Sprawl is a retro-FPS that's speaking my love language, and it just shadow dropped

Sprawl is speaking my language. Developer Maeth shadow-dropped its retro-inspired FPS on Steam and the Epic Games Store during the Future Games Show: Gamescom 2023 showcase. That means you can jump into this white-knuckle shooter right now, and get lost in a sprawling cyberpunk megalopolis while battling back swarms of troopers as you race to the Spire.

Sprawl features some of my favorite first-person shooter components: Quake-like gameplay which demands lightning-fact reactions, enhanced acrobatic maneuvers which echo that of Titanfall, and a F.E.A.R. style slow-motion metric to add a real cinematic flair to otherwise chaotic firefights. It's one hell of a combination, making Sprawl look like less of a love letter to the classics and more a revitalization of a lost artform.

Play Sprawl on Steam now

All that smart movement around the environment isn't just great for sharing clips with your friends – it's easy to look like a badass while wallrunning and rocket-jumping as bodies hit the floor around you – but an essential requirement for survival. Sprawl is designed to be a hardcore challenge, with movement necessary for quickly recovering your HP and finding more ammunition for the variety of hard-hitting weapons which adorn your arsenal. Stay static for too long and Sprawl won't hesitate to punish you for it, which is just how it should be.

With its minimalistic visual style and banging original soundtrack, I know I'll be running right into Sprawl once the Future Games Show draws to a close. Be sure to find it at the Epic Games Store or dive into the action via Steam following the game's launch on August 23, 2023.

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.

Josh West is Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 18 years of experience in both online and print journalism, and was awarded a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Josh has contributed to world-leading gaming, entertainment, tech, music, and comics brands, including games™, Edge, Retro Gamer, SFX, 3D Artist, Metal Hammer, and Newsarama. In addition, Josh has edited and written books for Hachette and Scholastic, and worked across the Future Games Show as an Assistant Producer. He specializes in video games and entertainment coverage, and has provided expert comment for outlets like the BBC and ITV. In his spare time, Josh likes to play FPS games and RPGs, practice the bass guitar, and reminisce about the film and TV sets he worked on as a child actor.