"The first-person shooter of old, reimagined using modern rendering techniques." That's how Prodeus developer Bounding Box Software describes its Kickstarter funded indie FPS and, boy oh boy, has this studio managed to absolutely nail what they've set out to achieve here.

We hadn't heard a great deal about this one, even though it's been available in early access on PC since late 2020 but, after a random download when it hit Game Pass a few days ago, we now feel the most urgent need to tell you all that you simply must play it. It's that good!

Yes, Prodeus really has given us quite the surprise, a game that instantly - the very moment that you load into it - looks and feels and sounds like something very, very special. This is the old-school FPS magic of the 1990s, of DOOM and Quake and all that gory jazz, mixed with fancy graphical magic; dynamic lighting, particle effects, an amazingly violent gore and dismemberment system and a dynamic soundtrack that all come together to create a visual and audio feast for the senses.

But, for as good as it looks - and check out the trailer above, take a look at our screenshots, it looks bloody amazing - it's the gameplay most importantly here that sells the experience. Instantly accessible old-school controls, brilliantly clever level design, tons of secrets to discover, a fantastic world map and guns...oh lordy the guns...that make for a shooter experience that's as cathartic as it is absolutely mesmerising.

There are tons of old-school, retro style homages to 90s FPS action, loads of great stuff to dig into if that's your thing, but Prodeus is perhaps the most arresting example we've played so far, or at least in a very long time. It's got some sort of weird voodoo magic going on, a perfectly pitched mix of fancy graphical wizardry, labyrinthian map designs and thumping, brutal, non-stop gameplay that nails its remit so hard that we simply cannot stop grinning like idiots.

We're still working our way through the main single player mission, but there's also multiplayer to try out as well as endless user created maps to get busy exploring. In short, there's a meaty old package to enjoy here...we could be playing this thing for months to come, it's our favourite shooter of the year so far and we hadn't even really heard of it until just a few days ago. If you've got Game Pass and like shooting aliens and space marines into bloody little chunks with huge guns whilst loud rock music shakes the plaster off your walls, well, you're in for quite a treat. Go forth and slay the Prodeus.

Will you be giving this one a go on Game Pass? You probably should!