Chaser Impressions

Chaser, a PC first-person shooter in development at Cauldron, was one of the games shown to us at Encore Software's E3 2003 booth. The game has been in development for over two years now, and it is set for release later this year. We spent some time checking out what Chaser is all about, and here's what we found.

Chaser's name refers to the name of the game's main character. As Chaser, you begin the game by waking up on board a spaceship called the H.M.S. Majestic with an unfortunate case of amnesia. To top off his already disoriented state, Chaser finds himself hunted by mysterious soldiers in red suits who want him dead for no discernable reason. Your goal is to discover who Chaser is, why he is being hunted, and somehow manage to survive in a postapocalyptic future where human life is shown little regard.

As stated above, you will begin the game aboard the H.M.S. Majestic. Eventually, you will progress to an industrial metropolis called Montack City, then to Siberia, and eventually to a Mars colony. The game will have 45 levels in total, spread throughout the various locales. Level areas include underground tunnels, a ruined city, a Japanese hotel, and a snow-filled wasteland. There will be more than 60 weapons to choose from in Chaser, including varying types of pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, and grenade launchers. Chaser will also feature a hefty multiplayer mode, with games like capture the flag, deathmatch, and some team-based games in the vein of Counter-Strike.

Graphically, Chaser is looking very solid. The demo we saw was running extremely well, without anything in the way of clipping or frame rate drop, even with multiple enemies onscreen. The game's environments were all very well detailed, with numerous interactive elements to keep the action fresh. Chaser's audio presentation was very much what you would expect from a sold first-person shooter, with lots of explosions, gunfire, and screams from dying enemies to keep you happy.

Chaser is scheduled to hit stores this summer. Expect more coverage in the coming weeks.