La Quimera Review – Escape From Nuevo Caracas

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In today’s gaming industry, it appears that larger developers and publishers are moving away from AAA story-driven shooter games. Instead, their focus has shifted towards multiplayer titles incorporating live-service aspects. On the other hand, single-player and cooperative shooters have predominantly been developed by smaller teams.

Instead of solely indie studios delivering both stellar shooter gameplay and engaging narratives, it seems that high-quality production values have primarily been the domain of specific studios, such as id Software. Yet, Reburn (previously 4A Games Ukraine) aims to introduce its proficiency in this genre from games like Metro Exodus with a fresh, narrative-centric single-player and cooperative La Quimera.

“La Quimera is, at its core, a linear shooter that has an emphasis on story.”

During my playtime with “La Quimera”, I found that what particularly caught my attention was the need for further refinement or polishing in various aspects of the game. The overall impression of rough edges seemed to be a recurring issue throughout the game. This included elements such as storytelling through cutscenes, audiologs, and dialogue; mission structure and pacing; and even minute-to-minute gameplay mechanics like animations and weapon switching.

During the gameplay, certain elements seem underdeveloped, suggesting that the ambitions of Reburn with _La Quimera_ might have exceeded the resources – both time and money – that the studio could allocate to its creation. It’s a pity, as nearly everything about _La Quimera_ is intriguing.

The game has parts that appear not fully realized, hinting at aspirations for _La Quimera_ that possibly outreached the resources available for development. It’s unfortunate because almost every aspect of _La Quimera_ is captivating.

At its heart, “La Quimera” is primarily a narrative-focused shooter game, similar in style to classic titles like “Halo,” although it lacks the open combat environments that Bungie’s legendary franchise is known for. Instead, the fight sequences in “La Quimera” resemble corridor shooters, where you traverse linear paths leading into arenas filled with enemies, which you must then eliminate before continuing along the next linear pathway.

As I delved into the world of La Quimera, it’s not that I found any major issues – quite the opposite! This game seems more focused on weaving an engaging narrative, and in that aspect, it truly shines. While exploration isn’t a central element, the level design offers some thrilling scenarios where you can unleash chaos by blowing things up. All in all, there’s not much to gripe about here.

“La Quimera is, at its core, a linear shooter that has an emphasis on story. “

In the heart of the game La Quimera, the primary fighting mechanics function satisfactorily; firing weapons feels smooth, and as you advance, integrating certain exosuit abilities makes you feel increasingly invincible in combat. Movement is also straightforward; though there are no complex jumps or jetpacks, there’s a quick dodge, a high jump, and the ability to disregard fall damage altogether. Regrettably, none of the levels seem tailored to maximize these mobility features, and even the grappling hook, which you acquire early on, is seldom employed beyond sporadic cutscenes.

In the game “La Quimera“, the advancement feels effectively designed. Completing tasks and discovering hidden items will net you currency, which can be used to purchase new weapons and equipment between missions. Although it’s not a revolutionary approach to player progression, the system functions smoothly due to its straightforward nature.

At any point in the game, you’re allowed to wield two types of weapons: a primary and a secondary. Each weapon also varies in the type of ammunition it employs – either standard bullets or energy projectiles. Regular ammo is suitable for regular shooting, while energy ammo comes in handy against enemies with shields. In gameplay terms, you’d use standard ammo on foes with red health bars and energy ammo on those with blue health bars. The situation can get a bit intricate when dealing with enemies that have an energy shield requiring depletion before damaging them with your regular ammo weapon.

In the grand scheme of things, the type of ammunition system isn’t hugely significant over time. Once you acquire strong enough weapons, the choice between your primary and secondary weapons becomes less important and often boils down to which weapon has more ammunition left. Personally, I tended to stick with a single weapon regardless of the anticipated damage, switching to my secondary only when I ran out of ammo.

“Ultimately, this ammo-type system doesn’t really matter much in the long run.”

The game La Quimera experiences various troubles, such as inconsistent frame rates and subpar animation in cutscenes. Initially, I assumed the frame rate drops could be due to the game being too demanding for my powerful setup – a Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, 32 GB of DDR5-6000 RAM, and an Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU. However, the smooth operation of busier sections of the game with frame rates well above 60 suggests there may be underlying optimization issues. The early base you start with in the game is particularly problematic; it has limited gameplay elements, yet the frame rate frequently struggles to maintain a steady 45 FPS. In summary, the game’s poor performance and frequent glitching animations suggest that the studio might not have had enough time to thoroughly refine the title before release.

As a gamer, I often find myself struggling for control, as the game insists on taking over to showcase unnecessary cutscenes. Even the initial levels, which are supposed to guide me through the basics, seem more focused on these interruptions than on letting me play. It’s like the game is saying, “Let me handle this for a bit,” and I’m left wondering, “For how long?” While each instance may not be a significant problem individually, the accumulation of these frequent pauses can transform minor inconveniences into major hindrances in my gaming experience.

One area where La Quimera undeniably earns applause is its immersive world creation. The game’s depiction of a dystopian cyberpunk Latin American nation is remarkably intriguing, given the scarcity of such representations in video games overall. Although we don’t delve deeply into Nuevo Caracas and adjacent regions, this world still leaves me eager to discover more about it in potential future releases. Despite the narrative not quite reaching its full potential given the setting, the game’s mystical elements lend a unique flavor to an already captivating backdrop that promises to be even more intriguing.

“Its vision of a dystopian cyberpunk Latin American country is incredibly interesting”

Regarding the narrative, the foundation is intriguing indeed. You find yourself as a newcomer in Paloma, a financially struggling private military company. Your debut operation places Paloma in a tricky predicament, caught between the aristocracy of New Caracas, a questionable corporation involved in unethical human testing for war profits and self-promotion, other PMCs seeking recognition, and yourself. The story’s framework is engaging, particularly from the second mission, but the overall pace feels rushed. Events tend to progress rapidly, giving the impression of moving at breakneck speed. Furthermore, significant plot developments seldom have time to unfold properly, leaving them feeling somewhat shallow.

The narrative style in La Quimera, as I experienced it, seems a bit awkward. Despite numerous cutscenes, their animation quality is generally poor, and occasionally, the characters appear to be quite strange-looking, falling into the uncanny valley. The dialogue lip syncing is also problematic, with characters overemphasizing mouth movements that don’t seem to match the words they are speaking, and at times, the game will simultaneously play dialog from multiple characters without considering whether it contains crucial plot information or just casual chatter between non-playable characters.

In essence, the game La Quimera seems to be a project that perhaps bit off more than Reburn could chew in the time allotted. Regardless of whether you play it alone or with others, La Quimera offers a narrative-driven, combat-centric experience.

Though there’s a solid base to work with amidst its flaws, the game’s current state is far from perfect. Its brief campaign (approximately 5 hours) is, however, a positive aspect that keeps it from becoming overbearing. Given the numerous issues present in the game, a recommendation would be challenging were it not for its intriguing setting, playable mechanics, and brevity.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-04-28 16:45