Although it’s almost three decades since the 1996 launch of the original Quake, the defining id Software FPS – like its older sibling Doom – is still alive, kicking, and just as wonderful as ever. The recent boomer shooter renaissance, heralded by the likes of Dusk and Turbo Overkill, has helped propel Quake back into the limelight – if you’re a barnacled PC gaming veteran, this is a great time for shooters, as the nostalgia for Half-Life, Duke Nukem, and Unreal hits fever pitch. And now, following the surprise re-release of Quake 2 last year, the original icon has a whole-new campaign mode, officially sanctioned by Bethesda and serving as a prequel to another ‘90s shooter.
In classic id Software fashion (remember what John Carmack said about stories in games), vanilla Quake is terrifically straightforward. Acquire guns. Dash along corridors. Gib Shamblers. The new campaign mode for the classic FPS game takes the fundamental tools of the 1996 hit and uses them to build something flashier, funkier, and wonderfully vibrant.
This is Episode Enyo, a five-mission campaign available for Quake right this second. Published by Ziggurat Interactive, although it’s made using Quake, it actually serves as a prequel to another game entirely, the extremely promising hack-and-slash horror game Slave Zero X. You play as the eponymous Enyo, an elite, evil assassin who serves as Slave Zero X’s brutal villain. But if the name ‘Slave Zero’ also rings a bell, well, it’s with good reason.
Released in 1999, the original Slave Zero is a third-person shooter also published by Ziggurat. So, Slave Zero X is a prequel to the 1999 Slave Zero, and Episode Enyo is a prequel to Slave Zero X, except it’s built in Quake. This is a delicious ‘90s classic, FPS nostalgia cocktail. If you want to play Episode Enyo, Bethesda has launched it for free, so just fire up Quake and head over to the add-ons menu. Alternatively, check out Slave Zero X, which launches February 21, right here.
You might also want to try some of the other best old games, if you long for the ‘90s FPS heyday. We’ve also got the rest of 2024 and the best upcoming PC games to enjoy.
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