A new sandbox survival game from the developers of PUBG is coming to PC later this month. It’s a co-op experience, where players are tasked with surviving in an abandoned space facility against hordes and waves of mutated enemies. The game includes some unique twists like trading items between teammates using blockchain technology.
“As GTFO leaves early access, it’s trying something new: going easy on players”. The game is now in full release.
I thought I was done with surprises after two years of experiencing diverse experiences with GTFO.
GTFO is a one-of-a-kind co-op survival shooter by 10 Chambers Collective. The Swedish-made adventure instills prudence in a sector where games like Left 4 Dead are more popular for their run-and-gun accessibility. You never start with a full clip of ammunition; in most cases, you’ll never have enough medkits, trip mines, or ammo packs to feel safe.
GTFO has no desire to make things simple. You’re a prisoner, one of four thrown into a zombie-infested pit like it’s a theme park’s horror attraction. But, even before that, GTFO is blatantly and purposefully repressive. Every time you open the game, it physically yells at you. Enemies are obscured by a dense fog that lowers vision to a few meters. Much of the level is buried in pitch-black darkness, which creates charming small jump scares when you creep ahead only to see a sleeping adversary slowly awaken inches from your location.
It has the intensity of Escape from Tarkov mixed with Alien: Isolation’s xenomorphic, 1970s lo-fi thriller overtones. Except that there’s no such thing as item permanence. Although there are no direct cut scenes in GTFO, there are bits of text logs concealed in DOS-style terminals. Each level you pass through is a mini-puzzle that blends into a bigger, interconnected intricacy that begs the same question again and over: how will you survive?
Since its early access introduction in late 2019, GTFO has flourished on this concept. Given the growth in popularity of unapologetic difficulty, whether via indies like Cuphead or Tarkov or larger budget projects like Sekiro and the planned S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sequel, the timing is remarkable. And its mix of gameplay and setting is virtually catnip for Steam, which is known for surfacing games with demanding multiplayer experiences on a regular basis.
So I was blown away when three devs from GTFO’s Swedish founders unveiled a new concept for the game’s 1.0 launch, which was my third session with the developers since the beginning of the outbreak.
Checkpoints.
A yellow, almost maze-like sign marks doors with checkpoints. Screenshot:
It’s almost a betrayal: the fundamental notion of GTFO, which persuaded hundreds of thousands of gamers to join, was the feeling of success you had when you finished a level. Depending on how carefully players poked and creeped their way through GTFO’s lo-fi corridors, those levels may take an hour or more.
However, GTFO now caters to a different demographic. There’s a lot more information when you fire up a beta version of R6 — or rundown 6, which is essentially how the team and community have kept track of GTFO’s growth throughout time. The first level serves as a lesson, filling a hole left by fans and wiki articles during the previous two years. The user interface offers more obvious instructions, even going so far as to tell players the command they need to input. (Previously, you’d have to use the HELP instructions from the old days.)
The ‘Rundown’ screen in GTFO has been separated into two parts. It’s simply a menu of the maps you may play in any particular season. Screenshot:
Even the complexity of maps has been separated. Giant bulkhead doors would sometimes appear on maps in prior versions of GTFO. These would basically unlock a more difficult version of the same level, generally with more difficult foes, mini-bosses, and simply more of everything. Now things are a bit different. The major, virtually “core” tasks are highlighted in gold, while the more difficult difficulties are now represented by distinct maps.
Developer Robin Björkell noted, “We’re exploring a new type of approach in how we design [the rundowns].” “On the yellow [missions], there are no alternate difficulties – that’s what makes them unique.” All of the other levels have external layers, allowing you to customize your difficulty based on your competence.”
Although the first level isn’t technically a tutorial, the location and number of adversaries are low enough that most novice players should be able to complete it on their first try, if not the second or third. With the possibility to essentially restart missions mid-way through through checkpoint doors, I had to wonder whether the devs felt they were jeopardizing GTFO’s reputation.
Screenshot:
“There was a lot of debate about whether we should include them since it takes away from the urgency or the hardcore experience,” Björkell remarked. “On the excursions, we dropped the general difficulty a little; former C-tier levels are now D-tier levels, and old B-tier levels are now C-tier levels.”
“Only a tiny fraction of the player population completed D-tier or E-tier [expeditions]… “We wanted more players to have a taste of the higher rundowns,” Bjorkell said. “Things’s a method to make it more approachable,” says the author.
Despite the success of the Swedish indie during the previous two years, GTFO’s main issue was that it didn’t even try to recruit new players. GTFO 1.0 makes an attempt to address this, albeit some players may find the instructional level to be a bit too hands-off.
Take, for example, the new A1 level’s entrance. It summons a massive red UI prompt, virtually yelling at the squad to set up a defensive perimeter before the next alert is triggered. But that doesn’t teach you how to go about doing it. It doesn’t highlight the importance of using c-foam to block prior doors, a sticky, gooey white stuff that buys you valuable time.
It doesn’t tell you where to put your turrets or that they’re equally as vulnerable to friendly fire as your teammates. There’s no real advice on how to deal with foes’ weak places or how to clear rooms. All of this is still up to you to figure out.
Nonetheless, the new “tutorial’s” segmented architecture, which offers significantly greater gaps between enemy concentrations, makes it impossible to get overwhelmed. If you miss a swing and one adversary awakens, there’s a good chance that two or three more will follow. But, in general, everything is always within reach.
Screenshot:
Narrative is also a huge priority, however much of the lore is still given in the most modest of ways because to GTFO’s aesthetic. Throughout the stages, you’ll uncover logs left on terminals, and the first tutorial even includes a surprise voice-over hinting to the Warden, the alleged figure who sent your crew on all these infernal missions. Some expeditions can even transport you to other worlds, with designs and color palettes that are radically different from the dreary metal gray that most GTFO gamers are familiar with.
For the game’s official launch, a slew of new features have been introduced. Cosmetics are now available. Attributes have been introduced to the melee weapons in the game, giving novice players and veterans additional options. To counter players who would just run away from enemy waves, a stamina meter has been implemented. The level toolset in GTFO has also been upgraded: levels may now be considerably more vertical, as seen by A1 (the first map in this rundown’s rotation).
However, much of the game’s essential essence has not altered. You’ll be swamped if you mess up an enemy wave or mismanage enough battles along the route.
I’ve never played anything that had the same combination of terror, tempo, gunplay, coordination, or structure as GTFO. It’s a graphical miracle, and it’s maybe the best-looking Unity game I’ve ever seen. Given the modest size of the developer that created it, the sound design, opponent models, and overall look are amazingly adept. GTFO is the result of a team with unwavering vision, from the high-level idea to the tiniest details of how a terminal interface should appear and work.
The only true wasted potential is that GTFO is still a PC-only title. It’s available today for $39.99 on Steam, but considering Tencent’s investment in the Swedish studio — and GTFO’s consistently strong Steam ratings — a full console adaptation shouldn’t be too long away.
Watch This Video-
The “gtfo steam” is a game that has left early access and is trying something new: going easy on players.
Related Tags
- gtfo full release date
- gtfo xbox game pass
- gtfo cross platform
- gtfo steam key
- gtfo roadmap