Fragpunk multi -user shooter was presented at about the same time when the already failed Concord. Both games, although they belong to the same genre, in fact they offer a completely different gameplay, and visually differ. At one time, I wiped the project to the HPT to the holes, and after the release I also played in the full version for several hours, and now I’m ready to share my impressions.
I want to start my review with the fact that I am not a big fan of the shooters with a division into rounds, such as Counter-Strike and Valorant, because for me personally they are too slow. I prefer something more arcade and fan, where you do not need to try to move silently and sit in the corner for several minutes. However, Fragpunk differs from the above games in that it prioritizes first of all the fun and, in general, copes with this perfectly. The characters here do not die with one bullet, you can run and shoot while moving, and preparations for battle and the rounds themselves flow quite quickly. This is not suitable for everything that can be judged by negative reviews in Steam, but I like this approach more.
The main regime called “Fragment fight” offers command battles in 5 to 5 format, in which one side should lay the so -called converter and wait for its detonation, and the other must prevent the opponents from doing this. The victory is also achieved (most often, so it happens) after the destruction of all opponents. There are no responds during the rounds, and to win the match, you need to win in several rounds. Everything seems to be trite, but thanks to some features, everything is played very cool.
First of all, Fragpunk has characters, each of which has unique features. They really look cool here and do not cause rejection at all. There are no ultimate abilities, but almost all skills are useful and largely affect the battle style. Often it is thanks to them that the most impressive moments occur in the game.
A feature of Fragpunk is the presence of a card system that changes the combat conditions within the framework of one round. Some give small bonuses, such as enlarged health, double jump and vampirism. Others put debuffs on enemies: they reserve traces, cannot restore health, have enlarged heads. There are those that affect both teams – for example, after death, players turn into zombies, everyone can only use knives. In total, their number is currently exceeding 150.
Yes, these same cards make a certain imbalance, but this is what makes the game so fun, because you never know what you will throw you with a random. You need to adapt to the situation, try to use the capabilities of your Buffs to the maximum and find countermeasures to enemy cards. Thanks to this, each round is slightly or greatly different from each other, and this is a plus to reiglable. By the way, in competitive mode, there is much less chaos due to the lack of some cards and the presence of a system of banks, but so the game still loses part of its attractiveness.
The principle of activation of cards is as follows. Before starting the round, three pieces are offered to choose from, and in order for at least one of them to work, it is necessary to spend a certain amount of resource received during the match on it with the whole team. Thus, unlike Counter-Strike and Valorant, here you do not spend “money” on your beloved, but put them in a common piggy bank to receive bonuses.
Another curious mechanics is that in total you have only two attempts to take weapons of the same class. Each attempt is lost after death and persists when surviving in the round. For example, you took your favorite assault rifle and you were killed in two rounds-before changing the parties you will no longer be able to use it and you will have to use a completely different type, for example, a shotgun or a submachine gun. It sounds scary, but in fact, this mechanic has a positive effect on the game. You value your weapons more and try not to act thoughtlessly, and in general it makes you change tactics in case of failure.
It is worth noting that you can still get lost weapons. For example, there is a card that makes part of the items free for one round. On your base there is a slot machine that gives random weapons, but each player can use it only once per round. Well, no one has canceled the opportunity to share with the allies either. In general, the economy here is simple, but well worked out.
The authors interestingly solved the problem of determining the winner in an equal score. Instead of endlessly tightening the match, adding additional rounds, here you participate in duels 1 to 1. In this format, the winner of each round continues to fight with the new enemy, maintaining the current state of his character (health, abilities) after the previous fight. The team wins that at the end will remain at least one surviving player.
Fragpunk has excellent graphics made in a bright half -multe style. The environment is beautiful and has many details, while the Levele-design of cards is also made at a high level. You always know where enemies come from and how, and the characters are clearly distinguishable against the general background. The game itself looks very stylish, and this is achieved not only due to bright colors, but also a beautiful interface. At the same time, no problems with optimization were noticed.
Regarding monetization, everything is fine for a free game. In the in -game store, you can purchase cosmetic objects and lootboxes with random items that do not affect the balance. The combat pass is self-sustaining, which means by acquiring it once, you can return the spent premium valu to postpone it to the next one.
Further, the business is at the developers. Will the game become successful by becoming in a row with popular representatives of the genre, or will it be forgotten like The Finals, which on the launch looked incredibly promising? The answer to this question will only give time. However, Fragpunk is already playing fun and is able to bring a fan sea, especially for those who lacked the speakers in Valorant. Given that the project is free, at least it is worth trying exactly.