The Switch has a few solid free-to-play titles in its library, and it just got another one recently with Warface. I spent some time with the game and I'd like to talk about it today. BACKGROUND:
I didn't know this game was a thing until it was unceremoniously shadow dropped on the Switch eShop a few weeks ago. Curious, I downloaded it immediately, but unfortunately, the game's launch was plagued with various server issues, which made it literally unplayable for me. It took several days until the issues were resolved, and even then, there are still some hiccups and glitches in-game. I will admit that these technical problems made me question if the game was even worth checking out, but I decided to be patient and monitored developer updates (via the r/warface subreddit), hoping to see if there were actions taken on the issues. Notably, the devs provided regular updates and engaged with the community rather frequently. Seeing this assuaged my concerns that the devs don't give a shit, so here I am, giving the game a fair chance. PLOT: This is a multiplayer-focused game, so you won't get much of a narrative. The various co-op missions you can play through have their own standalone stories, but they're not too substantial and only serve to give context to your objective. There are a few interesting sci-fi elements in the game's world, like playable robot soldier things that look like the Terminator, and futuristic enemies in the co-op missions. But since there really isn't a story-focused mode, you don't really learn anything in-depth about any of these things. That said, "futuristic military setting" isn't exactly breaking new ground in the video game story department. PRESENTATION: The graphics are serviceable, but don't really stand out as much in terms of style or quality. I'm not really a stickler for this sort of thing (provided the game runs well), but if you are, I highly doubt the Switch version will impress you. Perhaps it looks better on PC. Although the maps are quite detailed with all sorts of background elements and such, they falter in terms of palette, and can get boring to look at after a while. There is one notable exception that stood out to me, however, and it was the Sanctuary map, which had striking Japanese architecture and cherry blossoms in full bloom. Sound design is pretty decent, with audio cues like gunfire or footsteps clearly discernible (very important with games like this). In terms of music, this game leaves a lot to be desired; I'm already sick of the one song that plays on the menu. The only thing in terms of presentation I'd say I actively disapprove of is the joke of a character customization the game has you go through at the beginning. It consists of selecting from a limited amount of generic soldier man faces, and you're stuck with it forever. You wanna change outfits, or play as a female character (because that's somehow not an option at the start)? The only way to do any of that is with skins (which you have to buy/grind for). If they didn't want to bother with full customization, they shouldn't have gone with the half-measure they implemented and just removed it outright. Also, I find the menu navigation for the Switch version somewhat vexing, as instead of simply highlighting menu options automatically and cycling through then with the D-pad (like every other console game), Warface makes you wiggle the left stick to move a cursor just to select something. It's incredibly unintuitive. GAMEPLAY: Warface is a first person shooter. Aim the gun, shoot the enemies, try not to die. Not much to explain there. Mechanically, there isn't anything particularly unique that stands out at first glance. You have the usual primary weapons, secondary pistols, various grenades and mines, melee attacks, and knives. In terms of movement, you have sprinting, jumping, vaulting over obstacles, crouching, and lying prone on the ground. Seems like pretty standard stuff across the board. There are a handful of interesting mechanics to the game, however. For movement, you have an access to this neat slide move that sends you across a short distance pretty quickly, while also allowing you to go under obstacles and low profile enemy fire. In team-based modes, there are certain objects in the environment you can interact with a teammate in order to move through the map. The most prominent example of this in the game is the ability to give a teammate a boost up high walls. These interactions are limited to specific elements on the various maps, however, so you can't use them everywhere. Overall, the game controls quite well, with movement feeling mostly smooth, and aiming being easy thanks to the Splatoon-style motion aiming. I will say that sprinting feels awkward given that it's mapped to clicking left stick, but it's nothing significant. The game also has character classes, which dictate what weapons and gear they have access to. You have your jack-of-all-trades Rifleman, who uses high-powered assault rifles, and has the special ability to restock ammo, the shotgun-wielding Medic, who can resuscitate fallen teammates and provide healing, a Sniper (self-explanatory), and an Engineer, who uses SMGs and can supply armor (among other things). You can also play as one of those Terminator-looking robots (called SEDs) I described earlier, and while the only equipment they have is their primary LMG, it's quite a powerful weapon, and on top of that, these machines can take some hits. Overall, it's a shallow pool of classes, but they all play differently from each other, and that's good enough for me. There are plenty of weapons for each weapon type, each with their own stats (like accuracy, damage, etc.). They all handle distinctly from one another in combat, and excel in various situations. You can even pick up the weapons of fallen soldiers in combat, allowing you to change your tactics should the opportunity present itself. Gear is split into four pieces: helmets, vests, gloves, and boots. There are all sorts of each type to get, and each grant various buffs and stat boosts to aid you in battle. For as terrible as the character customization is, at least there's something to gear in terms of gameplay. Primary weapons also have gear, in the form of special attachments such as sights and silencers. Weirdly enough, you can't equip these like normal gear in the inventory menu; you have to do it in-game (as in, you do it while you're in a match or something). While this does allow you to switch attachments mid-match on the fly (which is neat), I do wish there were a way to simply equip these attachments in the menus. There are four main modes in Warface. You have standard co-op missions, where you can team up with friends