Concord review – a hero shooter that nails the shooting, but fumbles the heroes

Concord’s snappy fight and vibrant character skills make it a completely playable shooter. But muddled hero designs and unimaginative maps and modes go away it struggling to face out.

I’ve at all times thought there was one thing presumptuous about hero shooters. Constructing a whole recreation round a bunch of characters I am anticipated to love purely on vibes is a massive ask. Even BioWare, with its a long time-lengthy legacy of character-pushed storytelling, just lately bought dinged for assuming gamers would instantly purchase into Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s new social gathering in the recreation’s misguided preliminary trailer.

Concord review

• Developer: Firewalk Studios
• Writer: Sony Interactive Leisure
• Platform: Performed on PC
• Availability: Out now on PC (Steam, Epic), PS5

Certain, Blizzard bought away with it again in 2016. But placing apart the truth Blizzard will get away with a lot of issues it most likely should not, the developer had two massive benefits with Overwatch. First, the hero shooter was a new and glossy idea following a decade of taking part in with toy weapons as faceless navy males (with the exception of Staff Fortress 2, though that’s a barely completely different kettle of fish). Second, Overwatch was a masterclass in mascot manufacture.

Sadly, neither of these items are the case with Concord. Firewalk Studios’ hero shooter arrives a number of years after the bandwagon departed, boasting a roster of characters that, whereas not totally with out their charms, actually would not be Nick Fury’s first selection when assembling the Avengers. Which is a disgrace, as a result of there’s a first rate multiplayer shooter right here, one that’s lithe and snappy and extremely rewarding of teamwork. But that does not change the truth that it misses its personal transient, leaving it struggling to face out elsewhere.

Concord is a assortment of largely acquainted 5v5 multiplayer shooter modes, wrapped in a vibrant retro sci-fi universe that, at the time of writing, largely exists in a massive black lore gap. Your heroes are collectively generally known as ‘freegunners’, a unfastened consortium of mercenary groups that flit round the galaxy doing jobs that type imprecise premises on your multiplayer shenanigans. An easy Staff Deathmatch, for instance, is framed as a rival staff issuing a problem to yours, with the match launched by way of a lavish cutscene of a spacecraft dropping your staff off.

Here is a gameplay trailer for Concord.Watch on YouTube

In its broad strokes, Concord is a totally ample multiplayer shooter. Its fight is poised between the extremely accessible gunplay of Overwatch, and one thing snappier and extra demanding like Valorant. Motion velocity and agility varies between characters, but most of them are pretty swift on their toes, geared up with some quantity of aerial acrobatics and able to performing nippy dodges for which the digital camera briefly zooms out to 3rd individual. Likewise, whereas weapons differ in how simple and instantly satisfying they’re to wield, I do not assume there’s a firearm I might say was an outright dud.

What’s purported to set Concord aside, in fact, is its vibrant roster of characters to play as. But from the second the character choose display opens in your first match, one thing feels off. It is arduous to place a finger on exactly what’s flawed, but usually, the heroes appear to be visually both below or overdesigned. They vary from faintly extra vibrant variations of troopers and snipers, to a man that appears like a cactus in the early levels of norovirus. A couple of of the design selections are outright baffling, resembling the stupidly tiny sun shades worn by the murderer character Bazz.

Frankly although, I believe the drawback with Concord’s characters could be extra acutely recognized by means of their names. Overwatch is a helpful reference level right here. Overwatch’s heroes are known as issues like Tracer, Mercy, Bastion, Widowmaker, daring, declarative names that give a sense of who that hero is, and really feel good to say. Even Overwatch’s much less determinist names are rigorously chosen. Winston, for instance, is a horrible identify for a hero. Until that hero occurs to be a 300lb gorilla, wherein case it is excellent.

