New Ultrakill update surges to 71K players on Steam

Ultrakill, stylized ULTRAKILL, is currently the most-played single-player FPS game on Steam following its Layer 8: Fraud update, which adds four new levels to the game. Compared to previous "layers" (worlds containing four levels not counting secrets or "Encore" levels), Fraud has had by far the most pre-release hype. The reason for this ties to the super-complex level geometry and design that went into these stages. Since the game is about blasting your way through layer after layer of Hell, each new layer boasts a completely new aesthetic that also introduces new enemies, bosses, and mechanics. Fraud, the penultimate layer, has proven by far the most extreme, boasting levels with non-Euclidean designs, gravity gimmicks, mirror worlds, and more.

Prior to now, Ultrakill has kept a relatively niche following. While updates would on rare occasion surge player numbers as high as 28,076 players, Layer 8: Fraud has nearly tripled that peak by surging up to 71,785 players upon its release. The new levels are mind-boggling and punishing, even by the standards of a genre veteran, and reception is generally positive. There are some criticisms around performance, though, since despite the game's deceptive PlayStation 1-styled graphics, the looping designs and other new stage elements can result in thousands more particle effects and models being rendered at a time. For users on low-end or mid-range PC hardware, enabling performance options like Simple Explosions is highly recommended for your first playthrough of Layer 8: Fraud.

Even so, it's a great time to give Ultrakill a shot, should you be so inclined. The Early Access game is on sale across Humble Store and Steam at time of writing. Once done with the current roster of completed levels, there's lots of replay value to be had by unlocking "Prime Sanctum" extra levels by achieving P-Rank in every level, as well as secret levels that dabble in other genres entirely and, of course, secret weapons hidden about the game. There's also an endless survival mode called "The Cyber Grind", where players can test their limits in a customizable arena against wave after wave of increasingly more dangerous enemies.

For a game once dubbed "Devil May Quake" due to its strong Devil May Cry and Quake inspirations, Ultrakill is starting to make a name of its own among FPS games. If you've been itching for something new in the FPS space but are also sympathetic to frenetic, high-octane gunplay typical of "boomer shooters" like Quake or Doom, Ultrakill may be what you're looking for.