As a gamer who’s been around the block a few times, I can say with confidence that Splitgate has always held a special place in my gaming heart. The original game was a breath of fresh air in the arena shooter genre, and its sequel, Splitgate 2, is no exception.
Since the mid-2019 when I first tried it out, Splitgate has held a special spot in my gaming heart. Its gameplay felt reminiscent of Halo, yet fresh and smooth, while the portal mechanics brought a unique twist to the arena shooter genre. Simply put, it was enjoyable, and after revisiting it during a recent Splitgate 2 playtest, I can confidently say that the sequel is shaping up to be very strong. However, its adjustments aimed at Esports might not sit well with everyone.
I’ll be the first to admit that Splitgate 2’s initial gameplay reveal was a fairly big eyebrow-raiser for me. Four-on-four matches, factions, abilities, and perks, all while being commentated by esports professionals, instantly told me where the game was heading. It felt like changes were being made for the sake of the esports appeal rather than continuing where Splitgate had left off with pure mayhem and fun, and after my time playing, that initial feeling still looms, despite the game being a ton of fun to play.
1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx shared during a pre-playtest meeting that Splitgate 2 is the studio’s cherished dream game, embodying two crucial elements that made the initial game a hit: portals and exceptional gunplay. While the gunplay remains top-notch, a fresh sliding mechanism has been introduced to enhance movement fluidity, resulting in enjoyable moments as you dash through the map, seamlessly moving in and out of portals.
In my enthusiastic perspective, the portals in Splitgate 2 have undergone some fantastic enhancements compared to the original game! Now, instead of just pressing one button, you can use both portals simultaneously, adding a whole new level of strategy. Plus, your teammate’s portals will now move left or right, providing more space for your own portal to appear. These tweaks significantly reduce hesitation and maintain the mayhem-filled gameplay that Splitgate is known for, even though there are fewer players in each match.
One of the biggest causes for concern I saw from the community was the addition of Factions in Splitgate 2. It was an initial concern for me, too. But after playing, they do work incredibly well. The game has three different factions: Aeros, Meridian, and Sebrask, all of whom have different abilities, weapons, and perks. Thanks to Splitgate’s unique gameplay loop, not one faction screamed out as being better than the other during my time playing, but the new Faction-based system pushes players to play as a team rather than just running solo.
During the playtest, we had two different game modes to choose from: Team Deathmatch and Hotzone, both of which were round-based. Hotzone is a King of the Hill mode where teams have to cap two hills to win the round, and to win the match, teams have to win three rounds. An additional twist with Hotzone is that the hills take 20 seconds of shared capture time, meaning that, in theory, your team can control the hill for 19 seconds but have that point taken away from you if the enemy team captures the last second. This gameplay decision was described to us in a pre-playtest briefing to “encourage teamplay” and to create those “big moments.” It’s arguably a perfect gameplay decision for two full teams that talk to each other. However, for someone playing solo with three teammates without mics, it created immensely frustrating moments.
The round-based system is also incorporated in Team Deathmatch, with the first team reaching 15 kills winning the round, with 3 rounds to win the match. Rounds are so that players can change their faction if needed during a match, which for a mode like Hozone made a lot of sense, but for a mode like Team Deathmatch just sucked all momentum out of play.
As a gamer, diving back into Splitgate 2 feels like stepping up to an even bigger and better sequel. It’s clear that they’ve built upon the robust foundation of the original, giving it a polished AAA vibe, stunning map designs, and refined gameplay mechanics. However, some of the changes made seem geared towards esports and competitive play, which might give pause to fans who appreciated the original’s straightforwardness. Despite my excitement to keep playing, I can’t help but hope they include a more relaxed playlist when it officially launches.
Don’t forget, you can sign up for the Splitgate 2 Early Access yourself to give it a try!
For more information on Splitgate 2, you can read our Everything we know About Splitgate 2 here.
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2024-08-16 19:48