Spec OPs: The Line is one of the best games I’ve played in the last decade. While the gameplay is predominantly standard cover-based shooting, what really made this game stand out to me were the ethical decisions the game asks you to weigh up - could you, or should you cross ‘the line’ - and the stunning visuals of a post-catastrophe Dubai. The architecture of modern day Dubai is widely considered some of the most impressive and beautiful in the world today. The neo-futurist cityscapes of Dubai make the city appear prosperous, modern, innovative and gives it a sense of power and stature. This is why Dubai set the perfect stage for an experience revisiting ideas from Joseph Conrad’s classic novella, Heart of Darkness, as well as elements from the more modern filmic adaptation, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. After the worst recorded sandstorms in history, Dubai is buried, with the rich escaping and millions of migrant workers and resident left behind. Spec Ops: The Line follows Captain Martin Walker as he descends into a hostile and buried Dubai, in search for Colonel John Konrad, a decorated war hero who stayed behind in Dubai with the 33rd battalion of the U.S army against orders, to help the evacuate the locals. Konrad, suffering from PTSD from his time serving in Afghanistan, begins committing atrocities against the people he was initially trying to help, and it’s captain Walker’s job to find him. Sand is a primary mechanic within the world of Spec Ops: The Line, and it’s presence is constant. The world itself seems to be swimming in a sea of sand, and the primary gameplay takes place within partially and sometimes entirely buried skyscrapers. Parts of the world can be strategically destroyed by the player, allowing sand to pour into spaces, burying enemies alive, or creating new ways to traverse levels. The sand is also thematically important, representing the smothering and constantly present morally ambiguous decisions the player must make during their journey through Dubai. The world itself bleeds into the game’s mechanics and theming, and this unity creates a really powerful world that feels alive and real. The skyscrapers of Dubai make for very interesting level and world design. Because of their tall nature, the player often finds themselves in extremely high places, often having to repel to other buildings to proceed. In contrast to this, because of Dubai’s constant sandstorms, players will also find themselves in submerged portions of neo-futurist architecture. This contrast produces nice variation in gameplay, and again seems to represent the player’s journey with rises, and subsequent falls. Lighting is also very powerful in the game, and broken sections of building, or gaps in the skyscrapers constantly provide sunlight pathways for the player to follow. The way the sun glints off the sparkling sands is also a really nice touch, and really helps to catch the players eye and draw them forward. Spec Ops: The Line feels like a really thoughtful and lovingly made game. Questions of ethics and morals are often avoided in games, as these decisions have a tendency to make players feel uncomfortable, or confused. But the way the game’s world, it’s setting and the way these things are intertwined guide the player through the experience, really makes the decisions feel real, and impactful. The architecture offers level layouts that are refreshing and original, and the cityscapes of Dubai are faithfully reproduced and reinterpreted. The aesthetic of the game is much more than than just a visual aspect, as it is intrinsically tied into the game’s mechanics and themes. |
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October 2017
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