In first-person shooters, especially older games or retro-inspired boomer shooters, the first gun you get tells you a lot about the game. And in Mohrta, your first weapon is a powerful, accurate, hard-hitting revolver that makes the famous M1-Garand “ping” noise every time you reload it. This is just one of the many reasons why I adore Mohrta, which is out now on Steam.
Mohrta, which launched last month, is a non-linear first-person shooter built in GZDoom that has big Morrowind and Dark Souls vibes. And yes, I know mentioning Dark Souls in a blog or article about video games risks mockery, but the way this game’s save shrines work and the pacing of each of the worlds you visit, plus its challenging boss fights, create very similar vibes to a FromSoftware RPG. Except you have a shotgun. Wait, actually, FromSoftware did that, actually. Huh…anyway, I mentioned Morrowind because Mohtra’s strange dark fantasy universe has similar aesthetics to Bethesda’s popular RPG, too. But again, with more guns.
In Mohrtra, you play as an undead knight-like machine-man who is determined to clean up all the nasty, strange creatures and oddities infesting the land while tracking down someone important. To save the lands and find this person, you’ll need to explore various worlds that ramp up in difficulty, but which can be completed in any order you desire. You start with a powerful sword and badass revolver and grow your arsenal with a shotgun, a bizarre grenade launcher, an SMG that fires bones, and some other really odd weapons I won’t spoil here. All of the weapons feel great, and because the game is built in GZDoom, a modern source port of id’s classic ’90s FPS, gameplay feels snappy, fast, and punchy.
You also have a small talking doll that can heal you and a vulture on your shoulder that provides light when exploring dark caverns or ruins. Mohtra is weird if you haven’t got that yet. But I love it. Returning from levels to the large market hub world is always a treat. The strange denizens of this world are always willing to chat and trade with you, letting you upgrade your gear and guns, making future missions in new worlds easier.
All of this is drenched in gorgeous retro-inspired textures and effects. Forests are foggy and gloomy. Lava-filled caves are dark and foreboding. Ancient ruins look deserted and lonely. Immaculate vibes going in this one. Who needs 4K raytracing when you got the Doom engine?
If you are craving a five-to-seven-hour oddball boomer shooter that isn’t just about running through corridors and killing soldiers or zombies, I’d hop over to Steam and check out Mohtra, one of the best FPS games released this year. And tell me how you think Mohtra is pronounced. I’ve been saying “mow-CH-ru.” But I heard someone say “MAHT-ra.” I don’t know, I’m too busy shooting creepy skeleton men with my bone gun to worry about that kind of stuff.