Emari is a cross between TF2’s Heavy and Overwatch’s Bastion, emphasising tanking and defence. Of the characters on this display, Roka (proper, picture 2) is the just one I might return to the artwork staff with out notes. The deployment cutscene is kind of neat. Certainly, it is a disgrace Concord’s universe is not extra current in the recreation itself. Lark would possibly appear to be one thing that fell out of a large’s nostril, but his skills are fairly good. | Picture credit score: Sony / Eurogamer

Now examine these to Concord’s names. Teo, Roka, Haymar, Jabali, Daveers. The one factor these inform you is that you’ve got gone too far down the listing of child names that you and your future coparent simply googled (Jabali is kind of a good identify, in equity. But in relation to heroes, it isn’t precisely Spider-Man). An excellent check for whether or not a identify is match for a playable hero is to say out loud “Oh boy, I can’t wait to play as [INSERT NAME HERE]”. I did this for all of Concord’s heroes, and one that made me wince the most was for previous cactus boy, whose identify is Lennox. I can’t think about ever saying “Oh boy, I can’t wait to play as Lennox” except I am taking part in a PS1-period boxing simulator.

Not all the names are fairly so horrible. There are a couple of half-first rate ones like “Duchess” and “Star Child”, in addition to “1-0FF” the large yellow pedal bin you’ve got most likely seen in trailers. But most of them are simply imprecise and distinctly unheroic. Nominative determinism is likely to be poor writing apply in a literary novel or an RPG. However it has its place when it is just about all you realize about the character other than how they give the impression of being. Considered one of Concord’s heroes is just known as ‘Daw’. That is not a identify, Firewalk! That is a noise.

Between their limp names and peculiar appears, Concord’s heroes simply come off as a bit lame. That is deeply unlucky, as a result of a few of them are fairly darned enjoyable to play. Roka, for instance, shortly turned my first selection. That is partly as a result of I am a sucker for a rocket launcher, but Roka can be one in all the most thematically constant characters in the recreation, each visually and mechanically. Her two lively skills let her hover in the air utilizing a rocket-powered jetpack, and primarily flip herself into a rocket by driving into the floor with a highly effective (but tough to drag off) punch. Pummelling enemy groups with rockets from above is immensely satisfying, particularly since floating in the air like this makes you extraordinarily weak to assault.

The maps are fairly sufficient in the second, but they do not stick in the reminiscence in any respect. Roka’s a excessive-danger character to play as, but immensely satisfying when she clicks. This map’s a actual bust (picture 3). | Picture credit score: Sony / Eurogamer

Roka is my favorite Concord character, but she’s is not the solely hero who feels distinctive and fascinating to play as. Daveers runs round firing poisonous sludge out of a grenade launcher, which she will then ignite utilizing a fireplace assault, so the play is to gunge out as a lot of the battlefield as doable after which attempt to catch individuals in the flames. Bazz, the lady with the horrible glasses, is a knife-wielding murderer who can monitor enemy gamers by means of partitions. IT-Z has a delightfully devious skill to create a clone of herself whereas teleporting to a different location. Considered one of the most fascinating characters is Lark. Wielding a weapon that splits the distinction between a shotgun and Halo’s needler, Lark can cowl the map in bizarre crops that enhance motion and armour on your staff, whereas slowing and weakening enemies.

From a mechanical perspective no less than, these characters really feel like they have been thought of a lot. And the truth you possibly can solely deliver 5 into a match permits for loads of tactical selection. A staff that crowds round the minigun-wielding tank that is Emari performs very in a different way to 1 comprised totally of smaller, nimbler characters. There’s additionally a lot of scope for shaking up a combat by altering characters mid-match. It even encourages this, with you obtained greater-high quality buffs for every character you turn between throughout a spherical, making you ask whether or not it is value taking part in as your favorite character now, or wait till later in a match when you possibly can actually get the most out of them.

