Firewalk Studios ' debut sci - fi shooter hit an incredibly rough landing with too small to set it apart in a extremely free-enterprise genre .
Stop me if you ’ve heard this one before . There ’s a new shooter on the market . You do n’t just play as faceless soldier , though . It ’s a competitive 5v5 torpedo gun with a diverse roster of singular role equipped with powerful power where teamwork is just as crucial as shootout . Launch is just the first step , too , since the universe will continue to get with new faces , new maps , and new monetization opportunity .
It ’s gentle to go after Firewalk Studios ’ unveiling FPS Concord for chasing a trend that was already treading water system a few age ago , but being a competitive hero shooter does n’t preclude a game from becoming a darling classic . Yes , salient failure command the news show cycle , but people tend to brush off the ongoing success of genre titans like Rainbow Six Siege , Valorant , or Overwatch .
There ’s clearly still gas pedal in the tankful for hero shooters , especially with anticipated titles like Marvel Rivals and Valve ’s Deadlock on the horizon . It ’s a music genre that demands institution to capture audiences ’ attention , though , and Concord ’s innovations are the source of both its successes and its failures .
It’s a failure because it’s mid
All of this is to say that Concord is not a unsuccessful person simply because it ’s a champion hired gun . It ’s a failure because it ’s mid . I usually do n’t like to utilise such reductive terms when trying to identify why a biz is n’t dawn , but after spending the last workweek dig Concord , I ’ve come to the stopping point that there ’s just no well style to describe the biz .
Concord does have a few affair go for it , though . The presentation is slick , some of the characters have splendid designs , and the weekly story vignettes are entertaining if a bit uneventful . The Earth is fascinating , and adopt a quick peek at the galaxy map and skimming through lore entries demo that the ontogenesis team really had some neat takes on sci - fi tropes . It ’s very cleared that there was a ton of thought process and care put into designing Concord , which is why it ’s such a shame that none of it really makes a lasting impression .
Hero shooters live and cash in one’s chips by their characters , and that ’s one of Concord ’s bang-up flaws . Outside of a few standouts ( e.g. It - Z , Kyps ) , everyone on the roll is unbelievably bland . It ’s strange that the developer decided to go with some of these color scheme — like Roka ’s beige bodysuit or Emari ’s hideous green armor — when they search so much upright with a dissimilar peel equipped . Seriously , so many of Concord ’s character design publication are solved simply by unlocking unlike color palettes . It ’s not enough to make unnecessary the roster from mediocrity , however , and even the game ’s cover trio of Lennox , Haymar , and Star Child are aggressively dull .
Image: Firewalk Studios
The weekly sketch are intended to flesh out the roster of Freegunners , but the ones that we ’ve seen so far have done piddling to show off Concord ’s world or research the motivations of its characters . There are very interesting possible threads that could bulge out up later down the line — the mushroom fauna Lark still has “ open ” pronoun , which could make for a fun vignette — but the hatchway picture do very little to grab your tending .
The characters, modes, and Crew Builder
Each character reference at least feels sufficiently unique in - game , but Concord ’s moment - to - bit gameplay just is n’t exciting enough to warrant those 60 minutes - foresightful play sessions filled with laughter and clutch moments that other squad - based shooters generate effortlessly . meter to belt down is way too long , matches are right smart too short , and mathematical function are so forgettable that they just intermix together into a fuzz as you speed by them in Concord ’s rapid - fervour game modal value .
Nothing feels perfectly tune up because Concord tries to be everything at once . Firewalk Studios has incorporated a spectrum of game mode ranging from super casual to very hardcore ( a construct lovingly dubbed the “ Sweatstrum ” in Concord ’s tutorial ) . There are quick squad deathmatch mode , slightly more squad - oriented mastery modes , and a no - respawn objective - based modality called Rivalry . In trying to contrive around all of these experiences , none of them receive the final bit of refinement that they desperately need .
Take Concord ’s key mechanic , for example . The Crew Builder is what sets Concord asunder from other team - based hero shooters . You only have a limited identification number of space in your Concord Crew ( the roster of character that you may choose from during a match ) , and you may place the same character in multiple slot so you may opt them in multiple rounds in lockout modes like Rivalry . By playing a case from a sure role , you ’ll get a lasting buff apply to all your lineament for the difference of the match . Picking a Ranger like Teo will award you improved weapon recoil on all grapheme , while choosing a Tactician like Kyps will permanently supercharge your reload speed .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
In a modality like Rivalry , these limitation add a thick layer of scheme to team building . If you ’re a diehard Lennox briny , you could have him take up three Crew slots , but you wo n’t be able-bodied to roll up as many buff by recreate other roles . It ’s not like you always need them all , though . You may not ask the reload speed buff or the faster dodge cooldown buff based on your playstyle , for example . This idea process is incredibly rewarding in hard-core modes , but in a effortless modal value like TDM , swapping to accumulate fillip feels like a chore .
Concord is aggressively okay
Regardless of which mode you play , however , you wo n’t be earning anything exciting . Concord ’s advance system are distressingly wearisome . pull down up each reference get you cutis and trinkets to customize them with , but they ’re basically all colour swaps barring a few exception . The good stuff will undoubtedly be in the plot ’s battle passes and John Cash shop , neither of which are presently live . I ’m trusted it ’ll be the same standard pricing that we ’ve total to expect from these type of game , but it sucks that there ’s just not a whole good deal to earn by play the secret plan properly now .
I really , really need to like Concord . There ’s nothing to hate about it , but there ’s also really nothing to hump . Concord is n’t a great game , and that ’s not because of pronouns or the woke mind virus or whatever those weirdos on societal media are complaining about . Concord is just sharply okay , and when you geminate that with a $ 40 Mary Leontyne Price tag , that ’s simply not enough to go in today ’s gambling landscape painting .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Image: Firewalk Studios
