A really cool proof of concept, and the basic gameplay loop is thoroughly enjoyable.
However, the difficulty and progression ultimately made me quit prematurely. The game is brutal, and honestly, that's alright. But the problem is, the progression system compounds to that difficulty unnecessarily. In this game, the progression is universal, meaning that skirmishes and campaigns share the progression. There are three types of progression, the squad level, the roster stars (currency) and doctrine points (skill tree). You obtain all of these from doing skirmishes, randomly generated maps and campaigns to level up your squad level. The problem is that too many features are locked behind these universal progressions--you don't have access to shotguns until squad level 12, you don't have access to assault rifles until you use the roster stars, and your squad doesn't have their full potential unlocked until you have enough points invested in the skill tree. This means that early game is frustratingly hard for no reason at all. Imagine Starcraft, but until you hit certain rank, you can't pick Protoss or you can't produce Ghosts as Terran until you unlock them in the main menu with a currency you have to grind by playing the game.
There is no overarching tutorial system that goes over and naturally unlock these either (you can't even play campaign until you are squad level 6), meaning that early game is just you doing random skirmishes with no real guidance whatsoever. And when you do unlock the campaign, sometimes you just don't have the right equipment unlocked to beat the map optimally (i.e. you don't have access to proper stealth option at the beginning). The squadmates are also perma-death in the campaign (each squad member also have light progression system where they get promotions and their stats grow), but not in the skirmish, which again creates a weird discrepancy. This feels like an unnecessary padding, and a poor way to guide to newcomers to the game.
There is also problem of covers being extremely simplified; you can't lean from the walls, and for some reason, a hood of a car is considered a full cover so you can't attack from it either. The pathing control is sometimes a bit janky as well, though it wasn't too much of a concern/could've been my own fault. Then there is a minor gripe of the guns themselves not being customizable through gunsmith, which isn't a downside, but would've added an interesting depth.
Then again, the core gameplay loop is very much solid, and the concept is good enough that I will most likely try the sequel, which seems to be more improved and accessible than the original.
However, the difficulty and progression ultimately made me quit prematurely. The game is brutal, and honestly, that's alright. But the problem is, the progression system compounds to that difficulty unnecessarily. In this game, the progression is universal, meaning that skirmishes and campaigns share the progression. There are three types of progression, the squad level, the roster stars (currency) and doctrine points (skill tree). You obtain all of these from doing skirmishes, randomly generated maps and campaigns to level up your squad level. The problem is that too many features are locked behind these universal progressions--you don't have access to shotguns until squad level 12, you don't have access to assault rifles until you use the roster stars, and your squad doesn't have their full potential unlocked until you have enough points invested in the skill tree. This means that early game is frustratingly hard for no reason at all. Imagine Starcraft, but until you hit certain rank, you can't pick Protoss or you can't produce Ghosts as Terran until you unlock them in the main menu with a currency you have to grind by playing the game.
There is no overarching tutorial system that goes over and naturally unlock these either (you can't even play campaign until you are squad level 6), meaning that early game is just you doing random skirmishes with no real guidance whatsoever. And when you do unlock the campaign, sometimes you just don't have the right equipment unlocked to beat the map optimally (i.e. you don't have access to proper stealth option at the beginning). The squadmates are also perma-death in the campaign (each squad member also have light progression system where they get promotions and their stats grow), but not in the skirmish, which again creates a weird discrepancy. This feels like an unnecessary padding, and a poor way to guide to newcomers to the game.
There is also problem of covers being extremely simplified; you can't lean from the walls, and for some reason, a hood of a car is considered a full cover so you can't attack from it either. The pathing control is sometimes a bit janky as well, though it wasn't too much of a concern/could've been my own fault. Then there is a minor gripe of the guns themselves not being customizable through gunsmith, which isn't a downside, but would've added an interesting depth.
Then again, the core gameplay loop is very much solid, and the concept is good enough that I will most likely try the sequel, which seems to be more improved and accessible than the original.