I Am Your Beast is a fast-paced, run-and-gun first-person shooter that feels like a mix of Hotline Miami in the world of Superhot played by John Wick with some Mirrors Edge free running thrown in. All of these combined bring an adrenaline-filled and addicting gameplay loop that would rival most current AAA FPS games.
I tend to tackle video games a little differently than most people. With my time being taken up by work, family, and kids’ after-school activities, I tend not to be able to commit 40+ hours to most games. With the short 2-4 hour story and almost infinite replayability, I Am Your Beast was the perfect game for me to dive into.
You take on the role of Alphonse Harding who’s contacted by General Burkins for one last mission. With Harding declining the offer, Burkin goes on a manhunt giving Harding the option of either comply or die. Byron Ford, one of General Burkins’ soldiers, comes to the aid of Harding with the goal of making it back home to his family. There are no traditional cutscenes to speak of, but instead, radio conversations between our characters that will keep you wanting to find out what happens next.
You’ll run, slide, jump, parkour, and shoot your enemies to make it to the end of each level. Weapons are single use with your next one coming from the enemy you’ve just eliminated. I Am Your Beast rewards your speed and skill with a ranking at the end of each completed level. Your scores are tracked but not kept on a global leaderboard so you’ll have only yourself to compete against to get the best times and rankings.
You are free to tackle each of the 20+ levels, with more coming post-launch, in any way you’d like. When completing each level, additional objectives are unlocked, giving you new and fun ways to handle your enemies.
This gives a tremendous amount of replayability. You’ll find yourself competing against your previous score, trying to shave off a few seconds for that “S rank”.
What helps pull the game together is the amazing voice acting that brings to life this unique cast of characters. Xalavier Nelson does a great job portraying Alphonse Harding’s sarcastic, calm yet stubborn demeanor.
Matt Curtis plays the rule-abiding, no-nonsense, General Burkins. The contrast between these two characters gives them depth and helps build the world around them. Byron Ford, voiced by Brandon Jenkins, has to be the breakout star for me. Byron pulls Harding out of his hardened exterior and appeals to his more human side rather than the killing machine the government has made him into. I found myself pulled into the world of I Am Your Beast thanks to their great performances.
There is so much that can be said about this indie gem of a game. With only 2-4 hours to run through the story, you’ll only be scratching the surface of what it has to offer. The combination of addicting gameplay, amazing performances, and the desire to want to do better than my last run, I Am Your Beast has kept me coming back over and over again.
I keep finding myself going back and playing a few levels on my Steam Deck just trying to beat an objective or get a better rank. If you want to scratch that itch most of these modern FPS games can’t seem to scratch, I Am Your Beast might be what you’re looking for.
Developer: Strange Scaffold
Platform: PC
Genre: Action
By Francisco Limas
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