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Infection

Infection

Action

Overview

Infection delivers a brutally challenging top-down shooter experience set on a crimson-drenched alien world, where players take on the role of a bounty hunter cleansing a planet overrun by hostile creatures. The game's striking monochromatic red aesthetic creates a uniquely oppressive atmosphere that permeates every environment and creature. While its high difficulty and unconventional movement mechanics prove divisive, Infection rewards persistence with intense, acrobatic combat sequences that demand precision and quick thinking. This is a game unapologetically designed for players seeking white-knuckle action rather than casual entertainment.

Crimson Carnage and Visual Identity

The game's most distinctive feature is its all-consuming red palette, which transforms every environment into a nightmarish landscape drenched in blood-like hues. This artistic choice creates a cohesive visual identity where alien tunnels feel like arteries in some colossal organism, and enemy designs become silhouetted terrors against scarlet backdrops. The simplicity of the graphics works in the game's favor, with clean character models and environments that maintain readability even during chaotic firefights. Background animations subtly enhance the unsettling atmosphere, making the world feel unnervingly alive despite the limited color spectrum.

Everything is soaked with red... a mysterious asteroid crashed on planet Zeger, spreading red smoke into the atmosphere and corrupting rain that turned every life form evil.

Clockwork Beast

Brutal Ballet of Combat

Infection's gameplay stands out through its unique control scheme that blends keyboard movement with mouse aiming - a deliberate design choice that creates a distinctive combat flow. The protagonist slides across surfaces rather than walking, requiring players to master momentum-based movement and wall-kicks to survive. This creates a combat rhythm that feels more like a deadly dance than traditional run-and-gun gameplay, especially when facing enemies that move faster and hit harder than the player character. Enemy encounters are strategically designed to punish stationary play, with ambushes that drop creatures from ceilings and flanking maneuvers that force constant repositioning. The absence of early save points (until Level 4) and limited continues further reinforces the game's demanding nature, turning every encounter into a high-stakes engagement.

The sliding movements let you adjust jumps, and wall-kicks mean the difference between life and death. Move at all times - sitting still gets you torn to shreds.

Clockwork Beast

Divided by Difficulty

The game's punishing challenge proves to be its most polarizing aspect. Some players embrace the demanding gameplay as a rewarding test of skill, where victory against overwhelming odds delivers genuine triumph. The limited arsenal - with grenades serving as valuable tactical tools - forces creative problem-solving within tight constraints. However, others find the difficulty curve excessively steep, citing frustration with controls that require precise execution under pressure. This division extends to the save system, which some see as an unnecessary barrier while others appreciate how it maintains tension. The absence of difficulty options means players must either adapt to Infection's harsh rules or walk away.

Verdict

Brutal crimson shooter demands precision and patience

STRENGTHS

65%
Visual Style90%
Combat Flow80%
Atmosphere85%
Sound Design75%

WEAKNESSES

35%
High Difficulty90%
Control Learning70%
Save System60%
Linearity50%

Community Reviews

3 reviews

Because I am accustomed to using Game Maker, and playing my own very mediocre games as I learn the system, Infection caught me by surprise. It was the first GM game I ever played that actually managed to put me in thralldom to my computer until the final boss fell to his explosive end. Yes, I have beaten the game, and experienced the harsh, oftentimes cruel difficulty. And I say, if you can't handle it, don't play it. Otherwise, download and have a nice day. Nicer with the inclusion of spooky red tunnels, atmospheric music (Taken from Metroid... unfortunate con), and truly vicious enemies that can tear your little red bounty hunter to shreds in a matter of a second. Red... Red seems to be Infection's theme. Why red? Because everything is soaked with it. It seems that a mysterious asteroid crashed on planet Zeger, and spread red smoke into the atmosphere, leading to corrupting red rain. Which, happened to turn every life form on the planet evil, and send them on a hunt for human blood. This game comes directly before Jetz Rampage 4, and if you have played Jetz Rampage 3 (officially named Jetz Fusion), you might recognize some characters that have re-emerged in Infection. I haven't said much about the graphics, because there just isn't much to say. They're functional, simple, and charming. And in later levels, when the red 'kangaroos' are devouring humans, they will cause you not a little disgust. Shawn did a nice job. People complain that the controls are unresponsive, but you must be able to understand why they are so. The sliding movements of your little red hunter let you adjust jumps to fit your needs, and his fancy wall-kicks will literally mean the difference between life and death. No continues in this game, folks, and no saves until level 4. If there were saves any earlier, Infection would be a pushover. Think of it like Dead Rising; people don't complain too much about lack of saves in that. In fact, I managed to go through without the use of grenades (and they are very useful, believe you me). Infection has its full share of "Holy S---!" moments, especially during level 2 when a group of the kangaroos drop from the ceiling as you progress down a corridor. And if you can't understand why exactly it's called a "Holy S---!" moment, I'll put it this way: The enemies mentioned above are twice as fast and three times as strong as you are, but they can't wall-kick and they take a while to build up speed. Don't sit in the middle of an enemy shooting. Move at all times. The constant motion of the backgrounds, the few (but powerful) enemies, and the fluid, acrobatic motions of your character build up into a action-packed dance with danger that deserves much more attention than it gets.

Gohst
Gohst
Trusted

In this particularly violent game you’re a bounty hunter sent to a distant planet to rid it of aliens after a meteor attack. Once it’s clean, the humans can move back in. In this game it’s quite an interesting choice that the game is all red. No reason is given, though it adds a strange atmosphere to the game. The graphics are nice, from the person and the monsters, everything is quite nice. The game play is fun. It’s like Abuse except more linear and without the moving legs part (the person in this game just scoots along the ground). It’s like Abuse in the way you move with the arrow keys and aim with the mouse. This is cool, as it is a trait rarely seen in games. The music and sound are pretty much perfect so there is not much to say about them. They just coast along nicely with the action of the game. So in summary if you’re looking for a bit of blast things while they bleed mayhem action then this is the game for you. However if you like something a bit on the relaxed side, then you might be better off with another game.

EXpl0si0nZ
EXpl0si0nZ
Trusted

This game, like quite every Shawn Noel game, is a very good one. Infection and has however a major flaw: it's way too difficult. You have to be a very good gamer to be able to master the game. The controls don't react well either. This is one of Shawn Noel's lesser good games and I still suggest you to try out Jetz Rampage 4 and Street Bike Fury, some of his gaming masterpieces.

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