Beyond Sunset - What We Know So Far

Fans of cyberpunk stories and retro shooters have something new to look forward to with the coming release of "Beyond Sunset." Developed by Metacorp, a company with a name worthy of the cyberpunk genre, the game promises a blend of old-school shooting and RPG elements set in a dark techno-future.

"Beyond Sunset" is the first project for the developer and it's definitely an ambitious one. Metacorp said it's drawing inspiration from titles like "Doom" and "Duke Nukem 3D" and it certainly shows in the gameplay footage.

The Steam page for "Beyond Sunset" is now up and full of details and info about the FPS. It looks like it should scratch the itch for anyone searching for high speed combat in a world full of street samurai, robots, and mystery. It may even join the list of games for fans to play while waiting for CDPR to finish ironing out the bugs in "Cyberpunk 2077."

There's no firm release date for "Beyond Sunset" yet. On Steam, the game is slated to come out in the summer of 2023. This is a big window, however, and it's only listed as a planned release date which appears somewhat tentative.

Although the launch isn't set yet, the project does seem to be coming along nicely. Plenty of screenshots, gameplay footage, and even a free demo all point to the title being well into its development.

"Beyond Sunset" will be available for Windows and MacOS. As a small indie project it's no surprise that it won't be coming to consoles. Those who prefer playing they're shooters with a controller can hold out hope, however. According to Steam and the official website, "Beyond Sunset" will offer support for both Xbox and PlayStation controllers, as well as a standard mouse and keyboard setup.

The "Beyond Sunset" trailer features lots of frantic combat and provides the basics of the story players will encounter. Along with information on Metacorp's website, it's possible to put together the setup of the game. "Beyond Sunset" will follow a woman awakened from cryosleep with augmentations that give her superhuman abilities. She is tasked by a mysterious stranger with taking on violent gangs in exchange for having her memories restored.

The setting, narrative, and aesthetics are pure cyberpunk. The title takes place in Sunset City, a neon metropolis full of dark alleys, violent criminals, robots, and, just to keep it interesting, zombies. The project also promises another staple of the genre: the use of augments that enhance the player's skills. No real specifics have been offered yet but, based on footage, it looks like some sort of double-jump power will be available, as well as the ability to reflect projectiles with a sword. Combined with the synthwave music and NPC interactions, this FPS is clearly channeling "Deus Ex" and other cyberpunk stories.

While the story and setting draw on "Deus Ex," the gameplay definitely takes its cues from "Doom." "Beyond Sunset" features first-person combat that involves fast movement with lots of strafing and a variety of weapons. Fires, explosions, and gore round out the action. This, along with the pixelated retro look of the project, should all be familiar to fans of "Doom" and other classic shooters of that era. The developers even said that they're building the title with an updated "Doom 2" engine.

"Beyond Sunset" will include some RPG elements. Selecting dialogue from a list of options and choosing how to augment your character with some sort of progression system will be mixed in with the shooting, exploration, and platforming to create a diverse experience.

With "Beyond Sunset" on the way and CDPR's April 2022 confirmation that it's committed to fixing "Cyberpunk 2077," fans of the genre have lots to celebrate at the moment.