PowerSlave was a game that was originally released in 2003, and has gone through many remakes. This classic 3D shooter follows the story of Kyle Cooper, who is kidnapped by a group known as the Power Slaves Corporation to work for them on their mining operations.
The “powerslave exhumed release date” is an action-adventure game that was released in 2016. The game has a narrative that revolves around the protagonist and his quest to save humanity from extinction. As the protagonist, you will have to explore various locations and fight enemies using your powers.
When Nightdive announces that a new game is going to be released, I always come to a halt and pay attention to what they have to say. Those guys know how to bring long-forgotten 90s games back to life, remastering them in such a manner that their original versions seem antiquated in contrast. Turok, Doom 64, Shadow Man, and a slew of other games have done just that. I was curious what their next title will be. Is there a Turok 3? Armorines? Nope. PowerSlave Exhumed is a brand-new product, which will surely raise a few eyebrows, but please bear with me.
The initial foes you’ll fight are quite insignificant, but bear with me… After a level or two, it becomes a lot better!
Before we discuss PowerSlave Exhumed, we must first discuss the original PowerSlave. What is this PowerSlave nonsense? Apart from the Iron Maiden album of the same name, that is. That is a game that not many of you have experienced. It’s likely that most of you have never heard of it, and there’s a good reason for that. The Sega Saturn has a killer app in this game. You know, that one Sega 32-bit system that no one had? Lobotomy Software, a developer, opted to create an originally exclusive shooter for the system, employing the same engine that would later power their unsuccessful console versions of Duke Nukem 3D and Quake. It wasn’t a smash hit, but neither was it a failure.
It’s a brilliant concept to have a first-person shooter set in Egyptian ruins, where you battle mummies, jackals, and other mythological animals while exploring labyrinths and temples. To be honest, PowerSlave was a decent shooter at the time. The difficulty is that it was published a year before Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and GoldenEye 007. It was released a year before people began paying attention to console shooters. It eventually vanished under the Saharan Desert, precisely like a pharaoh’s tomb.
See?
This is a fantastic concept. Sure, I like it when Nightdive remasters one of my childhood favorites, but PowerSlave Exhumed is their most astute release yet. The poor hardware available at the time severely hampered this game. It was enjoyable, but the Saturn (along with the PS1) was a poor choice for shooters, both in terms of technology and controller design. It’s time to bring a long-forgotten masterpiece back to life with the same attention that every previous Nightdive remaster has received. If this has always been the case with PowerSlave, we were all ignorant to ignore it. This game is really good.
Calling PowerSlave Exhumed (or PowerSlave) a “DOOM clone,” as we normally refer to old-school first-person shooters plainly influenced by the genre’s early entries, is a disservice to all of the game’s unexpectedly unique gameplay mechanics. Sure, it has the controls of an older shooter, with movement and camera controls that are similar to Duke Nukem 3D, but what if I told you that shooting isn’t the major emphasis of this game? What if I told you that exploration is something you should do?
That pool isn’t composed of Jell-O, in my opinion…
Sure, PowerSlave Exhumed is level-based, but it’s neither linear or divided into “chapters.” There’s a map and a hub where you may pick where you want to travel next. Of course, your goal in each level is to locate an escape, but the catch is that you may return to them at any time, such as after acquiring a new weapon at a later stage. You can also get a few powerups that change the way you move, such as the ability to leap higher, walk on lava, breathe underwater, and more. These talents may then be used to reveal brand new exits in previous levels, leading to brand new locations.
If it sounds like something you’ve heard before, that’s because it should. That is, in essence, a metroidvania. Despite the fact that it was launched before Symphony of the Night, PowerSlave is a metroidvania. That implies it was released almost six years before Metroid Prime, which was billed as the first first-person metroidvania. As a result, the game seemed a lot more fresh than I had imagined. Everything about it seems newer and less old, from the level design to the emphasis on exploration to the abundant checkpoints (another feature that DOOM and Quake lacked). We would never have known if it hadn’t been for Nightdive’s determination to put this hidden treasure back into the sunlight.
These guys aren’t exactly welcoming.
I was also interested to test how well Nightdive’s KEX Engine handled the aesthetics in PowerSlave. It wasn’t that they were difficult to remaster; I was simply interested how that engine would handle a more sprite-based experience with less emphasis on polygonal objects. Exactly like Duke Nukem 3D. This isn’t as gorgeous as, say, the Turok remasters, but that’s primarily due to the original material’s constraints. The graphic style of PowerSlave was simplistic, and the most of the levels were set in the desert (of course). With that in mind, Nightdive was charged with turning a Saturn ugly attractive to 2022 standards, and they did a fantastic job.
The sound design is one element that hasn’t altered much, and I believe that was a wise move. The music for PowerSlave Exhumed is a Red Book CD, and it sounds fantastic. The music for the game has no right to smack as hard as it does. The music makes Aladdin’s “Arabian Nights” seem like a Portland coffee shop folk singer in the early stages, but after you enter a temple, the soundtrack makes Aladdin’s “Arabian Nights” sound like a Portland coffee shop folk singer. Before you ask, no, the game does not include any Iron Maiden music, despite the fact that it is named after one of their albums.
I’m not complaining since this machine gun is far overboard.
This isn’t my favorite Nightdive remaster, but it’s certainly one of the most significant. The majority of the games that the studio has previously restored were already well-known and free of serious flaws. Exhumed PowerSlave is a unique beast. The original game had a lot of promise, but owing to technology restrictions, delayed launch dates, and low sales, it was soon forgotten by gamers. Nightdive brought a long-forgotten (and problematic) game back to life, demonstrating that it has always had promise. It was a forerunner of its time. I had a lot of fun playing PowerSlave Exhumed, not just because of the interesting fighting and scenario, but also because of the proto-metroidvania style and advancement system, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Nightdive has in store for us next.
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It wasn’t simple to adapt what were basically extremely antiquated and restricted Saturn-powered graphics into something that ran smoothly and didn’t make everyone’s eyes bleed, but Nightdive managed to pull it off once again. |
If you’re not accustomed to old-school first-person shooters, the shooting mechanics are a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to them within a few minutes. The game’s mild metroidvania aspects are also very appealing to me. |
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Even though they finally end owing to their CD format, the Red Book audio tracks found in PowerSlave Exhumed are beyond epic. Before you ask, no, this setlist does not include Iron Maiden. |
The original PowerSlave had promise, but owing to hardware restrictions, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable to play. Nightdive Studios overcame these constraints, enhanced every part of the original game, and delivered a fantastic shooter that isn’t antiquated in the least. |
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Final Score: 8.5 |
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PowerSlave Exhumed is currently available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
On the Xbox One, the game was reviewed.
The publisher sent me a copy of PowerSlave Exhumed.
As an example:
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Look at them!
The “powerslave exhumed trailer” is a game that has been released by PowerSlave Studios. The game is a horror-survival title, and it is set to release on PC and consoles in 2019.
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