First Impressions count a lot, especially in a genre as crowded as Retro/Throwback/Boomer/Whatever shooters, and Dread Templars wasn't the most positive, with a decidedly "cheap" feel, from the unimaginative levels and janky animations to the terrible soundtrack and generic weapons. Things quickly improve, though, and by the time the second episode rolls around, Dread Templar begins to reveal itself as a perfectly competent, if decidedly generic Retro FPS.
It has its fair share of flaws though. Most notably, the way the enemies were designed generally doesn't lend itself to the kind of fast-paced, consequences be damned combat style the genre has become known for. See, enemies in Dread Templar mostly come in two flavors, melee enemies, many of whom are noticeably faster than the player, and ranged enemies, who will happily start shooting you from halfway across the map, often with homing projectiles. What this means is that it's almost never advisable to face hordes of enemies head on instead of picking them off from a distance or simply running backwards while holding down the fire button. The slow motion ability attempts to remedy this, but its duration, even after a handful of upgrades, is generally too short to have much on an impact.
The biggest failing of Dread Templar however, is that it just doesn't have much of an identity of its own. Everything it does has been done elsewhere and often better. The levels can at times look fairly impressive, but quickly start to blend together, the weapons are fine, but lack any true standouts and the boss fights are somewhat anticlimactic, as well as often easier than the levels surrounding them.
A slight recommendation to fans of the genre then, but if you're just getting into it, maybe try something like DUSK first.
Final rating: 7.1/10
originally written on 06/03/2023
