FragPunk has been on my radar ever since I first saw the trailer a few months ago, and you best believe I rushed to open Steam the second I saw the closed beta invite in my email. I know I’ve only played it for a day, and I may just be on a bit of a high right now, but I can easily see this as having the potential to be the next big thing as far as casual shooters go.
EDIT: Depending on when you read this, release is either really close or already here. Here’s a bit of my gameplay from CBT to go alongside this review:
Adrenaline Rush From Start to Finish
Simply put, FragPunk blends elements of both tactical and arcade shooters to make something that just feels so familiar, yet entirely new. It adds a unique twist to the 5v5 hero shooter formula by introducing a randomly rotating set of cards that can alter various mechanics. To top it off, the gunplay feels very crisp and punchy, with every single weapon being useful to some degree.
The standard game mode, Shard Clash, is your typical “attack vs defense” experience where one team’s goal is to plant a bomb at one of multiple possible sites in the map (in this case, it’s called a converter). Unlike your typical tac shooter, each team gets to spend limited resources per round to activate Shard Cards that add all kinds of modifiers.
This is the main gimmick of the game, and it allows both sides to activate effects such as increased headshot damage, exploding bullets, various damage reduction bonuses, alterations to the current map, or even big head mode. It keeps the gameplay loop feeling fresh as it adds another layer of depth to every round, which forces players to adjust on the go.
Luckily, matches don’t drag on for too long as they are only a best of 7 (I haven’t tried ranked yet, but that’s slightly longer). On top of that, rounds will fly by due to the very short TTK and just generally fast-paced nature of the game.
It also helps that most of the abilities in each character’s kit heavily encourage aggressive plays. One of my favorites right now is Corona, who has a dash ability and a flash that needs you to be within line of sight of the enemy. As for the other characters in the game, there’s a whole plethora of area denial abilities and info-gathering tools that will flush people out of their little camping spots.
Stylized Goodness
Speaking of the characters, they all have very nice, distinctive designs, and the overall aesthetic of the game is so vibrant and colorful. It’s definitely a far cry from the bleak and/or muted visuals of its more popular counterparts, but it doesn’t overdo it to the point where it affects your ability to see.
Pictures won’t do it justice due to all the little particle effects that even the most basic of movements can have. Like, the simple animation of just reloading or planting the converter has a bit of flair added to it. Players explode like a mini firework on death instead of leaving behind a static body or simply ragdolling.
Honestly, I think the best way I can describe the game’s style is that it feels like I’m playing an FPS version of Across the Spider-Verse. Despite all the seemingly noisy effects, though, it’s still surprisingly very easy to tell what’s going on. Maybe it just clicked with me immediately because I’m used to Overwatch (I used to be a consistent Master rank, for context), but even with a bunch of abilities going off all at once, I never thought to myself “Huh, I have no idea what’s going on anymore”.
Varied Game Modes
Right now, the game already features an “Arcade” category that houses the good ol’ team deathmatch mode for those who just want some quick and simple action. It’s actually my favorite thing to do right now, as I love some mindless TDM in my shooter games.
I haven’t even tried the other game modes yet, but it’s great that we already have a bunch of less serious alternatives to Shard Clash available. As of writing this, “Duel Master” isn’t out in the closed beta test yet, but it looks like a 1v1 mode where the last person left alive in the lobby wins. I’m definitely looking forward to trying that one out when it’s released!
Those who are a bit anxious to face real people right off the bat (or at all, no judging here), there’s also a practice mode where you and a few other players team up against bots in Shard Clash. It’s a nice way to learn how your favorite characters’ abilities interact with others, though I personally prefer to just hop right into a standard match or TDM for that.
So How Does FragPunk Measure Up?
Overall, FragPunk already feels like a polished product even if it’s still in closed beta. It’s got solid gunplay, sick visuals, and quick matches. I just love everything about it, and it’s a shame that this playtest will only last for a little over a week.
While I do think the game is very enjoyable, some might say that it lacks the potential to break into the eSports market. I think that’s absolutely fine, though, since there’s room for a game like this to thrive despite not having a “pro” scene. It’d probably be a nightmare to balance the game for it anyway.
Personally, if Fragpunk can maintain a healthy playerbase long after its initial release (whenever that may be), I’ll probably be playing a lot of this just to unwind or cool off from other games. It’s the polar opposite of what Deadlock is trying to achieve right now too, so it’s not like there are a lot of other notable recent and upcoming titles that’ll outshine it.
10/18/2024 – An Indian gaming site that clearly scrapes smaller sites and Reddit just copied my blog post almost verbatim. Guess this is the norm for gaming content nowadays, huh? ChatGPT paraphrased slop.
