41 Hours is a first-person shooter starring a nerd with a gun and telekinesis powers. This single-player only campaign involves time travel, portals, superhuman abilities and an AI partner that can literally explode on command. It is a weird game that sets its mark high but falls well short of the bullseye.
Playing as Ethan, a dorky scientist with a hankering for gun shooting, the goal is to save his girlfriend. To do this, the body count will pile very high which seems counterintuitive for such an every-man kind of guy. You have an AI partner that you can awkwardly command by using bad d-pad button combinations but she doesn’t really add anything to the story or the combat despite being able to open portals and explode. The gameplay bites off more than it can chew as things get complicated quickly. Tapping shoulder buttons with specific directions on the d-pad to perform certain tasks is different to remember let along pull off when given specific instructions.
The plot is also weird and never fully explained. Apparently you have 41 hours to save your lady, hence the name, but why 41? For such a specific number, it seems like this important detail should be explained.
The narrative is interrupted by comic book cutscenes that are lifeless and filled with painfully awful voice acting. Making matters worse, these comic panels are a stark juxtaposition from the realist art style of the main game, making it seem like these are two completely different titles. After a while, I found it necessary to skip all the cutscenes.
At its heart, this is an open world FPS but the mission objectives and overall design contradict each other. Why put the player in such a large open world when the game directly indicates on where to go? There are no secrets or side missions to complete either. The static houses, forest areas, and other background assets are just copy-pastes so everything looks the same too. While the game looks good in screenshots and trailers, it doesn’t play well and isn’t fun to explore since there is no reward.
Combat is also a disappointment. No matter the circumstance, enemies will spot you a mile away unless you are cloaked. As soon as you shoot, however, your invisible ability wears off and the bullets will come flying your way. Even on the easiest setting, basic enemies are good shots and have no issue nailing you from great distances. As soon as you reactive the clock through, they immediately lose sight and interest so their AI can easily be manipulated. There are only a few enemy soldier types and a couple of AI bots too, so combat gets in the way as opposed to being the activity that should be most entertaining.
41 Hours deserves credit for trying to be a different type of FPS with a budget price. Unfortunately, everything is mediocre at best. It feels like one of those games that could be something special if there is a sequel, one that has a slightly bigger budget and more development time. There are some solid ideas and ambition here but the end result is undercooked.
Not As Good As: Far Cry 3
Better Than: Blood Waves
Wait For It: A new Duke Nukem
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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