Its a really, really interesting shooter that, at least for me, takes some time getting used to and understanding, so take at least 1-2 hours to try to "get it". Then again, I'm dense and old so maybe it'll click for you far sooner :D
First of all - it is _really_ fast, as in Doom Eternal and GTTOD feel like a slow waltz compared to this.
I am playing on the "for the FPS players" difficulty ("hard"), and it was common to repeat starting arenas for 5-6 times until I got through. AI enemies move really, really well, they lead their shots, and I have to admit that the difficulty is comparable -if not going over- Doom Eternal on Nightmare. The healthpool is similar as well - you start with 5 hearts, and in my 5 hours - I've gotten two more. On easy diff, being hit takes mostly one heart, but some enemies/guns take away 2, so you have very little room for error.
Needless to say, not moving normally means instant death.
The gameplay loop mainly consists of arena-style fights where you have to kill specific number of enemies, or traversing the world to find powerups and your next objectives. The world is completely destructible, whether with your melee weapon, explosive weapons or firearms that deal significant damage. There's something REALLY cool about taking a breath in a room, only to see walls disappearing because a gigantic robot is shooting at you with its explosive rounds.
The world is open, and you can go - it seems - everywhere, from the get go. There seems to be some metroidvania elements because after beating the first boss, I was given a new power that would let me access something I apparently couldn't access beforehand.
Traversal is insanely flexible. Your "vehicle" is a hoverboard (as you could see in the trailer) and a grappling hook. You can upgrade the jumps (so far I'm on triple jumping) and the fact that you can ride your hoverboard vertically, means that touching the ground is really optional.
There's a metric ton of perks, I am very slowly unlocking them (so far I got about 10), they're mainly adding extra abilities and modifying/helping your playstyle. There's also a crapton of weapons, and they're divided into categories - so you got your handguns, SMGs, assault rifles, snipers, etc. Each weapon has a mastery bar that you can fill up, that gives you access to upgrades and attachments (silencer, scope, etc) that you can enable/disable at will.
Finally - a small detail but a crucial, super interesting detail: PVP mode is a PERK, and it only works on YOU! When you enable it, your blip gets hidden on other player's radar, and those players can now deal damage to you. What I find cool is that you can practically create different game modes this way if you feel creative.
In the beginning, I must say that I had a lot of problems hitting the enemies - I simply didn't have enough time to place my aim properly (remember, you also have to lead it!) while at the same time moving like a madman to avoid getting shot at - but eventually you get more weapons and upgrades and things get much more tactical.
I played a ton of the team's first game (Severed Steel - also very worth checking out as its a different kind of shooter!), and Overwhelmingly Positive for Echo Point Nova is 100% deserved! I honestly can't wait to see what's more in it.
