Descent for PC
Descent is a PC game that was released in 1995 for DOS, Windows and PS1. It was developed by Parallax Software which released 8 games total, 6 of which were version of Descent 1 and 2. Fun fact, Parallax turned into Outrage Entertainment, which continued with Descent 3, and Volition which was responsible for the Red Faction and Saints Row series. Not a bad output for those studios.
Gameplay from Nostalgic Games.
Anyway, the gameplay was incredible for the time. It promised "six degrees of freedom" and delivered on it. For historical context, Doom 1 came out in 1993 and Duke Nukem wouldn't come out until 1996. Descent offered a level of freedom that wasn't found in many games at the time. The levels feel like they borrowed a lot from Doom (cramped hallways connecting larger open areas), but it offered verticality like Duke Nukem would. This freedom, while fun, could also prove challenging for new players. Accidentally turning upside down could mean a maze-like level you finally mastered is different.
The overall premise of the game is that you are a hired gun who is tasked to travel to different planets and stop the renegade, virus-infected mining robots that have taken over. Destroy the robots, rescue the humans, activate the self destruct sequence, and run away. The conceit is simple, but the execution is stellar. The weapons are a lot of fun, the lighting is impressive, and the early levels provide a fun challenge.
Players can move on the X, Y, and Z axes like in any good flight simulator. In Descent, the controls are a lot tighter and you can pull off some impressive stunts. Where I think the game falls flat is in some of the later levels. Featuring 30 levels total, some of the later ones get quite complex. Expect to be lost frequently, even with the very handy automap feature. There was even a novel feature (for me) that would "record" your playthrough an allow you to rewatch it later. Just press F5 whenever you'd like to start recording and the same key again to stop.
Descent is a pretty complex game that doesn't hold up quite as well as other FPS games from the era, but it's still a lot of fun to pop into every few years. It's worth some time with, especially if you can find it for under $10.
It can be found on GOG and Steam.