• Table of Contents
  • Intro
  • Max Payne X John Wick
  • Cautious optimism

Intro

Third person shooters have had a rough time lately as there weren’t any releases that could compare to hallmarks of the genre such as Max Payne or parts of the Ghost Recon series. Helldivers 2 broke the unfortunate streak and the next promising title is already on the horizon. Project Deniz is still in the early stages of development but the brief gameplay showcases so far have been nothing short of captivating.

Max Payne X John Wick

In the gameplay clips that aired across Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, Project Deniz closely resembled the Max Payne gameplay loop with significant influence from the action seen in John Wick movies. The player’s character is seamlessly moving between different stances in order to utilize cover as much as possible while still shooting continuously.

There are currently no John Woo-style stunts to accompany the shooting fest but a dodging system is on the to-do list for the developers, which should bring the game even closer to Max Payne DNA while parkour already exists in the prototype.

Meanwhile, takedowns as well as melee and throwable combat are also in the works, which should add a proper dose of the John Wick spice.

Cautious optimism

Project Deniz devs are a small anonymous group which is a hitch when it comes to believing that the game will materialize and while the aforementioned vertical slices look impressive so far, so did the reveal trailer for The Day Before and it eventually ended up being the biggest clown show of 2023. It is because of these things that early game development will see a lot of cynicism in the near future and while it’s too early to guess the exact fate of Project Deniz, there are a few indicators we might see an actual game instead of an investor scam.

So with caution sorted out, let’s check the parts that warrant optimism.

First, there is the roadmap the devs posted and you can follow whether these bits are getting implemented over time. Glancing over it reveals that Project Deniz has all the necessary things to become a highly entertaining singleplayer game.

Additionally, the Discord server has an FAQ that confirms there will be tests before the full release.

Will there be an alpha/beta?
Absolutely! We value our community’s feedback and involvement. We have exciting plans for alpha and beta testing, giving you a chance to be among the first to experience the game. Get ready for exclusive sneak peeks and an opportunity to help shape the game! ~ Project Deniz FAQ on Discord

There is no better way to judge whether you want to commit your money than giving the game a shot yourself. That said, there are currently no definitive dates for tests or release as the game is still in early development.