But not each hero is kind of so properly thought out. Jabali wields a WW1-fashion machinegun and throws magical orbs, which simply seems like online game decide ‘n’ combine. Lennox has a comparable drawback, he wields two pistols (although not at the similar time), can self-heal and…throw an exploding knife? None of it actually matches. My least favorite character is Teo, a bathroom-customary soldier who wields an assault rifle and throws grenades. He seems like the product of a memo from company that learn “Must add Call of Duty character.” I actually hate it when video games like this pander to the CoD crowd. Take their blasted M4A1 away and make them bloody be taught.

Bazz is a nice instance of what Concord will get proper and flawed. Mechanically elegant, aesthetically disastrous. | Picture credit score: Sony / Eurogamer

Of the 16 accessible heroes, 10-12 of them are mechanically fascinating to play as. Roughly half of these are interesting characters. I do not assume any of them would make it into an Overwatch roster as they stand (possibly Roka and Haymar if they’d higher names). It might appear unfair to fixate on these extra aesthetic points. But they’re inconceivable to disregard as a result of they’re a elementary a part of Concord’s USP. Or no less than, the closest it will get to having one.

With out a banger choice of heroes out of the gate, there’s little else to set Concord aside. The accessible recreation modes are all completely entertaining, but none of them are particularly unique. The standouts are most likely Trophy Hunt, a variant of staff-deathmatch the place you should acquire the fallen freegunners’ card for a kill to attain you a level, and Sign Chase, a king-of-the-hill fashion mode the place you combat a collection of transferring management factors. The important thing gimmick right here is that the recreation tells you the place the subsequent management level will spawn whereas the present one is lively, forcing you to decide on whether or not to wrestle management of a level that could solely have a few seconds left, or sacrifice a few factors to attempt to the beat the different staff to the subsequent space.

Possibly I ought to name her (‘her’ being Titanfall 2). | Picture credit score: Sony / Eurogamer

The maps, too, are functionally positive, but thematically sterile contemplating how vibrant the recreation is. Robotic Ruins might be the most fascinating, with the map scattered with the wreckage of large automata. Salt Palace has nice vibes too, though I’m undecided salt is the most enjoyable theme to construct a map round, even whether it is purple. At the different finish of the scale, nevertheless, is a blocky sci-fi shanty city crammed with delivery crates. Out of all the pieces I noticed in Concord, that is the design resolution that irritated me the most. You may have the infinite canvas of the universe to color on, and also you construct a map round delivery crates?

Concord 2 accessibility choices

Subtitles on/off toggle. Digital camera shake on/off. Excessive distinction textual content on/off. Adjustable HUD colors. Voice chat speech to textual content. Separate audio sliders. Weapon bob energy changes, auto transfer toggle, recentre digital camera possibility. Adaptive set off resistance (DualSense solely), spoken dialogue to controller vibration possibility (DualSense solely). Suggestions choices for weapons and talents, pickups, work together prompts, UI navigation, and many others. HUD scaling.

It is issues like this that make me really feel a bit sick after I hear that Concord took eight years to make, as a result of no matter its qualities (and there may be some high quality right here) there is no manner on Earth or some other planet that it was value that. I believe, subsequently, we’re but to see Concord at its finest. The sport’s ongoing story will apparently be delivered by means of weekly cutscenes, which can lend some spark to the characters that their preliminary impression lacks. There’s additionally potential in the wider universe Firewalk has established. There’s a wit and appeal in its Galactic Information, which offers an outline of Concord’s retrofuturist cosmos, that I want was extra evident throughout play. There are additionally hints at the fringes of its animated map of fascinating occasions to come back.

The query now, given Concord’s allegedly poor uptake amongst gamers, is whether or not we’ll get to see that. I for one hope we do. Concord could also be a flawed recreation, but it’s removed from a hopeless one. And whereas the recreation at present misses the transient on the ‘hero’ a part of its style, it’s value remembering that heroes are finally outlined by their actions, fairly than their costumes.

A duplicate of Concord was supplied for review by Sony.