Sunset Overdrive Review

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Sunset Overdrive takes everything its developer Insomniac Games has been known for and mixes it up to deliver a satisfyingly captivating new IP that isn’t scared of making fun of itself and even the gaming industry as a whole. With its wacky writing, phenomenal traversal mechanics, colorful visuals and punk-rock attitude, Sunset Overdrive results in one of the dumbest, yet funnest Third-Person Shooters I have played in a very long time.

Sunset Overdrive’s post-apocalyptic setting is unlike any other zombie/mutant-infested context that has been explored in any medium, and can be interpreted in a very metaphoric way if you think about it enough. Following a massive widespread outbreak throughout Sunset City because of the distribution a brand new energy drink called Overcharged Delirium XT, your personalized hero or heroine must figure out a way to escape the city safely. Unfortunately, it proves to be a harder task because FizzCo, the company who created the vile energy drink, controls the entire city and will not tolerate letting survivors escape to expose what they have done. It’s not the richest plot in terms of narrative as it is very straightforward, but because of its self-aware, comical approach with its story-telling and characters, which is absolutely hilarious, it successfully keeps you interested and invested in trying to stop the corrupted mind of FizzCo. That being said however, because of Sunset Overdrive’s overly-familiar post-apocalyptic locale, it suffers from the same problem other games in the same vein have: a very weak mission structure.

Because your main goal is escaping Sunset City safely, Sunset Overdrive’s story missions are all based around helping out other survivors with their survival burdens, so that they can assist you with whatever you may require later on. This makes for some very tedious fetch quests, and the constant interchange attitude overshadows some of Sunset’s strongest story missions. Thankfully, the mindless errands of getting from point A to point B are quickly forgotten because of the game’s impeccable traversal mechanics that only get better as you progress further along the narrative. Similar to the main mechanic of SEGA’s incredible Jet Set Radio, you can grind your way through Sunset City’s many rails and ledges while ruthlessly murdering the varied packs of mutated human types (or as the game calls them OD’d) and other enemies with your crazy weapon arsenal. But it doesn’t stop there; you can also wall-run, jump massive distances by hopping on any bouncy structure and dash from one point to another. Plus, combining all of those moves is so simplistic and responsive that it makes map traversal the best part of Sunset Overdrive’s missions all around, and even the entire game’s. And because you can grind on virtually any ledge, it makes some quick, impressive and stylish acrobatic sequences. This may sound ridiculous but, after fully wrapping my head around this entire system, I started pretending as if the ground was lava (which it technically is if you consider the enemies as a volcanic substance) while I was getting from one mission to another through the city’s various districts. This sort of turns the game into a free-roaming platforming experience and it is absolutely fantastic.

Insomniac’s legacy with its previous Ratchet and Clank titles has been recognized for the utterly crazy and creative weaponry that was included in those games, and it isn’t any different in Sunset Overdrive. With weapons ranging from a disc thrower to a teddy bear grenade launcher, Sunset’s major combat focus is with the customization of its vast weapon lineup that can be purchased or tweaked to your liking. Unfortunately, its entire player and gun customization elements fall flat because of the overwhelming amount of upgrades available at the same time. First off, you can unlock Amps for both your character and weapons, which are small bonuses given to your abilities depending on how stylish you are while engaging in combat. Plus, there are over 40 Overdrives that can be unlocked, which give even more ability-related upgrades. I admire the fact that Insomniac wants to give as many ways as it can for players to engage in the shoot-outs, but I found that, as soon I was getting comfortable with a set of equipment, I unlocked something new or better that would change or improve my playstyle significantly. After a while, it became very annoying to constantly hop into the cumbersome menus and rearrange my hero’s skills.

Still, once you hop into the combat itself, you’ll have to combine your goofy acrobatic skills with your over-the-top guns to wreak havoc onto the opposing forces. Though they aren’t very abundant when you are not taking on a mission, the game has no mercy for the player as it throws dozens, if not hundreds of enemies that can overwhelm you very easily throughout its multiple missions. Trust me, you’ll want to be as mobile as possible while engaging enemies as they will kill you fairly quickly otherwise. It is quite tricky to master the platforming and shooting mechanics at the same time at first, but because it’s what Sunset Overdrive is all about, it becomes easy relatively quickly. Plus, it’s not that bad if you die anyways because you’ll get to enjoy a badass, randomized respawn animation.

Sunset Overdrive isn’t quite over after completing its main campaign, which can be plowed through in less than seven hours if you only go for the story missions. There are close to 500 collectibles items scattered around Sunset City’s streets, not to mention the multitude of side activities in the form of Trials, Challenges and Side Missions that bring up Sunset’s longevity to more than 30 hours of gameplay. Additionally, if you wish to re-experience the game’s more memorable moments (like the massive boss fights) you can do so by simply navigating through the menus and choosing which mission you want to replay. These are fun ways to spend additional time in Sunset Overdrive’s gorgeous-looking world, and admire the little subtleties that make this game feel one of a kind.

To maximize Sunset Overdrive’s replay value, Insomniac even included a Multiplayer component in the game with the mode Chaos Squad, which supports up to eight players in an online firefight. Though some will find this mode entertaining, I did not see the appeal in playing Chaos Squad because it is your basic Horde Mode with Sunset Overdrive enemies. It results in chaotic sequences, hence the mode’s name, but is ultimately forgettable because there is no significant reward after playing this mode continuously. What I am trying to say is that spending time in Chaos Squad feels like a total waste of time, especially when you have such a wonderful single-player experience waiting  for you with just the simple press of a button.

VERDICT

If you haven’t figured it out already, Sunset Overdrive is a must-own title for any Xbox One owner. It is charming, funny, clever, unique and just outright fun to play, resulting in what is arguably Insomniac Games’ best work ever. It is a product of care, attention, love and creativity that isn’t shy of being one thing and one thing only: A video game.