A soldier comes to in a world that has already collapsed, surrounded by creatures twisted by mutation, with no better idea than to blast through whatever stands between him and the truth. That is Deadshot in a nutshell, and at the moment Steam is giving it away.
Valve runs promotions like this on a regular basis, and the latest one puts the spotlight on a retro-flavored first-person shooter from a studio called v0lt. Released roughly two years ago, the game usually costs €5.19, but it can be claimed at no charge until September 23 at 8:00 PM Greek time.
The part that matters: add it to your library and it remains there permanently. There is no trial period and no subscription strings attached. Claim it once and it belongs to you for good.
What’s inside
Deadshot makes no secret of where it draws its inspiration. The pixel-art visuals are a deliberate nod to the golden era of retro gaming, and v0lt bills it as a first-person shooter shaped by Half-Life, DOOM and Quake. Anyone who spent their formative years circle-strafing down brown corridors with a shotgun in hand will recognise the taste immediately.
Here is how the studio itself frames the premise: “You wake up as an army soldier in the middle of an apocalypse filled with mutated monsters, trying to figure out what on earth happened while mowing down everything in your path.”
A mystery to unravel, mutants to put down, and plenty of ammunition connecting the two. Deadshot isn’t out to reinvent the genre, and for a free shooter built around a Quake-shaped core, that restraint counts as a strength.
Time is ticking
The offer expires on September 23 at 8:00 PM (Greek time), at which point Deadshot returns to its usual €5.19 price tag. That’s not a big outlay, but free is free, and claiming the game takes roughly as long as it takes to read this sentence.
Launch Steam, search for Deadshot, click add to library. That’s all there is to it. Even if this week isn’t the right moment to play, the game will be sitting there waiting the next time you crave something loud, quick and proudly old-school.
Somewhere, a mutated monster is standing in a corridor, blissfully unaware that you’re about to pick up the game without spending a cent.