R.E.P.O. review

R.E.P.O. is Pure Adrenaline — and I’m Not Okay (In the Best Way)

I’ve played a lot of shooters. From the classic arena-style ones to the ultra-polished modern cinematic types, I thought I’d seen most of what the genre had to offer. Then R.E.P.O. happened.

I went in expecting a small indie shooter with a cool style and some decent action. What I got was a mind-bending, reflex-testing, pulse-pounding ride that hasn’t let go of my brain since I first booted it up. Seriously — this game hits different.

Let’s start with the basics: R.E.P.O. throws you into the shoes of some kind of high-speed enforcer or collector in a dystopian hellscape. There’s no hand-holding. No mini-map. No overexplained plot points. Just: “You’re here. Go do the job.” And it works. The mystery becomes a feature. I found myself paying closer attention to the environment, trying to decode bits of the world on my own. Why is this place so broken? What happened to everyone? Who left these messages behind?

The gameplay is where it really shines. Movement is the backbone of R.E.P.O., and it feels phenomenal. Sliding through corridors, chaining wall jumps, and dashing around enemies becomes second nature fast. It’s the kind of movement system that makes other shooters feel slow in comparison. There’s no cover system here because hiding isn’t an option. You move or you’re toast.

Combat is fast, brutal, and completely unforgiving in the best way. Every encounter feels like a test of your reflexes and positioning. There are no lazy shootouts. If you space out for even a second, you’re restarting. The enemies push hard, and the level design never lets you get too comfortable. Each room feels like it’s been tuned to break your rhythm and force you to improvise.

And the weapons? Pure bliss. They feel weighty and responsive, each one with its own personality. You’ll find yourself sticking with a favorite, then swapping it out mid-fight because something cooler just dropped. The pacing doesn’t let up, and there’s always something new to mess with.

One thing I really didn’t expect was how good the game looks in its own stylized way. It’s not chasing hyperrealism. Instead, it’s going for this gritty, low-poly aesthetic drenched in neon, glitchy overlays, and eerie lighting. It feels like an old VHS tape of a shooter from the future. It’s weird, off-putting, and I loved it. The soundtrack pairs with it perfectly too — all thumping synths and digital distortion. It keeps you locked in.

There are bugs. Some UI quirks. A couple spots where things didn’t load right. But they barely scratched the surface of my immersion. Because honestly? This game doesn’t care if it’s polished — it cares if it’s fun, and it nails that.

I kept thinking, “Just one more mission,” and suddenly two hours had passed. I was dodging projectiles like I was born for it, sliding into rooms guns blazing, chasing the high of surviving just one more intense firefight. And when it was over, I felt like I’d actually accomplished something. You don’t get that feeling from many games anymore.

If you miss the days when shooters made you sweat, when every step felt dangerous and rewarding, and when secrets weren’t handed to you but hidden just out of sight — R.E.P.O. is calling your name. And trust me, once it gets in your head, it doesn’t let go.