E3 2016: ‘ReCore’ Demo Impressions

Console exclusives are always exciting for anyone who owns a particular system, and with a dream team comprised of producer Keiji Inafune, the designer of Mega Man and creator of Dead Rising, and alumni members from Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios, Xbox One owners have something to look forward to this fall with ReCore.

The demo of ReCore put me in the dashing boots of Joule, a girl who leads a ragtag team of robots with different abilities. Much of my time was spent going through different corridors fighting onslaughts of robots along with a pinch of puzzles.

I didn’t get too much in the way of solving puzzles, but there was plenty of chaotic action. The combat involved using an automatic weapon and the two robots I had with me, Seth and Mack featured in the gameplay reveal trailer. I also had to keep track of the color I was using on my gun among red, blue and yellow if I wanted to eradicate the enemies. For example, if I was fighting a robot with yellow lights, I needed to switch to yellow on my weapon, and it was beneficial to use Seth, who was also colored yellow.

ReCore Joule and Mack Interacting

ReCore Joule and Mack Interacting

But I’m hoping the demo does not paint a perfect picture of ReCore’s combat in its entirety. Even when using the right colors and the help of robots, it took a bit too much time to take down most of the enemies, which made things a bit dull — not to mention some of fights seemed to last longer than they should have. And because of everything happening in the middle of a fight, it was sometimes difficult to tell what was going on, though it did have a thrilling sense of intensity.

It was also enthralling to boost and avoid attacks. When factoring in the choas, using Joule’s acrobatic maneuvers to dash around weaponry firing at me from every direction and avoiding a blast in the nick of time felt satisfying.

ReCore Joule and Mack Ready for Action

ReCore Joule and Mack Ready for Action

Even though the combat was a bit questionable, and I ponder how long it will keep me entertained, I am still looking forward to ReCore. Its universe has a crypticness about it I wanted to explore further and learn why Joule and her team are fighting robots. And though I did not make it to much puzzles, using Seth to wall climb or a green plug robot to power up obstacles has me curious for what the team at Armature Studios and Comcept has in store for players.

ReCore is slated to release Sept. 13 on Xbox One and PC.