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Oct. 31, 2024, 1:52 a.m.  

You ever wonder what a guard in the City feels like when Garrett suddenly appears out of the shadows and erases their childhood memories via CTE with one swing of the blackjack? Equilibrium makes it so you don't have to wonder anymore. Turns out the answer is that it's goddamn terrifying.

Garrett wanders into an abandoned Keeper compound in search of some treasure, but it ends up being a trap set up by five Keepers who figured that the best way to save the world forever would be to just kill him and be done with it. These Keepers have gone through the same training as you, so they too can slip into the shadows and become almost completely invisible. They even run to cross lit areas as fast as possible. They also seem to have a tendency to hold the static parts of their patrol for an unnatural amount of time, which leads to meandering face-first into one of them in the dark, which did not fail to make me jump every time it happened. It's super neat to be up against what amounts to clones of yourself.

The premise and the writing are very solid. The only real objective besides getting the hell out is to pickpocket their pendants to show them who's boss. They're under the belief that they have an advantage in numbers, which makes it funnier when you find notes from their superiors basically saying "You have no idea how wrong you are and if you happen to survive this stupid plan, it'll only be because Garrett didn't feel like killing you." It's simple, short and sweet, to the point. Chef's kiss, no notes.

The level design is also top notch. It's not a labyrinth, but it definitely feels much bigger than it actually is, much in the same way Bonehoard or Lost City does (without the first-playthrough-frustration that comes with those missions). There is an overarching puzzle through the missions, but it's not obtuse, and the solutions are randomly generated, so the mission feels different each time.

All in all, Equilibrium deserves its classic status and praise, especially for being a mission so early in the FM timeline.