I kicked off Boomer Shooter December with one of the most iconic first-person shooters ever made: Quake. This time around, I tried the Nightdive Studios remaster. I’ve started Quake more times than I can count, but I’ve never finished it until now. It only just snuck in as I finished it on December 1st. It’s been a long time since I last played it, but still hits like it did back in the day. Those big, moody, primarily brown and chunky pixels somehow feel full of life. It’s not the fastest or most chaotic first-person shooter, but it’s enjoyable from the moment you start. Each time I come back to it, it reminds me that there’s a lot of shooters out there that have aged like milk that’s been left out in the sun. Quake is still fun. it’s an early FPS that feels smoother and more enjoyable now than it has any right to be after nearly three decades.
Quake was released in 1996 by id Software and its development history is surprisingly wild. Internal tension, engine rewrites and a development team trying to pull the game in all different directions. It kinda reads like something that should have been total garbage with the amount of issues it faced, but instead it totally works. The original concept started as a medieval, melee-focused dark fantasy with RPG-elements which then morphed into the grim, gothic-style tech shooter we know it as today. It’s actually pretty strange to think how different it could have been. Anyway moving on to 2021, Nightdive Studios gave it the ‘definitive edition’ treatment. It’s a nicely modernised remaster complete with better lighting, updated models, accessibility options and really everything we now come to expect from Nightdive. The story is uh… there. Something something slipgates, something something dimensions and monsters. Look, just go and kill the things. It doesn’t really matter and honestly, the story is mostly just an excuse to shove you into rooms with ogres and death knights.
Quake kinda lives or dies on its brown, dull and dreary atmosphere. Nightdive’s remaster does a really good job of enhancing the game without ruining that original look. It still has all those elements that kept us intrigued in the ’90s. Moody, dull lighting, heavy shadows, damp looking stone structures and blocky as fuck enemies trying to murder you from all angles. And it all still works. The level design is probably what stands out the most. We’ve got environments that naturally guide us from one area to the next. I never really felt lost or stuck and it just seems like every area subtly nudges you in the right direction. Each level feels like it was properly handcrafted, like someone actually sat down and took the time to shape each and every corner instead of letting some fancy-shmancy tool spit it out.
The main weapons in Quake are exactly what you want from a ’90s shooter. The satisfying feel of the shotgun and super shotgun. Both nailguns have that damaging, mechanical punchy feeling and the rocket launcher continues to provide that pure explosive joy. Each weapon feels effective and distinct without shoving unnecessary nonsense on top, there’s certainly something to be said about simplicity. The quality of life tweaks added by the remaster help everything feel a bit smoother. The small touches to animations, clean HUD options and improved, but not incredibly shiny models make it feel like you’re still playing a ’90s classic. I don’t think we could ask for more, really. Subtle changes, but they all stack up really well.
Coming back to Quake after all these years and many, many false starts has reminded me why it helped define the first-person shooter genre. The version I played might be a remaster, but it doesn’t exactly change a lot from the original. The remaster modernises it without stripping away the game’s soul. The story is definitely… uh, a story, but Quake is more about great level design, weapons that hit HARD and the atmosphere which still remains unmatched. Except for maybe Quake 2. Whether you’re returning to it after several decades or picking it up for the first time, Quake is absolutely worth a run through and it was the perfect way to kick off Boomer Shooter December.
Verdict:
Quake proves that some shooters never age. The level design is great, weapons feel nice and the dull atmosphere is actually an asset. It remains an absolute must-play, even three decades on.
Deck Compatibility: 10/10
Overall Game Rating: 8/10 – Pure ’90s Goodness
Dad with a Deck 
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