Lawbreakers open beta just went live this weekend. It is prime time to give this shooter a shot. If you like fast paced action with fast moving flying targets, this is your game. Since this is the first open beta release, this is obviously not a completely flushed out concept yet. However, it plays as a very polished game. I didn’t encounter any major bugs or graphical errors. On to the review:
Game Modes
I think that the 4 different modes are what sets this game apart from others in the same genre. There is no option to choose which mode to play as of now, unless you have enough players for a custom match.
Uplink: Grab the uplink and bring it back to your base. Defend it until the download is complete. First to 3 downloads, wins.
Overcharge: The same idea as above with a minor twist. Bring the battery back to your base and defend it as it charges. If the battery is stolen, the charge amount will remain and continued if you can get the battery back. First to 3 wins.
Turf War: There are 3 designated zones to capture on each map. After all three are captured by either team, the zones will reset. You get 1 point for each zone and the first to 16 points win.
Blitzball: I had the most fun playing this mode. The ball spawns in the middle of the map. To score, the ball needs to make its way to the opponent’s base. The unique twist is the shot clock. If you have the ball and the shot clock reaches zero, the ball carriers gets executed. First to 8 points wins.
Tutorials
I really like how they set this up. They have short videos by members of Boss Key explaining the classes, game modes, and soon to be maps. Because of the fast-paced nature of this game, I found the classes video extremely helpful to accelerate the learning curve. I immediately started up a quick play and got annihilated.
Combat/Maps
As I have mentioned many times, Lawbreakers plays really fast. I feel like it is built for gamers with a higher skill level. If you aren’t used to playing FPS’s on a regular basis, it will be difficult to play well. The targets are small and move quickly with warp capabilities. The maps are pretty interesting but feel tailored to certain classes. The Juggernaut class will completely own in the close quarters maps. It can feel unbalanced and frustrating sometimes. The maps also have low-gravity zones, which add a great flavor to the combat. It’s always fun to snipe enemies out of the air, but most classes have the ability to warp around to avoid being a piece of floating meat.
Lawbreakers was made with the Unreal engine, and it certainly feels like an Unreal game. I’d love for them to add killcams for those moments of “Where the %&$# did he come from?!?!” The crosshairs tend to get a little lost sometimes and some customization would be helpful. They have said that they are working on implementation of that feature. The crosshairs can give you valuable information. If you see red shapes surrounding it, then you are in range for a melee strike to kill. There are some early balancing issues between the classes, but this is an early beta run. Boss Key is active in the community and responds to feedback given by players with too much sodium in their diet.
Atmosphere
The music is upbeat electronic and suits the game very well. The classes themselves are interesting and unique looking and feeling. As you level up, you achieve “stash drops” that will give you some nice loot. Gun stickers, gun skins, character skins are all included and can be used on both the Law and Breakers characters.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my time with Lawbreakers, but I’ll probably wait until its full release before diving back in. I feel that a couple of classes are a bit overpowered at the moment and need balancing. How is the Wraith better at melee than the Assassin who is a melee class? As a said above, Boss Key has been very receptive with feedback and I’m sure they will take corrective measures. It is fun flying around the map and the kills feel very gratifying. The fast paced nature of this game will give weaker players a very hard time, probably leading to a smaller player base than other popular FPS games. Overall, a good game that I would personally recommend.
An older video, but a good one to show the power of the Assassin: