Concord Review – A fun, frenetic hero shooter

thesixthaxis.com:

I’m really struggling with Concord – struggling to put it down, that is. Sony’s latest live service gamble is a fun, frenetic hero shooter touting beautifully polished gunplay and a persistent story told through weekly character-focused cinematics.

To say the odds are stacked against Concord would be an understatement. Not only is this a new IP and a new developer (Firewalk Studios), it’s going up against some gnarly juggernauts while also daring to eschew the zero-cost entry of its free-to-play rivals. After years spent throwing money at loot boxes and time-hungry battle passes, paying a one-time fee feels weirdly refreshing in the knowledge that every piece of playable content will be instantly unlocked when it becomes available without needing to grind out challenges against the clock or scrabble for in-game currency.

At launch, Concord features a total of 6 modes, 12 maps, and 16 Freegunners. Each of the game’s space-faring mercenaries has their own unique kit, slotting nicely into one of several loose archetypes. For example, 1-OFF – the Concord crew’s cleaning-obsessed robot – can use his primary weapon and deployable gadget to suck up enemy projectiles, charging his high-damage trash grenades in the process.Meanwhile, Vale’s loadout is a little more straightforward, packing a punchy sniper rifle, trip mines, and a high vertical leap that can give her the drop on unsuspecting enemies below.

There are a number of interesting deviations away from the established hero shooter formula, such as the omission of “ultimate” abilities. Considered a subgenre staple, their removal encourages players to focus on the core kit of each hero and how they synergise with squadmates, instead of trying to line up a table-turning set piece with a single, well-timed button press.

This also benefits the quicker tempo of Concord’s game modes, which are more akin to those of a Call of Duty game rather than Overwatch. Takedown is your bog standard team deathmatch with Trophy Hunt copying