The spiritual successor to old-school pick-up-and play Call of Duty Zombies has just been released, and is available for only $10. It's also free of any battle pass nonsense.

Hellbreach Vegas, the co-op shooter, has now reached its 1.0 version after a little more than a year in early access. The pick-up and-play FPS received a $5 increase in price over early access. However, a launch promotion will keep the price at $10 until August 28.

One problem I've had with getting addicted to live service multiplayer games that are incredibly expansive is that my friends, who are all normal people, have less space in their lives for this sort of thing than I do. I remember the worried tone of my friend's voice when he found me doing solo dungeons in my instance. He was just getting into Destiny 2. There's something to be said about games like Trackmania or Golf With Your Friends. Or even older FPSs that are easy to pick up and play.

Hellbreach has that quality, and Ashley Ellis, the creator of the game, told me about it when it was first announced: to capture the low skill ceiling, high ceiling and cramped coo-op magic from the first few versions of CoD Zombies. This is without live service elements, layers or launchers, nor any progression beyond simple cosmetic unlocks based on experience.

Hellbreach has a variety of modes that are very exciting. The micro-scale battle royale with a shrinking playing area is a fun twist on the idea, but my favourite is "Gun Pro," which is a play on Call of Duty's classic "gun game," modified from Counter-Strike. You must race against your friends in order to score kills. Working your way through a randomized weapon list, 15 kills earns you your next gun. It adds structure, a competitive element, and a quicker turn-around time to matches, which I really enjoy.

The 1.0 release introduces some new goodies. There's also a new flamethrower, a mode that's extra-difficult with no UI, a monochrome filter on the screen, and a hill dimension map.

Hellbreach Vegas is a great choice for those who, like me, need more multiplayer games to play that don't feel second-class. Hellbreach Vegas is now available on Steam.