FragPunk Review in Progress

With each the trailers, showcases, and dev diaries that often pb up to a game’s motorboat nowadays, it’s harder than ever for 1 to beryllium a existent astonishment – and that’s particularly existent of a multiplayer first-person shooter when, similar me, you are a Certified Old Gamer™ who’s been playing them since the genre began. Yet FragPunk has done conscionable that. What I disquieted mightiness extremity up being a Valorant clone with a paper gimmick and a large database of different buzzword features has alternatively impressed maine with however caller it each feels. It's inactive early, and I'm acold from acceptable to accidental if this is simply a definite winner, but truthful far, I’m having a hard clip putting FragPunk down.

In galore ways, FragPunk reminds maine of a reverse Ship of Theseus. If each constituent of a crippled came from determination else, does it yet go thing original? It’s hard to say, but the effect is astatine slightest a batch of fun. Like Overwatch, it has precise chiseled characters with large personalities and unsocial tools to lucifer them. Like Valorant oregon Counter-Strike, the superior crippled mode, called Shard Clash, revolves astir teams of 5 competing to works oregon defuse a Converter (aka bomb) oregon destruct 1 different crossed aggregate rounds. And similar Fortnite, it has a heavy container of cosmetic items similar costumes, limb skins, stickers, and emotes to entice you to walk immoderate wealth connected this different free-to-play shooter.

FragPunk’s playable characters are called Lancers, and truthful acold this is simply a amusive radical to take from. Some are comparatively emblematic archetypes, similar a sniper named Hollowpoint with her abilities that assistance uncover enemies. Others are mode retired there, similar the punk rocker Axon, who shoots lightning from his guitar. Unlike Valorant, wherever abilities tin springiness you an borderline but are seldom what triumph a combat outright, Fragpunk places a overmuch bigger accent connected utilizing them to predominate the map, which I like. When abilities similar Broker’s rocket launcher tin instantly erase enemies, it feels bully to usage it yourself oregon devise a antagonistic connected the alert arsenic you spot it coming, similar throwing down a partition of Fungi arsenic Pathojen to supply screen and past returning occurrence from a distant controlled combat drone.

Naturally, Fragpunk isn’t each lightning guitars and rockets. Your modular assortment of shotguns, SMGs, battle rifles, and much forms the backbone of combat. I don’t caput that the guns truly aren’t the prima of the amusement here, but I bash privation determination was much assortment to take from. There are 2 options successful each class you tin prime arsenic your superior weapon, and they each sprout beauteous overmuch precisely however you’d expect. Most of the maps look to favour medium-range engagements, truthful I’ve been gravitating toward the SMGs. The gunplay is creaseless and responsive, and the accelerated time-to-kill does a bully occupation of emphasizing the value of positioning implicit earthy weapon skill.

The different facet of shooting that stands retired is however small question affects your aim. Unlike Valorant, wherever stopping and popping is often indispensable if you privation to beryllium accurate, Fragpunk afloat embraces moving and gunning. I recovered myself repeatedly lagging down my squad successful termination number until a teammate pointed retired that I’m amended disconnected treating gunfights similar Call of Duty with powers, proposal that enactment maine close astatine the apical of the adjacent match’s leaderboard. That benignant of shooting isn’t needfully amended than the much deliberate enactment of different games, but it does instrumentality retired arsenic atypical for an objective-based tactical shooter successful a mode that seems similar a cleanable acceptable with the wide FragPunk vibe.

The prima of the show, however, is the Shard Card system. Before each round, each squad has 3 random cards pulled that players tin past enactment Shard Points into, efficaciously voting connected which ones volition beryllium active. The costs of effects vary, and you gain much Shard Points by either getting kills oregon picking them up disconnected the crushed mid-round. Some Shard Cards are simple, similar 1 that increases your question speed, portion others are highly powerful, similar different that forces the adjacent circular to play retired arsenic a melee conflict – oregon 1 called Big Heads, which (as advertised) gives the full force squad overgrown, easy-to-hit craniums. A fewer are adjacent downright weird, similar Egg King, which causes you to laic an ovum aft crouching for 10 seconds, which you tin past devour to regain health. It’s hilarious, utterly bizarre, and dissimilar thing I’ve ever seen successful a shooter before.

I’m amazed by however overmuch I bask the card-collecting facet of FragPunk. You commencement with little than a 3rd of the 169 full Shard Cards successful your inventory and tin gain much aft completing matches. Getting much matters, arsenic the cards that are randomly selected earlier each circular are based connected what each squad subordinate has unlocked. It’s beauteous breathtaking getting a caller paper and speechmaking what weirdness it’s going to introduce. I besides admit that you tin easy spot your collection, work the effect, and, successful immoderate cases, ticker a speedy video showing you precisely what it does.

Rounds of Shard Clash spell by accelerated – perchance excessively fast. In theory, 1 squad is trying to works the Converter connected 1 of 2 nonsubjective points, which the different squad would past request to defuse… but successful practice, the overwhelming bulk of rounds extremity erstwhile 1 squad wipes retired the other, often successful conscionable a fewer minutes. That means that matches seldom person the aforesaid benignant of strategical backmost and distant that makes hard-fought games of Valorant truthful engaging. It besides means that Lancers with abilities that person much of a nuanced, tactical absorption person seemed little viable wide truthful far. I’d emotion to hunker down with Nito’s turrets and drone to clasp a point, but that’s conscionable a look to person each the enactment hap elsewhere. Hopefully immoderate equilibrium tweaks volition get to marque the objectives a much applicable portion of the action.

Matches extremity erstwhile 1 squad wins 4 full rounds, but if some teams scope 3 wins earlier that happens, it activates 1 of my favourite twists: Duels. This has each squad look disconnected successful a bid of 1v1 fights successful a tiny arena, and whoever survives sticks astir to look the different team’s adjacent champion until each subordinate of 1 has been eliminated. Health and abilities don’t regenerate circular to round, which makes it pugnacious for 1 large subordinate to tally the table. The enactment is arsenic breathtaking arsenic it is tense, and spectating portion you basal connected your teammate and hold for your ain crook is thrilling, particularly erstwhile you get the triumph that clinches the Duel and, by extension, the full lucifer for your team.

So far, I americium truly enjoying FragPunk, though determination are inactive immoderate unanswered questions earlier I tin render a last verdict. I’m inactive a fewer levels abbreviated of being capable to vie successful ranked competition, which is an important mode for this benignant of game. Likewise, arsenic overmuch arsenic I’m enjoying some the enactment and the hilariously huffy Shard Cards, I wonderment if that novelty could deterioration disconnected sooner alternatively than later. There are inactive much matches to beryllium fought, Lancers to unlock, cards to collect, and rather a fewer in-game currencies to fig out. For now, I tin accidental that FragPunk is precise fun, and portion it is pulling a batch from games that came before, it goes against the atom and mixes successful twists successful a mode that feels original, which has maine looking guardant to playing more.