or randoms to complete a map by accomplishing various objectives and taking down AI enemies. As of writing, there are only a handful of these maps available on the Switch version, and they each have a locked difficulty. These maps are decently vast, and have checkpoints that replenish ammo and revive fallen teammates when you reach them. Actually beating the maps can be a crapshoot if you're teaming with randoms, so it may be best to play this one with friends. There's another co-op mode called Special Operations you can play through if you're up to the task. There are even less of these maps compared to regular co-op, but it's made up for by their sheer length and adjustable difficulty. Even on easy, these maps can be a nightmare with an uncoordinated team, and based on my own experience, I strongly recommend against playing with randoms on this mode. Of course, there are your versus modes, of which there are eight game types: your usual Team Deathmatch, a Free-For-All where you compete for the best K-D, Storm (a mode about capturing/defending specific command points on the map), Blitz (which is like that one game mode in Rainbow Six Siege where one team tries to defuse the bomb while the other defends), Plant the Bomb (the same as Blitz, but you, well, plant the bomb instead), Capture (the Capture the Flag equivalent), Domination (also about controlling multiple command points, but more in the vein of classic Star Wars Battlefront, in which you actually contest command points), and Destruction (actually just Domination, but with just one command point). Though some of the game types feel redundant, they're enjoyable in and of themselves, and they make up for the variety by giving each mode a unique set of maps (e.g. you won't see Team Deathmatch maps in Free-for-All). Even as someone who's usually averse to military-style multiplayer FPS games, I actually had a pretty good time playing against other people. There's also Ranked Versus, which, at the time I wrote this, is unavailable. From what I understand, it's a season-based thing where you try to earn the most points by the end of the season, and that sounds like many ranked modes in other games. I'm not sure what specific game modes are available in Ranked, though. Player progression is determined by XP, which is earned simply by completing any game type (win or loss). Leveling up unlocks all sorts of stuff, such as new weapons, skins, and other neat and useful things. There is even a separate experience system specifically for earning rewards, which I thought was an interesting approach. You can also purchase XP boosters if you wish to expedite your progress. There are also Daily Missions you can clear everyday, which are another way to earn rewards without paying. The game encourages you to keep the streak going by providing a substantial reward at the end of the week. The game also has a Battle Pass, which is essentially just another thing that earns its own experience and unlocks rewards for every tier you reach. You can upgrade this to premium to earn even more rewards. Of course, it's not a free-to-play game without various types of currency. First, you have your standard in-game currency (simply called Warface Dollars), which is earned through normal gameplay. You don't earn much of this (unless you play a lot), and you need a lot of these to get things at the shop. Most of the good shit is rather pricey, and the only thing you can really call "affordable" are the loot boxes, which is a whole other conversation. Crowns are another currency type, and they're earned by performing well in co-op. You'll have to do particularly well on a consistent basis if you want to earn a lot of these, and it seems a lot of great items are locked behind this currency. The same can be said of Kredits, which is the game's premium microtransaction currency. There are also loot boxes you can spend on to earn items, because of course there are. Mercifully, the item pool for each loot box type is small, but let's face it: the odds are probably not in your favor. Although I got by just fine with the free weapons the game rewards me with, it does seem like there's a strong element of pay-to-win when talking about the best gear. Earning them the old-fashioned way takes a hell of a long time, and the idea that someone can just pay to get what I spent hours grinding for doesn't sit well with me. What's worse, the game places additional hurdles to using weapons on top of that. Some weapons can only be used for a certain period of time (e.g. an hour, a month, a week, etc.) — basically, it's a rental. Others have durability that goes down every time you play, and you have to spend dollars to repair them. If you want to have these weapons permanently, you have to buy them outright at the shop, and at pretty hefty prices. I think these mechanics are frustrating at best, and they feel like they're in place to make you pay/grind just to keep weapons in your inventory. All it does is make me groan every time I unlock a new weapon, because instead of enjoying this neat new thing I just got, I'm just thinking about how long I have until I lose access to it. If it's a "rental", I feel forced to keep playing just to get the most out of it; if it's a weapon with durability, I hesitate to use it at all out of worry that I can't afford to repair it. It's resource management at its least fun, and it's arguably unnecessary in a game like this. VERDICT: Warface is a decent, albeit unremarkable FPS game with solid mode and map variety and serviceable mechanics, but some of its gameplay choices (especially its handling of weapon access) put me off from fully getting into it long-term. Don't get me wrong: I do enjoy playing the game, and I'll probably continue playing a few matches on occasion, but I wouldn't sink hundreds of hours into this just to get to a point where I have all the best shit. It's just not worth the effort, in my opinion, and I think I'll enjoy it best if I stick to playing it in short bursts as opposed to making myself play 30+ hours every week. If you're simply looking for a decent free-to-play FPS experience, you may find this game quite enjoyable. However, if you're looking for something revolutionary in the genre, or a free-to-play title that doesn't discourage people who don't want to spend money, you may wish to look elsewhere. At the end of the day, only you can determine whether or not Warface is a game for you. It's free-to-play, after all, so here's the Steam link if you want to make your own judgment: https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/291480/ - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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