It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been a year and a half since Icrontic was first on the web with a review of Futuremark’s little zero gravity FPS Shattered Horizon. The game has changed significantly from its 2009 debut, and even today the game is still being injected with new life from Futuremark. Until now, the game has been exclusively multiplayer. As of this week though, Futuremark aims to change that with a free DLC pack that will add a singleplayer mode.
From day one, Futuremark promised free DLC for Shattered Horizon. It was a good thing they did, as the game only featured four maps and one gun at launch. Since release, Shattered Horizon has received content backup in the form of map packs, voice chat support, and additional weapons, among other things. These free DLCs built a slow but steady momentum for the game, which became a sort of niche shooter thanks to its radically different control scheme.
Games grow old, however, and these days a year and a half is a long time to keep a game alive with a vibrant online community. Shattered Horizon’s player numbers have shrunk quite a bit from launch with only a handful of players and servers online at any one time. Those that still play have become a very tight-knit group that have stuck with the game since launch, all of which have developed incredible skills and abilities in the game. Having such a dedicated community is great, until new players try to jump into the fray. The learning curve is steep, and the competition is downright ferocious. It’s pwnage like you’ve never seen.
Enter the Last Stand DLC pack. This major update adds the option to play all of Shattered Horizon’s gameplay modes in single player with full support of bots. The main idea here is that new players, or old players looking to hone their skills, can play offline away from these champions of space to practice and learn the intricacies of this complex shooter. Bot support will be a welcome addition for those looking to learn, but it was also be the perfect way to top off servers that are struggling to find enough human players to make the matches truly competitive.
Also included in the DLC is the new Last Stand gameplay mode. Last Stand is a survival type mode that pits four players against waves of bots that grow increasingly difficult as time passes. This mode can be played online and offline.
Futuremark is taking the matter of the game’s difficulty very seriously. Not often do you see developers acknowledging a situation that is game-limiting to new and less experienced players, and rarely do those developers actually act upon that feedback. Futuremark is different, though. They’ve openly acknowledged the difficulty in the game’s multiplayer, and have made a bold (and free) step forward to help players get over that issue.
The Last Stand DLC is available now for free. To celebrate the launch of Last Stand, Shattered Horizon is enjoying a 50% off sale on Steam, selling for just $10 from now until next Monday. If you’ve been waiting to try the game out of fear of its difficulty factor, now is your best chance to strap in and shoot some astronauts on the moon.
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