Receiver – Steam Curator

Most FPS’s make the act of using a gun very simple: point and shoot. They don’t implement the physical mechanics that would be required for a gun to work, because why would they? Their focus is positioning, timing and tactics against AI or human foes. Receiver flips this – the AI is very simple, and what you need to do is very simple, but using your weapon is complicated and that makes it special.

You will have to learn how to use the gun, and what steps are required to make it work. This will take time and experimentation. You will learn though and you will feel accomplished. You will no longer have to look at the help text for what actions are available to you. You will be able to tell if the gun is ready to use or not by inspecting it, not by UI elements. Once you have learned these things, you will walk calmly and confidently into rooms with robot enemies and soon you will hear a click, instead of a bang, and run away. It’s an amazing feeling, one you won’t find in many games, where you’re not skilled enough to reload your weapon under pressure. It evokes a feeling similar to Rock Band or Guitar Hero, in that you reach a point where you are no longer thinking about how to hit red, you just are. You will be physically exerting effort for each step of the complex process but you will not be mindful of your actions. You will be in flow.