(Adnkronos) – Concord, developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony (which absorbed the developer in 2023), represents one of the brand’s most ambitious attempts to establish itself in the competitive live-service game market. After the success of Helldivers 2 in early 2024, PlayStation seems to want to double down on its efforts to conquer a wider audience. The game was initially presented with a flashy trailer that evoked atmospheres similar to Destiny and No Man’s Sky, thanks to a colorful aesthetic and a space setting. However, when the gameplay was finally revealed, it emerged as a title that seemed to draw too much from already established IPs. This negative first impression continued during the beta testing period, characterized by low participation, a worrying sign for a flagship multiplayer title. The full game, however, reveals some surprises and raises the bar of the experience a bit. One of the most discussed aspects is the payment model adopted by Concord. In an era where many hero shooters are offering free-to-play experiences, Concord is a 40 euro premium. Why pay for a game that may not have a guaranteed longevity when alternatives like Overwatch 2 and Valorant are available for free? Firewalk Studios’ response was to focus on a more premium gaming experience, characterized by high production values, flawless graphics, and a deep story. Upon booting the game, you are greeted by a cutscene that introduces some of the 16 possible Freegunners, Concord’s playable characters. The cutscenes are visually impressive, with high-quality lighting, textures, and animations. However, the character designs are rather generic, lacking the uniqueness that could have made them memorable. This is further worsened by the thematic and color similarity to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Narrative-wise, Concord features a detailed universe to be explored via a mission tree that you can select to unlock parts of the narrative and explore the title’s lore. While the idea of a codex is interesting, its implementation is chaotic and confusing. Navigating the nodes of the galactic map and unlocking fragments of lore fails to fully engage, making it difficult for players to find a real reason to immerse themselves in the fragmented narrative. Add to this the fact that there are only two cutscenes currently available, with more arriving weekly: quality yes, but in small doses. Despite the narrative difficulties, Concord manages to shine when it comes to gameplay. Firewalk Studios, made up of industry veterans with experience in major titles such as Destiny, Call of Duty and Halo, demonstrates its expertise with a solid and rewarding FPS game system. The variety of weapons, the responsiveness of the controls and the variety of the 16 Freegunners offer a dynamic and engaging gameplay experience, with mechanics that reward skill and strategy. A distinctive element of Concord is the team building system, which allows players to customize their roster, encouraging experimentation and diversity of strategies during matches. However, the game does suffer from a limited player base, with long wait times to find matches – a particularly worrying issue for a newly launched multiplayer title. Concord currently offers six game modes and twelve multiplayer maps. While there is a good amount of variety between fast-paced and tactical modes, the low player count does limit the overall experience. Progression is tied to daily, weekly, and seasonal missions, but the rewards on offer are mostly uninspiring, further reducing the incentive to continue. Firewalk Studios has promised regular updates with new content, but it remains to be seen whether it can keep players interested long enough to ensure the title’s success. Concord has a solid foundation as a shooter, but its fragmented identity, combined with the difficulty of finding matches and uninspiring progression, limits its potential. It’s also true that titles like this can improve over time and completely turn around the fortunes of a lackluster launch, and that’s where it’s at.
Format: PS5 (tested version), PC Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Developer: Firewalk Studios Rating: 7/10 —[email protected] (Web Info)
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