If you like weird games, this upcoming FPS that looks like a mix of Bloodborne and Doom may be one to add to your wishlist.
Kook is a game that mixes the FPS chaos of Doom with the Lovecraftian weirdness of Bloodborne, and after viewing a new gameplay trailer I’m pretty convinced this could be my next obsession.
The game is set in a Victorian-era steampunk setting, complete with pitched roof buildings and cobbled streets, and you’re tasked with grabbing a gun and raising hell against otherworldly monsters.
Check out 13 minutes of raw gameplay for Kook below.
Kook is described by its developers as a “Quake-like retro FPS”, and judging from the gameplay we’ve seen so far, that sounds pretty accurate.
However, with it being a modern game, it obviously doesn’t come with as many hardware limitations as Quake or Doom had in the 1990s. That allows it to have enhancements like modern lighting, larger levels, and more advanced AI.
As you can see from the clips, enemies range from mad cultists to demons from other dimensions. The game seems to emphasise action and exploration over everything else, just as the original Doom and Quake games did.
What is Kook?
“Kook is nostalgia the way we remember it. The graphics are chunky and low poly but have modern rendering technology like realtime lighting and self-shadowing textures for extra immersion, all done per-texel so it keeps that retro vibe,” reads the official description for Kook on Steam.
“You play as a madman, or kook, and when the ancient ones returned and claimed the sanity of those around you, you had nothing to lose. Insane cultists and Lovecraftian horrors lurk around every corner and must be eliminated. Shoot everything that moves! Maybe shoot some things that aren’t moving, too, and if they start moving, shoot them again.”
Developer Lone Wulf Studio has teased various weapons such as a three-barrel shotgun and gravity well grenade launcher, which allows you to displace your enemies by manipulating the world around you.
Other weapons and abilities include being able to slow down time, and using slowed-down darts to create a temporary staircase to find hidden areas. Really cool.
Kook has no release date available yet, however Lone Wulf will announce one when it feels the game is ready for a general release. As someone who loves a good boomer shooter, I’m certainly going to be keeping my eye on this one.
