Below par space shooter
A somewhat obscure space combat sim from the '90s, Inferno is an intriguing and unusual experience which may be worthy of investigation for lovers of Wing Commander or Freespace 2 but falls way short of being a classic. The game is the sequel to the similarly unheard of Epic and continues the storyline started by its predecessor, and charts the further adventures of that game's main character as he seeks revenge on the evil Raxxons, an alien race who genetically altered him to become one of their own. Although the action is largely set in space, other environments to be explored include ship and base interiors and planetary surfaces, each of which are visually distinct and add to the game's flavour. One particularly interesting aspect of Inferno is to be found in the main campaign, where the story evolves according to the outcome of each mission. The huge variety of missions available makes each game unique and renders the replay value much higher than might be expected. Graphically, the game looks pretty crude now, with flat, untextured landscapes, and awkward, rather ugly, character design, while the poor voice acting and boring cutscenes also let the side down. The gameplay redeems things somewhat, with some reasonably exciting combat that maintains interest, but on the whole this is a curiosity rather than a must-play game.
