FragPunk Preview: A new Overwatch and Valorant challenger enters the arena

With the monumental and almost instantaneous flopping of Concord, you have to wonder if there is any room or interest for new players in the hero-based shooter sector. Seemingly at this point it's clear that Overwatch has the more arcade side of things covered on all bases, while Valorant or Rainbow Six: Siege is the title of choice for those who prefer a more tactical approach. While it may seem very pessimistic to say that these now established players have the area wrapped up in a neat little bow, the fact that XDefiant's player numbers are poor and that Spectre Divide arrived to a whimper and not a thundering fanfare, it all suggests that we've hit a bit of a creative chokepoint for new hero-based shooters. Or have we?

Bad Guitar Studio has decided that the best way to navigate this challenge is to simply provide a title where you can experience and bask in a little bit of tactical and a little bit of arcade action. They've created a game that has gunplay and loadout systems that use the same setup Counter-Strike coined an age ago, matched up with hero and character design that feels more Apex Legends in appearance and gameplay, all merged together in a package with a sleek presentation that has that Valorant flair and that Overwatch charm. This game is known as FragPunk, and while this elevator pitch I've laid out teases a game that has a lot of potential, after messing around in the beta for a while, I'm not fully convinced it has the oomph required to secure a seat at the hero-based shooter table.

For starters, FragPunk feels like it has a bit too much going on to really let that refined core stand out and shine. As far as a shooter goes, it's excellent with tight gunplay and movement and rich sounding weapons and explosions. The character design has enough creativity imbued that each individual feels truly unique and brings something fresh and useful to the table. The map design nails the task at hand with a variety of uniquely themed options tailored to the variety of arcade and tactical game modes that are offered. But while all this is quality and a highlight, the main problem occurs when you start introducing the card-based gameplay gimmick.

Frankly, in a shooter, enough is usually going on that I don't feel the necessity for random and crazy modifiers to snap into action at random instances or the start of a round. I don't need enemies and allies to suddenly grow enormous heads, for jumping height to be massively increased, or for bullets to suddenly chain to enemies. I appreciate the purpose of these Shard Cards, but in practice I'm left a little overwhelmed by the task of maintaining crosshair placement, ensuring I use my Lancer's (the collective name of the characters) own abilities, choosing the right weapons for the task at hand, listening out for footsteps, and actually winning gunfights. I will say that being able to "change the rules" is a much more enticing and effective element in the more arcade modes, but for the more tactical game modes, the added extras are too much for my taste and leave me oversaturated with choices.

One of the main criticisms about Concord was the game's really quite lifeless character design. I do believe that FragPunk dances on these boundaries a little too much for my liking too, as the characters don't quite have that same striking and memorable stylings as say an Overwatch or a Valorant character. As I noted earlier, it's more Apex Legends in style than anything. Granted, in a colour and artistic sense, Bad Guitar has been much more creative with FragPunk, and presented a game that is more Splatoon than Concord, a game that never fails to be a feast for the eyes, especially so when Shard Cards are introduced, which is a boon for this system without a doubt.

One of the areas that really impressed me with FragPunk however was the pure range of content available in just this beta. There were over 10 characters to pick and choose from, countless maps to experience, tons of entirely different game modes across the tactical and arcade spectrum, broad post-game data to bask in, too many Shard Cards to count, a full slate of weapons to pick and choose from, and even a massive list of cosmetics to explore - if that's your jazz. Considering there are some live games as of late that have fully launched and lacked in content (cough, cough XDefiant), this is a breath of fresh air and a massive positive for a title that currently is only a beta product.

But here's the thing, the big caveat that you have to mention with all games like FragPunk: is it unique enough to survive, nay thrive? I think that it definitely has a lot of elements that allow it to stand out and carve a name for itself in this hyper-competitive slice of the shooter genre, especially for those on PC where tactical shooters tend to blossom to a greater extent, but does FragPunk have what's necessary to unseat Valorant or Overwatch or similar? I'm not quite convinced of that just yet. It's definitely sleek and stylish, fast-paced and thrilling, challenging yet fun, but this isn't enough to take the throne, so for the time being I'll keep an eager eye on FragPunk and see where the coming weeks and months take this promising project.