WASTED Review

WASTED is an unusual concoction and is one that you can’t simply judge by screenshots. From the outset, you’d be mistaken to believe it was an indie rip-off of Fallout with a Borderlands visual style, and from the start of me playing I believed this true. It wasn’t until I continued my pursuit to get as the title suggested, Wasted, that I discovered a devious, well-crafted roguelike dungeon (pub) crawler.

Developed by Mr. Podunkian and published by Adult Swim, it’s not one to take itself seriously. As anyone who’ve seen the works of Adult Swim will know, they’re brash, crude and hilarious in many of their works. Their venture into gaming is similar to that of Devolver Digital, finding the best and most satirical of games to publish.

WASTED, or it’s full title: WASTED: A Post Apocalyptic Pub Crawler. And just like the title you’ll be venturing into a post-apocalyptic wasteland to get wasted, but once you get wasted, it doesn’t end there. There’s a lot more to it and the game's story is very reminiscent of the Mike Judge’s movie Idiocracy with a massive helping of Fallout. Civilisation as we know it has collapsed, the geniuses, scientist and anyone of intelligence have retreated to secret bunkers know as coolers. They’re cryogenically frozen to keep those worth keeping alive and ride out the apocalypse. It was a great idea, but unfortunate to say it doesn’t go well and as a result, all the coolers have failed, killing all and leaving everything in the hands of the moronic, alcoholic wasters of what’s left of society. And that’s where you come in.

Set behind an accompanying neon covered 80’s backdrop and you’ve got yourself WASTED. The story does a decent job of introducing itself, with an open cinematic it sets the scene and what comes after, with its style and humour you feel foolish not to venture further, even if you are dropped right in, that is till you get wasted. From the start you get to create your own character; it’s a basic affair, you can change the hairstyle, face, eyes etc. Although I wouldn’t recommend getting too attached to your created avatar as once you die you’re reintroduced as a new random character, but I’ll get into that later.

As a new waste lander your duty is the same as all the other scum of the earth and in this post-apocalyptic new world, everyone craves Booze. And to get the booze everyone lives by the by the rule “Get wasted, or get wasted trying.” Deep inside the coolers, a mutation forms, the radiation has spread and to those fortunate to find such radiated booze will be rewarded with a hangover full of power. Along the way, just like any survivor of the barren wastes, searching the coolers will also reap rewards and the dangers that come with them. This is where the real fun begins.

WASTED uses a procedurally generated system, all the environments, loot, enemy placements will be entirely randomised every time you play. This also makes for diverse, and like other titles that use this design, very challenging gameplay. Equipped with your father's trusty / rusty pistol and tattered clothing you make your way down into the cooler to find that loot and precious booze. Playing like your traditional FPS it’s very easy to pick up and play, and as you go deeper, you can interact with lockers, storage boxes to find ammo, weapons, and armor, but it’s not just you on your lonesome searching for loot, there wouldn’t be any fun in that, there is abundance of enemies around, many desperate as you in finding loot and booze.

The enemies will vary, some carrying guns or melee weapons. Easily dispatched at first they’re just stepping stones as you progress. Enemies are lootable, so you can also take their ammo and armor to further bolster your arsenal, but just don’t take too much as inventory space is limited. The more you kill, the more skilful your character becomes. They’re your usual attributes, strength, health etc. and certain items/equipment can also increase your skills as well. One such skill which does become very useful is tinkering, which is the layman hacking/intelligence skill, allowing you to disarm traps, lock pick doors and add bonuses to certain weapons. The so sought out booze provides you with a mutation and the resulting buzz can either result in a positive or negative impact. These can vary from bonuses to specific skills to reduced movement speed, they’re temporary and only last for a single run, but if you find yourself a more potent hangover you’ll pass out and end right back at home now with a permanent bonus.

The coolers have multiple floors and each floor the chances of finding better loot and booze, however, if you stay around on any floor for too long you’ll become hunted by the S.O.B. Purifier, a big badass hunter who will find you. He’s an absolute bastard to kill and should only be tempted by the brave and stupid. At first, I found it incredibly frustrating encountering him, as if you get backed into a corner it’ll be all over in blinding flash of mini-gun fire. After a few runs, and with a better understanding of the mechanic he essentially becomes your alarm trigger, forcing you to move through the cooler as quickly as possible and reach the next floor.

Death is not the end or in this case, getting wasted is not the end. Like I said at the start you shouldn’t get too attached to your avatar. Dying sends you back to your home, this is the place where you can stash your loot, craft armor, weapons, food, and medicine - that’s if you survive long enough to make it home, so not dying has its advantages before trekking out once more. It’s also not just about surviving the coolers there are quests as well, these further bolster the experience and offers some variety and shows off the game's humour.

Visually WASTED is enjoyable, with inspired cell-shaded style of Borderlands with environments similar to rusted, banged up vaults of Fallout. There are even some nice added touches alongside, including posters and interactive computers with humorous messages. The reflects on the character models too, with their cartoonish faces and freakishly large heads, everyone is basically a living breathing bobblehead. Overall the visuals can be a bit of a rip-off of two games that inspired it, but considering this is a budget indie title it suits the gameplay and world just fine.

WASTED: A Post Apocalyptic Pub Crawler isn’t a game I would recommend to everyone, it’s heavy on the roguelike design and this would put off many, even if you are a massive FPS fan. The frustrating side of a roguelike is that death can come from any corner and a single mistake could result in you either giving up or persevering. It’s just like any other. What makes WASTED worthwhile is the visual style, gameplay, and humour. It makes for an excellent time waster, seeing how long you can last the next journey into the cooler and at £9.99 it isn’t badly priced either.

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and get wasted, or get wasted trying.