  • graphics68 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the nostalgic pixelated aesthetic and comic-style artwork, reminiscent of classic titles like Doom and Wolfenstein. While the visuals have been enhanced in the veteran edition with modern features such as higher resolutions and improved textures, some players feel that the graphics still appear dated compared to contemporary standards. Overall, the game's unique art style and nostalgic charm resonate well with fans, despite its limitations in comparison to more modern titles.

    • “Personally, I absolutely love the game's graphical style, which was created with id Tech 1, the same graphic engine as the first Doom, and it's inevitable not to notice the similarities.”
    • “The graphics are amazing for 256 colors; the mugshots are perfect for the cartoonish and comical feel of the game, and the art is good while in action too.”
    • “The graphics have been enhanced but not overly so - many textures have been smoothed, but enough of the pixelation remains to give Strife a feeling of nostalgia rather than complete reinvention.”
    • “The graphics are old as dirt, but believe it or not, the game still holds up and this port adds much-needed modern improvements like controller support and key rebinding.”
    • “The game was criticized for not having equivalent graphics to its competitors, like Duke Nukem 3D, therefore seeming outdated, and never getting the chance it deserved, ultimately being forgotten about.”
    • “Graphically, it definitely was overshadowed by Quake.”
  • music50 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its catchy and atmospheric qualities, while others criticize it for being repetitive and poorly executed, often relying on MIDI technology. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the gameplay experience, despite some tracks feeling out of place or annoying. Overall, while the music has its highlights, it is often seen as a product of its time, with varying quality throughout.

    • “The game runs and looks great, and the excellent soundtrack is reproduced perfectly.”
    • “A few other great things that Strife has include good weapon variety, lots of brutal gore, decent voice acting (for the most part), brilliant comic book style art, challenging enemies, and a fantastic soundtrack.”
    • “The music is pretty enjoyable but like the music for the town or the power plant and the voice acting is fun in a hammy way.”
    • “The sound feels awful, the music is awful; its saving grace is the voice acting.”
    • “The only bad thing about this game is the soundtrack, as it just sounds very bland and put together with very little effort.”
    • “The music is variable in quality, with some tunes adding to the intensity of combat, and some becoming incredibly repetitive after a while; the music in the sewer levels is especially grating.”
  • atmosphere9 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique blend of futuristic-medieval elements and a post-apocalyptic setting, creating a rich and immersive world reminiscent of classic sci-fi influences. Reviewers highlight the effective use of mood, detailed environments, and well-executed voice acting, contributing to an engaging experience that balances dark humor with a sense of oppression. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's narrative and gameplay.

    • “This game has a great mood and atmosphere and excellent voiced dialogue.”
    • “The atmosphere is perfect; it feels like a small town, it looks like it has an economy, and it has abandoned buildings.”
    • “The game takes us to a world that is somewhat futuristic-medieval, which, at certain points, reminds one of Star Wars, in an atmosphere characterized by a typical post-apocalyptic situation where humans find themselves facing invaders ready to reshape and subjugate them.”
    • “What's new to this version of the game is it supports multi-player, new atmosphere, still got more to see.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability, with multiple endings and different routes to explore, encouraging players to experience all variations. Additionally, features like Steam cards and achievements enhance the incentive to replay, making it more engaging over time. However, some users noted a lack of replay value despite the presence of multiple endings.

    • “There are 3 different endings, so there is replayability to see all of them.”
    • “No replay value despite having multiple endings.”
    • “Achievements add some replay value.”
    • “It's even got replay value; you can take different routes and get different endings.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in Strife is noted for its clever blend of dark comedy and a lighthearted, cheesy tone, effectively balancing an oppressive atmosphere with amusing elements. Players appreciate its unique style, likening it to classic games while enjoying the humorous dialogue and situations, despite some criticism of the music. Overall, the game is recognized for its ahead-of-its-time humor that resonates well with players.

    • “Strife walks the line between dark humor and oppressive atmosphere perfectly.”
    • “It's got the movement and shooting of Doom, the hub world of Zelda games, the humor and style of Comix Zone.”
    • “It had me laughing and I love how cheesy it is, but the music is bad xd.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating, citing tedious navigation through maze-like maps and prolonged gameplay that can feel overly ambitious and drawn out.

    • “I have to reiterate this isn't a typical FPS, and this comes with the baggage of some over-ambition and frustration along the way, as I feel some maps are downright tedious to navigate and some just drag on forever to finish.”
    • “But get ready for some maze-like maps with tedious switch hunts.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Users report ongoing stability issues, with many experiencing persistent bugs and glitches despite troubleshooting attempts. While the game is an updated version of its predecessor, it still struggles with stability, indicating that further improvements are needed.

    • “Apparently I'm not the only one having this issue, but none of the troubleshooting tips worked.”
    • “It's essentially an updated version of Strife that fixes the many bugs and glitches the original had.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players highlight the emotional depth of the game, particularly through the supportive presence of a friend over the radio, which enhances the experience of facing challenges. The improvements made to the game have also contributed to a more engaging and emotionally resonant atmosphere, allowing players to connect more deeply with the narrative and characters.

    • “Here, you are one man against many, but you have friends to support you. Most importantly, you have your friend over the radio, giving you emotional support. Listen to her words well!”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been criticized for choppy textures, confusing level design, and poor aiming mechanics with projectile weapons. Additionally, users have reported issues with a non-functional multiplayer mode and subpar performance of the Steam overlay during gameplay.

    • “The negatives I have are some choppy textures, occasionally confusing level design, shoddy aiming with projectile weapons, a dead multiplayer mode, and poor Steam overlay performance while playing.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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