About Descent
You know that rush you get when you barrel through winding tunnels, guns blazing, with no up or down to guide you? That’s Descent in a nutshell. It tosses you into this claustrophobic mine station deep in the asteroid belt, and suddenly every turn feels like a trap. The six degrees of freedom are its trademark—flying straight up one moment, flipping around upside down the next, and still trying to line up shots on those relentless mining robots. It’s a wild departure from the usual “run-and-gun” shooters, because here space is your battlefield and gravity is moot.
What really hooks you is the story whispering in the background: Dravis Industries’ AI has gone haywire, turning what was once a gold mine into a steel labyrinth crawling with killer bots. You’re a mercenary pilot, hired to infiltrate and shut everything down, but every new level brings bigger bad guys, deadlier weapons, and more corridors that all look the same. There’s something strangely addictive about memorizing each corridor, hunting for secret labs, and learning to dodge homing rockets in total darkness. When the alarms start blaring and you’re low on power, adrenaline kicks in like a shot of espresso.
And let’s not forget the multiplayer—back in the day you’d link up two PCs for split-screen carnage, or battle it out over dial-up (yes, dial-up). Whether you teamed up to tackle a co-op mission or went head-to-head in a dogfight, it felt like the ultimate test of spatial awareness and reflexes. You had to anticipate opponents flipping above you or dive-bombing from below. None of that “I see you, you see me” nonsense—you were all over the place, literally.
Even now, fans are still tinkering with the old code, making HD remasters and new levels. That speaks volumes about how Descent captured imaginations: it’s not just nostalgia. It’s that perfect blend of tight, claustrophobic design and the unshackled freedom to spin any way you please. If you ever want to experience a true pioneer of the 3D shooter, strap in, crank up the boosters, and prepare to get lost in the tunnels.