Get to the Orange Door Preview

What do you get if you combine the combat flow of an arena shooter with the fluid movement of Titanfall 2, all wrapped in a synthwave fever dream? You have Get to the Orange Door, of course, a new Early Access shooter from solo developer Andrew Smith.

Get to the Orange Door or GTTOD has a simple premise which is literally in the title, getting there, however, is the real joy. GTTOD places you in the boots of an unnamed all-action killer that’s not afraid to show its shooter influences. First and foremost with its movement system. Remember Titanfall? The game that revolutionised first-person movement with free running, wall-running, sliding and double-jumping? Well, here it is, replicated almost perfectly in GTTOD. So, anyone who has played or still does play Titanfall 2 will instantly feel at home, even down to the sweet spot of slide hopping. It's an impressive feat coming from a single developer, especially considering other AAA studio attempts *cough* Call of Duty *cough* feel slow and flat in comparison.

GTTOD however, is far from slow and the only thing flat are the surfaces that you run across. As for GTTOD’s story, there is only the briefest of introductions, teaching you the controls and handing you a melee weapon. The action truly begins with you get your first weapon from a vending machine. From here it all kicks off and enemies begin their attack. Playing like an arena shooter, enemies are a glistening shade of orange and come in the form of humanoids, hovering drones and spider-like turrets.

You have a shield to protect from most incoming attacks, which will recharge, so it’s best to keep moving and go in a flurry of gunfire, melee strikes, parkour skills and slide-hopping moves to clear the area and unlock the orange door. There is no time limit, but as you play points are given after each kill with a combo multiplier stacking up to x64. If you keep the momentum going and rack up points you can spend them on equipment cases and weapon vending machines dotted through the arenas.

The weapons at your disposable come in multiple varieties from pistols to SMGs, assault rifles, shotguns and even rocket launchers. With over 20 weapons available, each with alternative fire modes as well as unlimited ammo, the only thing to worry about is reloading. As for equipment, you can support your killing spree by using different types of grenades, shuriken as well as support items including a medic bag, orange juice (giving a speed boost), dual-wielding and a time-freezing phone. All this and the ability to actively slow-down time makes for an exhilarating combat experience. But let’s not forget the soundtrack on top of it as well.

The music and visuals bring an aesthetic that sets it apart. It's retro, techno, neon, and synthwave all rolled into one and it greatly stands out as a result. This alone could be appealing to fans, whether it be from a cyberpunk future, a gritty drug-fueled 80s or an alternative neon-lit reality. The music compliments perfectly as you blaze through the arenas, keeping you pumped for the next smash through the orange door.

Aside from just the Quick Play mode, which throws you straight in allowing you to clear out zones and get to the orange door, there are many other modes to play as well. Overhaul which is basically the speedrunning mode, allows you to select a starter-build which varies from Pistols, Dual Revolvers, SMGs and even a Katana and you’re tasked to survive the gauntlet and reach the orange door.

Next is the Arena, which is different Quick Play, challenges you with surviving for as long as possible against waves and waves of enemies. There is no failure if you do die and you will restart with a Pistol again, but weapons can be earned again through the vending machine and picked up from enemies. This mode is great for practising movement and shooting, you can also use the environment for wall-running, grinding and boost jumping.

Lastly, there is a Level Editor for making your maps using in-game assets as well as a Custom Map option. The developer is still working on getting Steam Workshop implemented, but soon enough we’ll start to see a barrage of custom made maps from the community to keep the repetitiveness at bay.

Get to the Orange Door so far, even in its early development, is well worth the £11.39 asking price. Even in its early stages, it is a wonderful neon-glistened fever dream combined with the gunplay and gameplay of Titanfall 2. Alongside a fantastic soundtrack, you’ll be having too much fun to worry about the depth of any story aside from simply: get to the orange door. If there is any downside it would be the repetitiveness. Yes, while maps are random, they do get repeated and the gauntlet can be short lived with only one map, but if played in short bursts for some chaotic shooting and/or chilling with some synthwave beats, there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from Get to the Orange Door.