A few days before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, another FPS is quietly establishing itself as the phenomenon of the moment. Its name: Active Matter. And good news, a free demo is available now on Steam.
Developed by the independent studio Matter Team, Active Matter is a science fiction multiplayer FPS with a unique concept. Offered as a free download in the form of a playable demo until November 23, it is attracting more and more players with its original universe, mixing time loop, cooperative raids and PvP clashes in unstable quantum zones.
Nervous gameplay between loot, survival and temporal anomalies
Active Matter places the player in a fractured world where physics no longer meets the usual rules. The synopsis is simple, but catchy: “You are an agent stuck in a time loop, always brought back from the dead to the same point.” Armed with a customizable arsenal, the player must explore unstable areas, harvest a precious resource called active material, fight enemies from other timelines… and above all escape before everything disappears.
“Collect the active material, amass the loot, and extract to safety before the entire area disappears, taking everything inside with it.”
A free but limited demo until November 23
Available now on Steam, this demo offers a gaming experience of approximately 90 minutes with progression limited to level 3 of the Monolith. The most advanced modes like isolated raids and Nexus PvP are not accessible, but the core of the gameplay is there.
The player’s main base, meanwhile, can be explored freely without time limit. And good news: the progress made during the demo will be preserved for the full game to come.
The reception on Steam is rather positive, with encouraging feedback on the atmosphere, the original mechanics and the artistic direction. Enough to give a serious competitor to behemoths like Warzone or Battlefield, while waiting for the release of Black Ops 7 scheduled for November 13.
An unexpected competitor to watch closely
While military FPS are standardizing around the same codes, Active Matter succeeds in injecting a welcome dose of science fiction into a saturated genre. Its nervous gameplay loop, its dystopian universe and its high risk/reward mechanics give it a particular charm.
For an independent project, it already shows great technical and artistic mastery, and its PvPvE formula could appeal to fans of tactical loot as well as fans of fast-paced competitive games.
The demo is free, downloads quickly, and is the ideal length to form an opinion. In short, an excellent way to wait until the next AAA releases… or maybe even to change sides.