It sounds strange to say, but the past year has felt like the multiplayer shooter genre has been overflowing with content. The new members we received during the calendar year have struggled to make much of an impact and dislodge the established giants. Personally, I think this is due to the lack of creativity and innovative game design, as with monumental and often very high projects like Overwatch, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Fortnite, etc. , a new addition must feel different And fundamentally. unique. This brings me to Project Arc.
Krafton, the publisher of PUBG: Battlegrounds, has tapped the developers PUBG Studios to create a top-down weapon shooter. It’s a shooter that takes inspiration from several well-known brands and then matches it with an isometric view that basically throws any sense of familiarity out the window. It’s also a project still in the early stages of development, which means there are a lot of rough edges when it comes to icons, menus, and UI design, and all the fluff will appear once ‘ s that the main game and structure are locked in place. . I would know, because I recently had the opportunity to dive into an hour of action and play through multiplayer rounds in Team Deathmatch and Demolition game modes.
For those wondering, Project Arc is basically a hero shooter. There are set characters that use a set weapon selection, gear, and gear, all of which means that when you load into the game you can choose Dropdown as her assault rifle and poison bombs, Buddy like her long-range AWP sniper rifle, Or Crash for close-range shotgun action. There are already several character options, and while you could argue that they are a little too safe and basic in design, the isometric view means that you have less input in character design than you would in third person or with more narration. focus like Concord As soon as you try it. Of course, this may be the case because what I was testing was multiplayer action, but the gameplay is also more structured, similar to Rainbow Six: Siege rather than single-player. hero shooter, which means that you start connecting your characters with their characters. real core missions are more closely aligned. For example, while Heinz may not be as effective in Team Deathmatch, he is an excellent defender in the objective-based Jump Mode, thanks to his ability to see through destructible walls, allowing the Desert A high-quality eagle has the most lethal shots. Crucially, the character designs feel more tightly integrated into the gameplay and environment than many hero shooters tend to feel, and because of this, each character feels relevant and powerful. .
Working from the top down may seem like an odd choice, and in many ways it is. But it is also unique, and unlike its competitors, it all works well in practice. Project Arc offers a real-time vision sharing system, which means that if you’re looking around a corner, that part of the map will also be visible to your friends. If you engage an enemy and find them occupying a room, a nearby ally may be able to pass through a damaging wall and eliminate this challenging threat without having the clutch one -to-one to win. What you see is what your friends see, and vice versa. This design means that the close-quarters action of Project Arc plays very smoothly and at a high strategic level, but some of the stress and slower pace such as Counter-Strike or Rainbow Six is removed. thanks to the isometric view. Of course, in Project Arc, rounds are faster and faster, while time-to-kill values are a little more forgiving, but still low enough that mistakes are punished quickly and without apology.
Here’s a hint:
In Team Deathmatch, you don’t get to fully experience the game in its best form. This mode works flawlessly, but it removes tension and strategy in favor of ruthless action. Again, it works, but it’s the Reduction Mode that shines.
In preview sessions, Demolition Mode is often referred to as the Counter-Strike class, but to be honest, that doesn’t quite explain it to me. Instead, this is more like Rainbow Six: Siege, and yes, in many ways Siege’s DNA can be traced back to Counter-Strike, but it has extra fluff and a simpler design that Valve’s shooter lacks . There is no purchase mechanic, partly due to the position of the marked characters, and although the objective is to defend or attack two targets on the map, the possibility of reinforced walls and barbed wire, among defense elements another, suggesting that this is more. than just traditional CS shooting. Gunplay is of course important, but setting up defenses by luring enemies into areas they don’t want to be in or breaking down walls to surprise defenders when taking attack them all as part of Project Arc which makes it a true formula. .
Here’s a hint:
From my short time playing Project Arc, I ended up being very impressed and surprised by my experiences. It’s difficult and needs some work to make the action feel more fluid and meaningful, and it would be nice to have a wider variety of characters to stop friends from choosing the same options character all the time. In addition, the crawler definitely needs some work, not because it doesn’t fundamentally serve its purpose of allowing the user to reduce the noise of steps and go over high-medium wind tunnels, but mostly because the camera angle makes it difficult. tell when an enemy is in a wild situation. now Number, perhaps this could be solved by allowing users to shoot targets regardless of their position.
But, as always, the biggest question for Project Arc is whether it can establish itself in the burning space. There are many other interesting shooting projects that have not stood the test of time, and this will be a challenge that Project Arc will have to overcome. Does it have a special ability and design? Yes. But the same goes for Hyper Scape and Spellbreak, games that seem to have become less popular over time, such as XDefiant, Rogue Company, and The Finals. For now, I’m optimistic that Project Arc has what it takes to succeed, and I’m looking forward to watching the game again.
