PC classic Descent getting an Unreal Engine remake

Those old enough to actually remember Interplay’s 1996 FPS spaceship shooter Descent will remember it fondly. Now a modder named Max is remaking the classic for the young and the nostalgic, using the Unreal Development Kit.

Descent made a name for itself by breaking the mould of space shooters at the time, having the player pilot through claustrophobic tunnels and mazes, as opposed to the generic space setting. It was extremely innovative at the time, including a movement system that used six axes, a refreshing contrast to the regular horizontal flip movements you were limited to by other genre titles at the time.

The remake isn’t just a straight-up copy with shinier graphics either – Max plans on including a lot of his own additions to the game. He’s going to stay true to the original story, but he’d like to diversify the gameplay and put more emphasis on the game’s horror themes – we may even get a couple of new weapons.

The work-in-progress, currently going under the name “Descent to UDK”, is still in the early stages, but you can check out the trailer of how it’s coming along.