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WARP
review | XBOX 360
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Publisher: EA.
Developer: Trapdoor. Released: February 2012. Genre: Action-Puzzler. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 18th September 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
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Much like how its fluorescent orange protagonist stands out amongst masked military scientists and soldiers, Warp proved an anomaly for Electronic Arts in 2012. Collaborating with Trapdoor, who would sadly survive only long enough to publish Fez after Warp before shuttering, this boiling pot of genres melds familiar elements together into a unique experience. Mixing stealth, action and puzzle-solving, Warp proves a distinctive offering, especially for the time, and its presentation is tremendous considering the game’s indie roots. It suffers a few frustrations that may turn off impatient players, but those willing to stick with it should still find it a decent time.
Warp follows Zero, a mysterious alien who is subjected to cruel experiments by scientists at an underwater military facility. After regaining his power to teleport, Zero must escape the facility by working with a fellow extra-terrestrial, while avoiding soldiers trying to put him down. In particular, a ruthless commander seems intent on destroying this creature, even at the cost of the base. Quiet storytelling does the job, though it perhaps feels a little too understated at points. Some plot threads never feel fully realised, though a trio of different endings dependent on your kill count feel quite poetic, at least. A mute alien, Zero proves a likeable lead, with clear expressions and vibrant animations helping him emote despite an absence of speech.
Warp's behaviour has a bearing on his fate: will you choose pacifism, or violence?
Trapdoor’s first effort sees you navigating several floors of a facility in an attempt to escape. The top-down perspective recalls the likes of Metal Gear Solid, which works well for stealth, even if the camera is positioned a bit too close. Zero’s main function is the titular warp, which allows you to both travel through walls and teleport into most objects. Barrels, turrets and even humans can all be jumped into, with the latter creating an opening for you to reduce them to viscera in a gruesome display. As you progress, Zero gains more powers which let you perform further functions while warping, including swapping places with objects and shooting them away. Controlling Zero and his power works mostly well, though the little marker that indicates where you end up can feel a touch inaccurate and sometimes sees the alien falling into hazards, despite the indicator claiming otherwise.
It's a hodgepodge of familiar elements, but they come together in a satisfying way. There’s decent flexibility in how you can approach danger, with scientists able to ring an alarm after detection. You could opt to kamikaze everyone, utilise the warp’s stun to sneak past or something in between with no real penalty for experimenting. The AI can be a bit uneven, sometimes not seeing you right in front of them, or somehow detecting you around a corner, but it never proves too much of an issue. The map feels intricate and well-plotted, with some fantastic placement of collectables requiring decent skill to acquire. Luckily, finding Grubs allows you to buy worthwhile upgrades for Zero. Puzzles feel intuitive and well designed, capitalising on Zero’s skillset to produce clever brainteasers. There’s a fair bit of backtracking too, but with new powers opening up paths that were previously closed, it never feels tedious.
It's a hodgepodge of familiar elements, but they come together in a satisfying way. There’s decent flexibility in how you can approach danger, with scientists able to ring an alarm after detection. You could opt to kamikaze everyone, utilise the warp’s stun to sneak past or something in between with no real penalty for experimenting. The AI can be a bit uneven, sometimes not seeing you right in front of them, or somehow detecting you around a corner, but it never proves too much of an issue. The map feels intricate and well-plotted, with some fantastic placement of collectables requiring decent skill to acquire. Luckily, finding Grubs allows you to buy worthwhile upgrades for Zero. Puzzles feel intuitive and well designed, capitalising on Zero’s skillset to produce clever brainteasers. There’s a fair bit of backtracking too, but with new powers opening up paths that were previously closed, it never feels tedious.
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The problems come with a focus on trial-and-error gameplay. Zero dies instantly upon contact with any hazard, be it lasers, or bullets from soldiers, and you’ll end up perishing a lot. Some puzzles require significant experimentation to overcome, but dying instantly from a slight miscalculation can be frustrating. This wouldn’t be so bad if you were reset instantly, but every death comes with a loading screen, which grows wearisome long before the end. Warp’s low point is its boss encounters, though thankfully, you’ll only face three. These feel like the culmination of the aformentioned issues, with frustrating attack patterns and cheap AI causing the player to die repeatedly. The last boss, in particular, is an absolute nightmare.
Warp belies its indie development with an excellent presentation courtesy of Unreal Engine 3. The military base is beautifully crafted, with creepy lighting darkening some areas and little touches like swimming wildlife bringing the world to life. Characters aren’t the greatest looking, but their quirky animations such as shaking scientists when they detect Zero add charm to this one. The cartoony style definitely clashes with the gory violence, but it makes for a unique aesthetic. The sound works very well too, most notably the gruesome explosions of flesh when you detonate humans or the satisfying whoosh of warping. Voicework is good, even if lines often repeat, and the music does a good job of creating unease and tension.
Warp belies its indie development with an excellent presentation courtesy of Unreal Engine 3. The military base is beautifully crafted, with creepy lighting darkening some areas and little touches like swimming wildlife bringing the world to life. Characters aren’t the greatest looking, but their quirky animations such as shaking scientists when they detect Zero add charm to this one. The cartoony style definitely clashes with the gory violence, but it makes for a unique aesthetic. The sound works very well too, most notably the gruesome explosions of flesh when you detonate humans or the satisfying whoosh of warping. Voicework is good, even if lines often repeat, and the music does a good job of creating unease and tension.
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For its £6.75 price tag, Warp offers decent value. You can likely finish it in around six hours, depending on how much you opt to explore the facility for those collectables. It’s worth playing through again to shake up your approach, be it taking a more deadly path, or non-lethal. Also, you’ll find Challenge Rooms become replayable once you finish the campaign. Testing Zero’s skills, whether it’s movement or killing, proves clever and capitalises on the game’s strengths very well.
Warp is an inconsistent experience, but one with enough distinctive qualities to warrant a look. The gameplay, while mashing together ideas from several other titles, forms something unique and mostly enjoyable, especially for those with an urge for violent destruction. The puzzles, stealth and action suffer at times, and the trial-and-error design is quite grating with the addition of frequent loading times. However, those with the patience and a desire to try something different will likely find this one worth a purchase, especially at its lower price point.
Warp is an inconsistent experience, but one with enough distinctive qualities to warrant a look. The gameplay, while mashing together ideas from several other titles, forms something unique and mostly enjoyable, especially for those with an urge for violent destruction. The puzzles, stealth and action suffer at times, and the trial-and-error design is quite grating with the addition of frequent loading times. However, those with the patience and a desire to try something different will likely find this one worth a purchase, especially at its lower price point.
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VERDICT"Warp is an inconsistent experience, but one with enough distinctive qualities and destructive violence to please those with patience." OVERALL: 6/10 |
OTHER INDIE GAMES WITH STEALTH & PUZZLING REVIEWED
Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark (2013, PlayStation Vita)
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My Memory of Us (2018, PlayStation 4)
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