A free indie FPS where you fight demons

ASKE is a free action first-person shooter video game that pays homage to old titles like Quake, Hexen, Unreal, Doom, and the like. Developed by Tomás Esconjaureguy a.k.a. selewi, this is a fast-paced 3D shooting game wherein you can relive the classic ‘90s shooting gameplay that inspired many other video games to follow. The game is still currently under development but a short playable demo is available for all.

Nostalgia in one package

When you start ASKE, it looks exactly like Quake—with its pixelated 3D art style of the grotesque-looking enemy demons. You have to fight inside hellish rooms filled with these enemies and must gun down every threat you come across in order to be better outfitted with good gear for your survival. Simply standing around and not dodging will be the cause of your death, even on the easiest difficulty. 

The controls in this game are simple. To move around, you use the WASD keys. To automatically pick up an item, simply walk over it. You press left-click to either slash or shoot. To unlock doors, press E to interact with the buttons for them. Lastly, press Spacebar to jump, the left Shift key to switch to walking to avoid falling off thin bridges, and the left Ctrl key to crouch and crawl into tight spaces.

Just like other FPS games, the fights can get chaotic quickly so you have to keep moving around the map. There will be a mix of melee and ranged enemies coming after you so it’s best to use the environment to your advantage. The great sound effects make every hit you deal feel really satisfying. Unfortunately, it can be hard to notice when you’re getting hit yourself due to the dim screen.

For FPS lovers

Overall, ASKE is a love letter to classic FPS titles as it’s modeled after classic retro shooter gameplay. The demo is short but it’s enough to make players support the project. The brightness settings could really use some revamping, though, so you can easily figure out when there’s an enemy shooting at you.