Last Updated on 06/09/2024 by Arun jain
Concord A competent, well-made game. Or rather that was. I struggle with tension when it comes to writing about it ConcordBecause, from September 6, The game has been stopped indefinitelyOnly two weeks into its existence. Will he ever come back? Firewalk Studios, which developed the game for Sony, says it is taking Concord Offline and refunding buyers when it “determines[s] The best way forward.” But it’s hard to envision a healthy future for a game that few people vibe with and many actively root for to fail.
So many choices have been made in the rollout ConcordThe report, which has been in development for at least six years, has come as a surprise. Sony and Firewalk The game was first announced in early 2023In the form of a retro-futuristic, synth-drenched teaser trailer that reveals almost nothing about the game other than its sense of style. We learned then Concord It will be a “new PvP multiplayer first-person shooter” when it launches in 2024, but no unique selling point was promised.
After a whole year, Concord Resurfaced. A slick cinematic introduces the alien weirdos, goofy robots and tough mercenaries of Firewalk’s sci-fi world. It seemed delightful, if vaguely familiar. We also got our first look Concord‘s gameplay shortly thereafter, which mixed the vice-cracking misfits of Destiny’s Crucible, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the hero-centric mechanics of Overwatch. Those are the three favorite properties (or they were once), yet Concord Initially met with a shrug.
In two beta test weekends and at its late August launch, players didn’t look for it Concord. The game’s reception made headlines for its low player count – the PC version reached around 700 concurrent players, According to SteamDBDeath knee for the game. No one was interested in watching other people play Concord Either, with only a A small number of Twitch streamers stick with the game Day after launch.
In theory, Concord It should appeal to an audience that wanted something original (read: not a sequel) and didn’t want the aggressive, battle pass-driven monetization tactics so prevalent in many modern multiplayer games. Firewalk delivered on some level – the game plays well enough – but Concord‘s core ideas were not aligned with how people actually play video games Concord.
Firewalk’s most interesting twist on the formula is its hero-switching mechanics. ConcordPlayers are encouraged to swap between characters, known as freegunners, when they respawn. Doing so brings a range of benefits to the entire team. For example, picking a character like Sniper Vale will energize every other team with a long weapon range. Then choosing a character like Fungal Weirdo Lark will increase everyone’s reload speed. These crew buffs stack, making your team more effective during a match.
Character switching is therefore encouraged, which is also evident in the fact that some Freeganers have usable technology: larks can drop buffing spore seeds, duchess can build walls, and doe can place healing pads. These deployables persist (even if the enemy team hasn’t destroyed them), even if you’ve switched to another character. A smart team can quickly stack up a long list of buffs and take out their side by strategically picking and switching between characters, which leads to some interesting dynamics.
But this dynamic is subtle, and a bit dull like the rest Concord. Worse, this system seemed at odds with how many people play character-centric games, where they focus on the main or a handful of characters and try to perfect them. Worse, they aren’t explained very well by the game’s melee tutorial.
The game’s mechanics lacked the kind of personality that could make up for these shortcomings. The gunplay looks solid, but there’s no flashy finale or finishing move to create exciting game moments all around, and matches can end indecisively. Rarely in my time with the game over the past two weeks have I felt the thrill of victory in a close contest. Many games were blowouts. Most of these matches didn’t force me to request a second round Concord. The game’s progression system gave me a bunch of alternately colored outfits and tchotchkes that I could customize my character with as I earned XP, but I found less of the cosmetic stuff compelling enough to grind to unlock.
Part of my disdain for the game comes from its characters, most of whom are pretty bland. Many people don’t convey their powers or roles well beyond their silhouette or the weapon they carry. I often find myself reviewing the character loadouts and abilities of its heroes, confused by their inconsistent combinations of weapons and skills. I never really gravitated towards anyone ConcordNo friggin’s: some have dull, unattractive designs, some turned me off with their samey, smart attitude, and some just don’t seem that interesting to play. They also have bad, forgettable names (Daw, Lennox, 1-OFF, Vale, etc.) that give no clue as to their roles or their abilities.
The cast of Firewalk certainly put a lot of effort and expense into creating the world and characters Concord Interesting alien planets look beautiful. Menus and UI elements are sharply designed. The studio has also released a number of animated character shorts, and the game has weekly cutscenes that advance the story of the Misfit Freakners. A large number of written lore has also been baked into the game; If you want to pass the time soaking it up, there’s an interactive map of text-based entries that explain planets, technology, shipping lanes, and fuel sources. Concorduniverse of. Despite all this I have so far not found any extraneous story in such a compelling story. Sony and Firewalk believed that people would show up and be interested in its characters and lore, as well as the game itself.
belief, characters and gameplay Concord did not resonate with a wider audience. When people’s livelihoods are at stake here, it’s very distasteful to see the original thing completely fizzled out and its detractors backstabbed. But played Concord From its beta to its current state, I understand the collective shrug for the game. It didn’t do enough interesting things to take me away Overwatch 2A game I play almost every day, that doesn’t seem to separate itself from the multiplayer games that have entered. evaluation, Counter-Strike 2, Supreme legendsAnd a dozen others. ConcordThe competitors have the advantage of being free to play, which was not the case in the Firewalk game. But the game’s rivals managed to stand out for many other reasons as well: familiar heroic archetypes, mature and distinct gameplay modes, likable characters based on gunplay and character balance honed over years of testing and feedback.
Concord Couldn’t compete. It doesn’t have the charisma or uniqueness of many of the games that came before it. He doesn’t have a distinct enough personality, and that’s surprising to think about As former PlayStation boss Jim Ryan once boasted that it would be “a strong addition to PlayStation Studios’ portfolio”. I’m not sure what he saw in the game that convinced Sony it could crack, or what mismanagement was going on behind the scenes that led to the eventual failed product.
Clearly a lot of passion and effort was put into it Concord Trying something new. And hopefully, Firewalk and Sony will find some way to dig the game out of its early grave. at least, Concord’s better ideas could inspire other games to adopt a handful of its innovations — and serve as a lesson to other developers not to repeat the miscalculations Sony and Firewalk made here.
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