Developer: SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, TheLiquidHorse
Publisher: SgtOkiDoki
Available on: PC (Steam)
It's the FPS game you didn't know you needed, and I don't feel like you can miss out on it any longer. A passion project from a team of three developers over seven years to publish has finally come to fruition, and it is taking the streaming scene by storm. You can participate in battles with up to 254 players in 19-day/night maps, with the development team quickly adding updates and features as feedback comes through from the players. This is truly a game that can be enjoyed by so many people at such a sparse price point of $15.
Free of microtransactions, costly skin bundles, or all the previous things we have become so used to with most FPS/BR games nowadays. The Minecraft-inspired base character just adds to the special appeal of the game, purposefully not being worried about super detailed shaders and texturing that some modern shooters just seem to be obsessed about. Paired with an environment full of buildings and barriers that can be manipulated or destroyed adds another chaotic element to the game that means even if you're camped on top of a building, you are not safe from a player destroying the building with well-placed C4 charges or tank fire.
Battlebit: Remastered allows players of all types and skills to truly enjoy what they like most about FPS shooters. If you like to be a sniper perched high on the rooftop? They got you. How about running around the battlefield, applying bandages, and reviving everyone? We got you covered. Running through the fields like a human tank mowing people down with a 249 SAW, oh yeah, plenty of that.
The five base classes plus squad leader allows you some class-specific gadgets but very few overall loadout restrictions. These can be edited with 46 base weapons and hundreds of different attachments from scopes, lasers, grips, and camouflage patterns to your every need and preference on battle style and map.
Along with the thousands of combinations of ground weapons, maybe you just want to take a spin around the map in an HH-60 Black Hawk with a couple of mini guns pointing out the sides. How about leisurely driving down the street in an M1 tank, letting off armor-piercing rounds at your enemies, or blazing targets with the M2 .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the Humvee? You don't even need a driving permit to do that!
It's some of the most fun I've had in years within a large-scale battlefield-type game. Hearing grown men begging through proximity chat for medics to save them so they can get home to their children or squad leaders calling for a bayonet charge across the bridge. It allows players a role-playing element that heightens their experience and builds a certain Esprit de corps among teammates that keeps them returning for more.
The servers have been packed so far, and I have only experienced fleeting moments of the usual levels of toxicity present in some competitive titles, but as with any game, there are some inconsistencies. Correct hitbox registry, questionable wall shots, and server disconnects have been the extent of what I have seen with around 40 hrs, but those have been minimal.
Overall, I hope that the enthusiasm for the title remains as I always like to root for the underdog, but with several massive titles coming out later this year, there will be some tempering expected among the crowd. Among the sea of games that range in cost from $50-70, the return on investment in entertainment value from Battlebit: Remastered has far surpassed the money I spent on it already.
Since mid-June, the game has sold nearly 2 million units, hopefully leading to more games soon and showing some of the top industry studios that if you let gamers make games with some love mixed in, the opportunities are boundless, and players will come.
Excellent article, I'll definitely share it with others. that's not my neighbor
What features do you think could enhance the gameplay experience in future updates for slope?