Finding a decent first person shooter for under ten bucks is usually a gamble. Enter Iron Sand, a fast paced, sci fi FPS rogue lite that throws you onto a desert planet to fight off armies of machines and massive boss robots known as Titans. Priced around $7.00, it promises a lot of action, changing maps, and deep build customization.
After spending some time clearing rooms, dropping buildings on giant robots, and dying to entirely avoidable mistakes, it is clear that this game has some great ideas. However, it is also painfully obvious that it needs more time in the oven. Let's break down what works, what doesn't, and if it is worth your spare change.
The core structure of Iron Sand is easy to grasp. You move from room to room, wiping out waves of robotic enemies. As you progress, you collect resources from crystals and chests to purchase upgrades, new weapons, and stat buffs. The rogue lite elements are actually quite thoughtful. You aren't just getting boring do 5% more damage upgrades. You can pick up perks that trigger chain lightning, summon meteors, or give you massive damage boosts if you manage to avoid taking hits after using your dash ability.
Combat revolves around managing your arsenal and your abilities. You have standard firearms like assault rifles, snipers, and grenade launchers, alongside active skills like poison grenades. There is also a highly satisfying Rage mode that charges up as you fight. Once activated, it turns your screen red and allows you to completely melt enemies for a short period of time.
Without a doubt, the best feature in Iron Sand is the environmental destruction. Many shooters feature destructible cover, but here, it is baked right into the combat strategy. The physics system allows you to blow up bridges, walls, and entire buildings.
This becomes incredibly important during the Titan boss fights. These massive mechs can be brutal, especially if you are playing solo. But if you lure a Titan under a massive structure and hit the supports with a rocket launcher, you can drop the entire building on its head for massive damage. It is a brilliant mechanic that keeps the arenas feeling dynamic.
Dropping a concrete skyscraper on a giant robot is exactly the kind of chaotic fun you want from a sci fi shooter.
While the foundation is fun, Iron Sand is currently held back by a severe lack of polish. The game feels unfinished in several frustrating ways. For starters, there are no weapon swapping animations. When you change guns, the new weapon just magically pops into your hands. Furthermore, the loot system is clumsy. Gear drops directly onto the floor, and it is entirely too easy to accidentally walk over a low level helmet and downgrade your current armor without realizing it.
The game also struggles to communicate basic information to the player. The UI lacks a health percentage indicator, making it hard to know exactly how close you are to death. Instead of a standard minimap, enemy indicators are awkwardly placed at the bottom of the screen, which takes a lot of getting used to when you are being flanked.
Combat balancing is another major issue. The gunplay lacks a satisfying punch, and enemy AI is fairly brain dead. Weapon logic is also strangely flawed; grenade launchers don't seem to deal splash damage to the player, while shotguns do the exact same amount of damage from a distance as they do point blank. Finally, while the game boasts classes like Engineer and Medic intended for 4 player co op, playing solo feels incredibly unbalanced. The game relentlessly swarms lone players with floating shield drones and aggressive mobs, making solo boss fights feel like a chore rather than a fun challenge.
Performance wise, expect some heavy lag spikes. While the game runs smoothly during basic firefights, moving between areas or triggering large explosions often causes the game to stutter heavily.
Pc Version Tested
Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from Devs
