I think you’re onto something, evil taco, with the “parallel evolution” thing.
I’ve been wrestling with my thoughts about the level design and enemies and other mechanics, and I now think the way to look at it is this: it’s what a mid-90s FPS would look like if Wolf3D and Doom and all their clones never happened.
Future Shock feels like it evolved directly out of top-down and isometric shooters like Syndicate, Crusader No Remorse, Cannon Fodder, Alien Breed, with maybe even some cues from flight sims. And I don’t just mean in the vehicle sections. (Although it is interesting how much the HK section anticipated Descent…)
It just has a very different approach to progression and level design than other FPS games of the time.
