The last decade has seen free-to-play (F2P) games slowly take over the industry. Games like Destiny y Overwatchwhich were released for a fee and were a huge success, are now free-to-play (F2P) games. However, this business model is very risky. As there have been success stories, there are games that have not been of interest to players. As a result, they have perished in a short time and now only a few videos of them remain on YouTube. Now, Sony Computer Entertainment with the game Concord dares to challenge this model with a paid game.
Developed by Firewalk Studios, Concord is a hero shooter that transports us to a galactic universe, full of extravagant characters and a story that unfolds week by week. In our review of Concordwe’ll expl ore the game’s strengths and weaknesses, looking at its gameplay, narrative, business model and long-term potential. Will this paid hero shooter manage to overcome the obstacles and find its place in a market that already seems to have reached a ceiling? Or will it become another example of an ambitious proposition that failed to win over gamers?
The story of Concord It is delivered in an unusual way
Firewalk Studios has opted to build a rich and constantly evolving universe to bring the story of Concordwhere the galactic and character backgrounds are gradually revealed to players. Each week, like a series, players will receive a new cinematic short, which delves deeper into the plot and the relationships between the characters. While the visual quality of these videos is undeniable, the narrative impact is questionable. They seem disconnected from each other and fail to convey the magnitude of the story, present the world in which the game is set, or properly introduce the characters.
The Galactic Guide is an extensive compendium of in-game lore, where players can explore different maps, read character biographies, and discover details about the planets and events of the «Concord«. As you progress through the game, new entries in the Galactic Guide are unlocked. However, its textual format and large amount of information without any attachment to the world or its characters may be overwhelming for some players.
Is it worth playing? Concord?
Beyond the price or the controversies over the inclusion of political or inclusive themes, it is worth knowing whether Concord deserves our time playing. So, the best way to answer that question is to describe its gameplay, modes, maps and gunplay. Because this is the true heart of Firewalk Studios’ game. Concord combines familiar elements from FPS titles such as Call of Duty o Destiny with the versatility of hero shooters. The game features 16 selectable characters — five fewer than Overwatch when it was released—called “FreeGunners,” who will be able to battle on a not inconsiderable 12 maps.
As for game modes, Concord The game separates them into three lists. In the first one we find the more traditional modes, such as “Annihilation” (team duel) and “Trophy Hunt” (similar to confirmed kill). COD
The current state of Concord avoid enjoying all kinds of characters
If we can say anything about Concord In this review, you can see that the blood of the greats of the genre runs through its veins. Firewalk Studio was founded by veterans of Activision like Tony Hsu and Bungie like Ryan Ellis. Thus, players can expect dynamic, fluid confrontations with excellent gunplay. However, a hero shooter Firewalk doesn’t just survive with a good pace. This is because a game of this genre needs a good map design – so that each character and role can shine – a balance in the skills and characteristics of each of the FreeGunners and clear rules for the competitive modes. Unfortunately, these are three of the major flaws of Firewalk’s title.
Each of the 16 FreeGunners of Concordhas unique abilities that offer a wide range of playstyles. From robust tanks to agile assassins and support characters, each FreeGunner has a specific role in the team. However, the design of the maps and the freedom to allow more than one character in the same role in a team means that some of the slower and heavier FreeGunners are at a clear disadvantage. This freedom to choose characters, regardless of role, works in this way so that the player can change characters during the matches. This is in order to activate the crew system and allow our FreeGunners to obtain bonuses. In this way, Concord levels the playing field. In this title, the player who is at a disadvantage is not rewarded, but rather the one who is skilled, in order to try to balance the game.
A bumpy start
Perhaps we are too optimistic in our review when we say that Concord has had a bumpy launch. However, we cannot forget that this is a project that —According to its developers— has been in development for eight years. In addition, Firewalk has already announced that the first season of the game will begin in October, which adds a new FreeGunner, more variations for some of the existing characters, a new map, rewards, a store to buy cosmetic items with real money and new cinematics. However, we cannot ignore that currently the peak player count of Concord on Steam have not exceeded 700 players. We hope that with the arrival of this season, they will adjust some of the critical points of Concord so that this game can attract the public.
Reviewed with a digital copy of Concord for Steam provided by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game is also available on PlayStation 5.
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