Singularity is a first-person shooter (FPS) videogame developed by Raven Software. A group of U.S. Marines goes to an uninhabited island called Katorga-12, once held by the Soviet Union, to investigate an electromagnetic surge. The protagonist, Captain Nathaniel Renko, starts phasing between past and present and his actions in the past dramatically change the present world.
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Pros
Pro Alternate endings
Of course, in a game where its story revolves around time traveling and changing the future (and the past), it is a good point that your decisions affect the end result of such story. When adding different outcomes based on player's choices, the replayability just skyrockets. You need several attempts to unlock every ending and to see how differently the story unfolds depending on what you do.
Alternate endings are always a great thing, and this game has three of them -good, neutral, and bad-. Be ready to replay it a few times so you can see how the story unfolds differently in each playtrough.
Pro Engaging time-traveling story
Most shooters have a pretty straightforward story where you are rarely surprised by the outcome. Singularity has an original story and an interesting approach, resembling Bioshock. You will incarnate Captain Nathaniel Renko and learn about the past, present, and future of Katorga-12 in a dynamic way. The short cutscenes and conversations where you get to understand the game's story are really well implemented to not interrupt the shooting for too long. You will be eager to discover the secrets of the story and kill some more soldiers and mutants. The soviet propaganda and the alternate-futuristic-universe feeling of some areas definitely help creating an immersive and enjoyable environment for the player.
Another point that helps creating the engaging atmosphere in the game is the weapons. In Singularity, you have a big arsenal of weapons at your disposal, and all of them are upgradeable in different ways. But the most unique feature of Singularity is the TMD (Time Manipulation Device), a different kind of weapon with a wide range of powers. You have Impulse, a blast of energy in front of you, somewhat of a shotgun power. Deadlock, a time bubble that freezes anything that goes inside it. Aging, a power used to age or renew objects, and age humans to dust. Revert, that can turn a human opponent into an acid-vomiting Revert to help you kill large groups of enemies. And Antigravity, a power you can use to move objects around (like telekinesis) and is useful to stop and throw grenades and missiles.
Pro The HUD
FPS with minimal but informative HUD are amazing, and Singularity does a great job at that. You can check your health, energy, and ammo easily at any given time, but they keep a marginal space in the HUD so you keep your full focus into what is happening. It's only at certain times, like when you need to press a key to do something specific, or when using your Time Manipulation Device, that the HUD becomes a little more intrusive, taking up some space in the center of the screen.
The colours of the HUD fit the game's atmosphere and levels really good as well, and are always visible so you will never lose track of all that information.
Cons
Con Lack of co-op
Singularity is a great game on its own, with its unique gameplay mechanics and engaging and original story, but with a co-op mode for two players, the fun will automatically double for sure. The developers might need to up the difficulty a little and tweak some levels to adapt for two players, but the game already feels like it would be amazing to play with a friend.
Con Too short
The story can be completed in five-six hours. Considering there are no side missions or collectibles, this is really short. You can replay it to unlock the different endings, but still feels like it should be a little longer, 8+ hours. The game has an amazing potential, but it's capped by its duration.