Airtight City is a New Action-Packed Horror Title in Development

Airtight City is an overlooked horror action game that is being made by a very small development team. Now, at first glimpse, this game may seem like yet another survival horror title. Something that’s in the vein of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dead Space, and its ilk. No doubt, that these IPs were the inspiration for this project. Needless to say, it very much has its own identity and apparently fully embracing it. It appears that players will be controlling a soldier, of some kind, that is fully equipped to smiting horrid beasts with ease. Usually, games like these consists of inventory management, tactical planning, and a very frail hero. This isn’t the case with this game. Players can punch, kick, tackle and slice up monsters that are in their way. If anything, players will be a monster that kills other monsters. No different than the Doom Slayer, himself.

Now, it appears that the combat will be very reminiscent of God of War and the newly minted Evil West. It is played in a third-person perspective and players will be able to chain combos with light, heavy, and projectile attacks. The same weight and crunchiness to the combat are present here as found in the aforementioned titles. Fundamentally, the fighting mechanics will be familiar. However, there appears to also have some freshness to it. The protagonist will attack enemies and break them down into a “stun” animation. This is the cue to execute a finishing attack. Depending on what weapon is being used, all kinds of animations will unfold. Such as telekinetically raising up an enemy and crushing them like an orange. There is definitely an anime flair to Airtight City. Both in its design and action. The way this game plays almost seems arcadey in comparison to its counterparts. Which, by the way, is a welcomed change of pace.

Stellar Huckleberry

Although very little is known about Airtight City, it is slowly garnering some reputation. It obviously takes place off-planet. Perhaps is a space colony, ship, or base somewhere out in the void. Now, the main format for its action is that it is a third-person shooter. The protagonist comes with a pistol, rifle, and other firearms which can be switched on the fly. Players will be able to dismember enemies with guns, strategically hindering their movements. Now, whenever an enemy gets close in these types of titles, it’s usually “Game Over.” Well, apparently this game welcomes close-quarter combat. There are even melee weapons that can be brandished. Like a 20-pound sledge to cave in some heads. Not to mention a flurry of punches and kicks that can be unleashed. Thusly, there are also a few other tricks that this character can do.

Evidently, there will be secondary attacks that can be utilized. What is shown in the footage is a ‘bladed boomerang’ type of device being thrown. This character looks and fights like The Pilots in the Titanfall franchise. Hence, it will be easy to get acquainted with such a character. This game has gone through a couple of variations due to a lack of funding. Now, it appears that things are in full swing with the development. Even though players will have heavy-duty methods to fight evil, this will still be a horror game at its core. The level design will drip with atmosphere and dread. The threat is very real and it is a good idea not to get too confident. The enemies will swarm players in numbers and some even come with force fields. Thus, there will also be a little drone following players that acts as a flashlight, among other things.

Lock, Stock, and Rock

As far as immersion, there will be next to no HUD. Everything that players will need to know will be seen through the suit of the protagonist. Even though this design choice has been done before, it is an ideal way to usher in a feeling of grittiness. The sound design is loud, crisp, and satisfying. The guns sound powerful and even the detail of the “cling” of shells ejecting is on point. It is near the same level as Gears of War, in fact. The same goes for the melee. Overall, the action in Airtight City is fast and smooth. There is a variety to the move set and everything is fun to watch. Players can sprint, slide and move around to avoid attacks. The protagonist can even unleash blows from all angles whenever they are surrounded. The combat in this game isn’t as nearly as stiff as in other titles of this genre.

In any case, Airtight City isn’t a finished product by any means. It has been a labor of love from the developers and they are doing their best with what they have. The potential that this game has is through the roof. Now, with other horror titles coming out soon, like Dead Space Remake and Callisto Protocol, gamers can easily miss this. It appears to be deeply satisfying to play and there is plenty of room for it to grow. Given the thin budget and small team, the developers appear to have something special here. Hopefully, things will continue to progress and there won’t be any hindrance. It has been a long road for this game and it is nice to see that gamers are giving it the time of day.

A Fight Ahead

Now, Airtight City does have an Early Access available. So, players can now jump in and try this out. Even though the game is not nearly as finished, this could be considered a “paid demo” in some ways. Regardless, gamers out there who want to see development continue might want to check this out. Of course, Airtight City doesn’t have a release date. Let alone which platforms it will be releasing on. It is very possible that it could be a PC exclusive. Only time will tell on whether or not this game will be coming to consoles, as well.