As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours immersed in various hero shooters and live service games, I must say that Concord has certainly piqued my interest. The game offers a unique blend of Destiny-esque gameplay and Halo-like action, which is a refreshing change from the usual formula.
Initially, when Concord was unveiled to the public, it encountered swift opposition. PlayStation is renowned for its captivating single-player adventures, and with 2024 failing to deliver anything as impressive as Spider-Man 2 or God of War Ragnarok, many felt disgruntled by the decision to prioritize a 5v5 hero shooter for this year. I, too, harbored doubts about Concord, but its beta versions managed to win me over. I found myself eagerly anticipating more, but after delving into the complete game, I have reservations regarding the longevity of the hero shooter.
Although solely offering multiplayer and live-service features, Concord is a $40 high-end gaming experience. Putting a paywall on a live service can be a risky choice, but it has proven successful in certain instances, such as PlayStation’s Helldivers 2 and the original version of the hero shooter Overwatch. However, unlike these games, interest in Concord is relatively low. The beta player count for the game was dismal, particularly on PC platforms, and since players didn’t show much enthusiasm for it when it was free to play, it seems unlikely that they would be willing to pay for it now.
As a passionate gamer, it’s evident why Concord hasn’t been grabbing as much attention as expected. The paywall certainly plays a role, but the fact that it falls under the hero shooter genre is also a significant factor. Unfortunately, this genre has seen an influx of games recently, making it highly competitive.
There’s no easy way to say it. Concord‘s characters are ugly and derivative. Whereas games like Overwatch go out of their way to make appealing characters, Concord seems to be doing the exact opposite, presenting characters that are unattractive or are dressed in ridiculous outfits that make them look goofy. There are a couple of characters that look cool, like Duchess (who can throw up walls similar to Overwatch‘s Mei) and Haymar (who shoots people with a fire crossbow), but others are lackluster, like DaVeers, who has a bucket on their head; Emari, who is a comically gigantic woman with bulky armor; IT-Z, who gives off serious Greta from Gremlins 2 vibes; Lark, who is a horrific mushroom monster; and Lennox, who is a rip-off of Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy, but green and with fishier features. And when they aren’t ugly, most Concord‘s characters look generic and unimpressive. No one jumps out as particularly exciting or interesting, which is a death knell for a game like this.
Concord Has Some of the MCU’s Worst Traits
The artistic direction in Concord seems to have drawn influence from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, skillfully blending 80s sci-fi vibes with vibrant hues. This aesthetic wouldn’t feel out of place in an authentic Guardians of the Galaxy video game. However, this resemblance to other works could be a drawback for some, as it might detract from the game’s unique identity. On the other hand, ardent fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie series might appreciate Concord’s art style as an attractive feature.
Unfortunately, the inspiration from the MCU doesn’t just show in its visuals; the dialogue in Concord often falls flat when trying to be humorous. For instance, the opening cutscene, which could have been an engaging cinematic, is instead a rather uninteresting scene of people standing and talking. Lennox, who resembles Yondu, makes a comment: “I’ve lived a long life and accomplished some amazing feats. However, there were also times when I wasn’t so great, like that time on Nitka with the spicy fungus…”
Concord is expected to receive weekly story-enhancing cutscenes, which will be intriguing to witness if they prove more captivating than what’s currently available in the game. However, players of Concord don’t have to wait for these cutscene releases to delve deeper into the lore as they can access the Galactic Guide. The Galactic Guide is a vast resource map that players can explore, reading about the characters and planets within the game, with new lore entries unlocked through gameplay. Nevertheless, this method of distributing lore isn’t particularly effective, as the Galactic Guide consists primarily of text that many players may find unappealing. After perusing several entries, I found the content somewhat lackluster, leading me to frequently hover over the lore points to collect XP and move on.
Concord‘s presentation has some serious issues that it’s stuck with, though my concerns about it lasting long enough to fulfill its live service vision of multiple seasons with new heroes and content would be alleviated if it were to go free-to-play. As it stands, it’s somewhat hard to recommend Concord to anyone because I am not convinced that it’s going to be a long-lasting experience. Even in its early days, I’ve struggled to find matches at times. Whether that’s due to people already losing interest in the game, most waiting for the full release instead of paying the extra $20 for early access, or server issues, is unclear. But while I’ve consistently been able to get into Brawl matches (the game’s equivalent of Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed), there have been times when the wait for Takeover matches (objective-based modes) has gone on indefinitely. I have never been able to get into Rivalry matches at all during Concord‘s early access, though I did play it in the beta quite a bit. It’s the game’s most competitive playlist and can be great fun with a full group of friends.
