Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Despair 3 picks up where its predecessors left off, delivering a straightforward first-person shooter experience built on the 3D Game Creation Engine. From the outset, players are thrust into high-stakes missions that blend fast-paced firefights with environmental puzzles. Each level requires careful navigation through dilapidated facilities and gust-lashed canyons, where strategic use of cover and timing your attacks against waves of automated drones is critical.

The combat mechanics remain core to the experience, featuring an arsenal of familiar firearms—pistols, shotguns, assault rifles—enhanced by a handful of experimental prototypes scattered throughout the campaign. Weapon feedback feels weighty, and the recoil patterns, while relatively simple, reward both snap aiming and measured bursts. Ammo scarcity encourages scavenging, making each firefight a tense affair where every bullet counts.

Beyond pure shooting, Despair 3 introduces light environmental challenges tied to the titular wind machine plot. Certain zones are buffeted by powerful gusts that alter jump trajectories and projectile paths, forcing you to adapt mid-combat. These wind mechanics, though occasionally inconsistent, add a fresh dimension and break up the standard corridor-to-room progression with dynamic elements that keep you on your toes.

Graphics

Visually, Despair 3 wears its 3D Game Creation Engine heritage on its sleeve. Textures are serviceable rather than spectacular, with metallic surfaces and concrete walls bearing a weathered, sometimes blurry look when viewed up close. That said, the game’s art direction leans heavily into a gritty, post-apocalyptic aesthetic; rusted machinery, overgrown vegetation, and swirling dust lend a tangible atmosphere to each environment.

Lighting is the title’s standout graphical feature. Dynamic shadows cast by machinery and crumbling architecture add depth, while particle effects—debris, smoke trails, and wind-blown leaves—enhance immersion. Certain sequences, especially in the subterranean turbine chambers, employ flickering lights and dust motes to ratchet up tension, making exploration feel genuinely ominous.

Performance remains largely stable on mid-range hardware, with few frame drops even in the most action-packed scenes. The engine’s limitations become apparent in distant draw-in and occasional pop-in, but these issues rarely hinder gameplay flow. For players willing to embrace a slightly rougher visual presentation in exchange for solid performance, Despair 3 offers a satisfyingly moody world.

Story

As the third installment in the Dispair series, Despair 3 continues the saga of humanity’s struggle against a mysterious force threatening to rend the planet from its axis. This time, the narrative centers on a colossal wind machine engineered by an enigmatic faction intent on reshaping Earth’s climate—literally blowing it off course. Your mission: infiltrate multiple clandestine installations, disable the device’s power cores, and avert planetary catastrophe.

Storytelling unfolds through brief in-game transmissions and scattered terminals revealing cryptic logs. While the writing can be terse, it effectively conveys urgency and raises intriguing questions about who stands behind the wind machine and what motivated its creation. Character development takes a back seat to mission-driven pacing, but fleeting glimpses of dissent among your allies hint at deeper interpersonal conflicts that could be mined in future entries.

The soundtrack and audio design bolster the narrative, with pulsing industrial tracks during infiltration sequences and tension-building drones in the machine’s inner sanctums. Voice acting is serviceable—occasionally flat but never jarring—and ambient sounds like whirring turbines and howling winds reinforce the scale of the threat. Though not a narrative blockbuster, Despair 3’s story is a lean, mean setup that keeps you pressing forward.

Overall Experience

Despair 3 won’t redefine the first-person shooter genre, but it delivers a competent, atmospheric outing that fans of the Dispair series will appreciate. The blend of straightforward gunplay and wind-affected platforming segments feels like a logical evolution of the franchise. Your sense of accomplishment peaks when you shut down each power core, knowing you’re one step closer to saving the planet.

If you’re seeking cutting-edge visuals or a sprawling open world, you may find Despair 3’s scope modest. However, its focused campaign, consistent pacing, and unique environmental gimmicks make for a compelling package on a modest budget. The game respects your time, clocking in at a solid six to eight hours for a first run, with additional challenges waiting for completionists.

In the end, Despair 3 succeeds by leaning into its strengths: gritty atmosphere, punchy combat, and an engaging premise. It stands as proof that even within the constraints of an accessible engine, thoughtful design and a clear narrative goal can produce a memorable experience. For players craving a no-frills FPS adventure with a hazardous wind machine at its core, this installment is well worth the trip.