Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Epidemic builds upon the corridor-based mech shooting of its predecessor by immersing you directly into the cockpit of a heavily armored battle mech. From the moment you power up your systems, the combination of auto-lock targeting and real-time mapping systems gives you a sense of control over the confined, labyrinthine passages of the underground city. Movement is deliberate rather than frenetic—every turn of the corridor and every shot fired must be measured, ensuring that each skirmish with enemy mechs feels meaningful.

The progression is simple yet effective: you sweep through floors of the city, blasting hostiles, scavenging power cells, ammunition, and key items that unlock sealed doors. Mini-puzzles pepper the levels; a locked door might require a power conduit reroute or an access card you discovered in an earlier sector. These interludes break up the shooting action and reward exploration, giving a welcome sense of variety to what could otherwise become repetitive corridor combat.

Boss encounters and larger enemy mechs rise the stakes at regular intervals. These tougher foes force you to juggle offensive bursts with tactical retreats, making efficient use of your mech’s shielding and weapon cooldowns. While there’s no real resource crafting, the way you conserve energy cells and prioritize upgrades for your mech’s armaments adds a light layer of customization. You’ll learn quickly which weapons work best in narrow corridors versus open hangar bays, and this drives home a strategic component beneath the straightforward shooting.

That said, the pace can feel uneven at times. A stretch of puzzle-heavy exploration might drag for players craving non-stop action, while a sudden gauntlet of enemy waves can overwhelm newcomers. Nevertheless, the balance between exploration, puzzle solving, and mech combat generally leans in favor of engagement, keeping you motivated to clear floor after floor on your path to confront Byflos himself.

Graphics

For a mid-90s title running on the original PlayStation hardware, Epidemic’s 3D corridors and mech models present a surprisingly crisp aesthetic. Walls and floors are textured with industrial grit—rusted metal panels, flickering neon signs, and splashes of biohazard iconography immerse you in the game’s post-plague world. Load times between levels give you brief glimpses of S-video–quality full-motion video sequences, showcasing the survivors’ plight and bringing Byflos’s underground city to life.

The mech models themselves are blocky by modern standards, but animated joints, glowing sensor arrays, and dynamic illumination when you fire weapons or trigger explosions lend them a satisfying heft. Enemies vary from lightly armored scout units to hulking assault mechs bristling with missiles. Each type features distinct color palettes—icy blues, toxic greens, heat-soaked reds—which help you identify threats quickly, even in the dimly lit passages.

FMV interludes serve as narrative waypoints and are surprisingly well-integrated. They aren’t mere cutscenes but act as dramatic punctuation marks that remind you of the stakes beyond the metal walls. Facial CGI is dated and pixelated, but the voice acting is earnest enough to sell the paranoia spiraling through the survivor population. These video segments help break up gameplay and reinforce the underground city’s atmosphere of claustrophobia and suspicion.

Minor graphical hitches—texture pop-ins and occasional frame-rate dips when multiple explosions coincide—do occur, but they rarely derail the experience. In fact, these artifacts sometimes add to the game’s gritty charm, as if the digital world itself is groaning under the weight of a crumbling civilization. Overall, Epidemic’s visuals hold up remarkably well for a voyage into a dark, mechanical future.

Story

Set in the year 2065, Epidemic’s narrative begins after a devastating virus has decimated surface populations, forcing survivors to retreat into a vast underground city governed by the enigmatic Byflos. The game opens with uneasy peace: disease has abated, but rumors swirl that the very man who saved humanity is behind a new wave of deaths. This premise of suspicion and moral ambiguity drives the story forward, lending a thriller-like tension as you track down clues in dimly lit corridors.

Rather than unfolding through lengthy exposition, the plot advances in staccato bursts—discover a data log here, intercept a transmission there, then witness a brief FMV sequence that churns the narrative pot. Key characters offer conflicting accounts of Byflos’s intentions, and the propaganda posters plastered along corridor walls hint at a society straining under fear and propaganda. This drip-feed approach to world-building keeps you invested without bogging you down with lore dumps.

The game’s climax—your forced showdown with Byflos himself—ties together story beats and gameplay threads neatly. By this point, you’ve witnessed firsthand the virus’s cruelty, fought through the city’s military arm, and collected evidence suggesting a deeper conspiracy. The final encounter is more than a simple boss fight; it feels like the culmination of every choice you made about which sections to explore, which audio logs to decrypt, and how thoroughly you restored power to the city’s systems.

While the writing occasionally falls back on genre tropes—the “mad savior” turned villain or “lone hero” archetype—Epidemic delivers enough twists and atmospheric detail to keep its post-plague saga compelling. For fans of dystopian sci-fi thrillers, the story resonates well beyond the moment you flip off your PlayStation.

Overall Experience

Epidemic strikes a satisfying balance between shooter adrenaline and puzzle-driven exploration. The game’s pacing keeps you engaged; it alternates tense firefights, methodical labyrinth traversal, and suspenseful narrative beats. By the time you face Byflos, you’re not just fighting for fun—you’re fighting to uncover the hidden truths of the underground regime you once trusted.

From a replay-value standpoint, there’s room to revisit sectors you skipped or tackle harder difficulty settings that tighten resource management and ramp up enemy aggression. Achieving 100% item collection and defeating each boss under strict time limits will extend playtime for completionists, while casual players can still enjoy the game’s core story and combat without exhausting themselves on every secret corridor.

Despite its age, Epidemic remains a rewarding title for mech enthusiasts and sci-fi aficionados alike. Its combination of corridor-based combat, mapping challenges, and cinematics captures a unique era of game design where technical constraints fueled creativity. Whether you’re replaying a nostalgic classic or discovering it for the first time, the game’s atmospheric world and compelling chase for truth make it a memorable journey.

In summary, if you crave a tightly woven sci-fi shooter that mixes puzzle elements with enough story intrigue to keep you guessing, Epidemic warrants a spot in your collection. It’s a hideout beneath the earth where every corridor hides both danger and discovery—perfect for gamers who enjoy methodical combat and a narrative that unravels one data log at a time.

Retro Replay Score

6.4/10