Concord has 16 characters and 12 maps at launch.
I’m thrilled to share that the main gaming experience in the game Concord continues to be top-notch. Although its visual style and monetization approach might hinder its success initially, the multiplayer battles in Concord are incredibly enjoyable. It has a limited number of game modes right now, with just six available, but they’re all entertaining. Despite some shortcomings in character design, the characters themselves are enjoyable to control.
Characters in Concord possess unique skill sets that give each one a distinct personality and playstyle, allowing players to adopt diverse approaches during a game. For instance, some characters are offensive-focused, such as Lennox who can heal himself and hurl an explosive throwing knife. On the other hand, there are characters like Lark, excelling in support roles, capable of placing pods on the ground that enhance teammates’ abilities while weakening enemies nearby. Heroes such as Daw can also deploy items on the map, including a shield and a healing pad, to aid their team. These deployables persist throughout rounds, making characters like these crucial for any Concord match.
In the gaming world, Concord has truly mastered its first-person shooter battles. The addition of crew bonuses that encourage players to switch between characters during a single match adds an impressive amount of diversity. All 16 launch characters in Concord are enjoyable to control, and the same goes for its 12 launch maps. Although some may find fault with the art style inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy, the maps still look stunning. Colors are vibrant, lighting is awe-inspiring, and there are genuinely breathtaking sights to behold. To top it off, the game runs flawlessly, with no reported performance issues during my playtime with Concord. From a graphical perspective, Concord undoubtedly ranks among the best-looking games on PS5 at this moment.
For those eager to take a chance with the game Concord, they’ll discover an outstanding first-person shooter packed with thrilling skills, heart-pounding combat, and stunning graphics that will leave them awestruck.
Firewalk Studios spared no effort in enhancing the visual quality of the game Concord, and this attention to detail extends to its progression system and rewards. It’s quite unusual for live-service games to debut with mediocre progression, but Concord excels in this area from the get-go. Unlike many of its contemporaries, Concord abandons the battle pass model in favor of a more traditional progression structure combined with special tasks that players can complete for extra XP and additional rewards.
To maximize your progression and acquire new cosmetics swiftly within the game Concord, focus on completing its numerous challenges. This game offers an abundance of daily missions alongside weekly missions, seasonal missions, and variant missions. These special missions aid players in unlocking alternate versions of existing characters, each with unique passive abilities. Gaining access to these variants expands your selection when assembling your teams for matches. Different combinations of Concord teams offer distinct bonuses, although this aspect can be disregarded if preferred, it does add an engaging twist to the gameplay.
Concord’s Core Gameplay Shines
From a gameplay perspective alone, Concord is exceptional. It offers numerous rewards to unlock, the maps are visually stunning, and each character is enjoyable in their unique way. Although it’s classified as a hero shooter, its fast-paced action is more reminiscent of games like Destiny or Halo. Essentially, it’s a lot of fun to play. There are a few minor issues, such as the absence of recharging health causing awkward moments where teammates cluster around health pads and sometimes get stuck with the same map for several matches consecutively. However, I believe that fans of first-person shooters who can overlook its less appealing character designs will have a fantastic experience with Concord.
The issue lies in the fact that Concord‘s quality can’t solely be determined by its core gameplay mechanics. While it offers an exceptional first-person shooter experience, there’s no certainty that these features will persist a year from now. Unfortunately, Concord, despite offering a fantastic FPS, is finding it challenging to generate interest. This could be due to its visual appeal, pricing model, or other factors. However, the truth remains that live service games like this one require a dedicated fanbase in order to remain online. If players stop engaging with Concord, which is indeed a possibility, they will be left with a $40 game that’s essentially void of purpose, as it lacks a single-player campaign or any form of PvE content. The only solo content available is time trials and a practice range, but these would not compensate for the absence of multiplayer should that situation arise.
For gamers considering taking a chance on the first-person shooter game called “Concord,” they can expect an action-packed experience filled with engaging abilities, thrilling battles, and stunning visuals. However, the high price tag, less than enthusiastic public response, and the game’s character designs might prevent it from gaining traction, making it a risky investment of $40 for potential consumers. Despite these concerns, I am personally enjoying playing “Concord” and hope that its player base doesn’t dwindle to the point where continued support becomes unfeasible. Here’s hoping that “Concord” buckles the trend and proves to be one of Sony’s enduring live service experiments.
Concord is available now for PC and PS5. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.
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2024-08-23 10:44