This Playstation-inspired dino-slaying FPS is straight outta 1998
Death finds a way.
Announced on Twitter by developer Austin Schaeffer, Compound Fracture is an upcoming FPS where you battle low-poly dinosaurs. It's part of a new wave of indie games inspired by the distinctive aesthetic and rendering techniques of the original PlayStation, even down to having a square 4:3 aspect ratio—although there will be an option to disable this.
"Compound Fracture is an action survival horror game," reads the game's Steam page. "Fast reflexes are required to neutralize prehistoric threats waiting around every corner. Set aside your fear, gather your supplies, and get to work." The blurb also promises distinct enemy types, oppressive environments, and a variety of weapons and upgrades to help you fight the dinos.
I'm happy to officially announce Compound Fracture, our dino fps game. Check out some WIP gameplay footage and head to the Steam page to see the full quality trailer and give it a wishlist if you'd like. https://t.co/MWgb12TECL pic.twitter.com/0Y9z2HwGZJFebruary 16, 2021
Dino Crisis immediately springs to mind, but this early footage also reminds me of Argonaut's Alien: Resurrection, a great horror FPS (based on a terrible film) that was released for the PlayStation back in 2000. A lot of games shoot for the PSX aesthetic, but don't quite get there. Compound Fracture, on the other hand, absolutely nails it, beyond just texture warping and dithering. The environments look like Capcom could have built them in the late '90s.
There's no release date for Compound Fracture yet. 'Coming soon' is as much as the developer will say at the moment. But you can wishlist it on Steam if you like the look of it, and follow Schaeffer on Twitter if you want updates on its development. I'll be keeping my eye on this one.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
If it’s set in space, Andy will probably write about it. He loves sci-fi, adventure games, taking screenshots, Twin Peaks, weird sims, Alien: Isolation, and anything with a good story.