Battlefield 6’s free battle royale mode is out now

Battlefield 6's free battle royale game is now available for download. This follows numerous leaks that have been popping up ever since the mainline game hit store shelves on October 10.

It's called Battlefield: Redsec and it's free for everyone. You don't need the full-priced game to play. This puts it in direct competition with Call of Duty's own free-to-play battle royale, Warzone.

Redsec has a few gameplay modes. There's the usual battle royale, with a big ole map that allows for up to 48 simultaneous players. This mode offers four gameplay classes, plenty of weapons to choose from and unique objectives that reward players with "powerful items." The end goal, as always, is to be the last soldier standing.

There's also a duo mode that lets two players jump into a battle royale at once. This version is intended for newcomers, so it gives access to a smaller map.

The Gauntlet mode offers a twist on a traditional battle royale. Eight squads of four players compete "in a series of special operations that push every squad to their limit." EA says this is perfect for those who like traditional multiplayer FPS games. Users create custom loadouts and completing various objectives awards the team with points.

Finally, there's integration with the Battlefield Portal toolset. This lets players design their own experiences. EA gives examples of a battle royale match that just allows access to sledgehammers or one with only headshots. These tools are also free.

We don't know how or if this battle royale will interact with the main game. Warzone typically includes a story that ties into whatever's going on with Call of Duty's seasonal content drops. To that end, Season 1 of Battlefield 6 also releases on October 28. This update includes new maps, modes, vehicles, guns, attachments and cosmetic items.

Battlefield: Redsec is available on every platform that Battlefield 6 is available on, including PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S. This could end up being a pretty big hit for EA, as the main game managed to sell 7 million copies in three days.

Update, October 28 2025, 12:40PM ET: This story has been updated to include new gameplay details. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/battlefield-6s-free-battle-royale-mode-arrives-on-october-28-174419086.html?src=rss

A new game from Tencent looks like a pretty blatant Horizon ripoff

Details about an epic-looking upcoming sci-fi adventure game just dropped. The images and teaser trailer depict a post-apocalyptic world in which humans in primitive-style garb battle giant dinosaur-like robots while sweeping orchestral music plays. It all seems a little familiar. But wait, this isn’t the next Horizon game from Guerrilla. Oh, no, no. This is an initial look at a game from a Tencent subsidiary called Polaris Quest.

Guerrilla and Sony don't exactly hold a monopoly on tamable robot dinosaurs or open-world crafting games. But at first glance, Light of Motiram is a pretty blatant Horizon ripoff. It mimics Guerilla's art style and animations, right down to the abundant lens flares. One image shows a trio of human characters using bows and spears to tackle a mammoth-style machine. Even the game's logo font and description ape that of Horizon's — Light of Motiram is about humanity's attempt to "rebuild from the dawn of a new primitive era."

There are some differences, in fairness. Here, you can construct your own shelters, while trained "Mechanimals" can help you in combat. There's co-op support for up to 10 players as well. While Guerrilla is working on a multiplayer game, the recent Lego Horizon Adventures spinoff is the only Horizon game to date that features co-op.

In one sense, fans of the Horizon series will understand why it's apt that the games seem to have effectively been cloned. We'll have to wait to see just how egregiously Polaris Quest has copied Aloy's adventures. Light of Motiram doesn't have a release window as yet, but the seemingly free-to-play title is coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store. Unless Sony slaps Tencent with a cease-and-desist first, that is.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/a-new-game-from-tencent-looks-like-a-pretty-blatant-horizon-ripoff-174935880.html?src=rss

GTA III and Vice City are leaving Netflix’s mobile games catalog next month

Two Grand Theft Auto titles that helped Netflix's games division pick up steam are leaving the service next month. Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City won't be available through Netflix's library of mobile games after December 13.

The Netflix app lists that as the "last day to play" both games. There's no such deadline on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas listing, indicating that subscribers can still enjoy CJ's story at no extra cost.

"Just like with series and film, games will be removed from Netflix as licenses expire," a Netflix spokesperson said, according to GameSpot. "Players will notice a 'Leaving Soon' badge and be notified by the app itself well in advance of removal." Netflix is removing those two games exactly a year after adding them and San Andreas to its library, indicating that it had an initial 12-month agreement with publisher Rockstar.

Earlier this year, Netflix said that the GTA trio had boosted game engagement at the end of 2023. Some people even signed up just to play them, the company claimed. However, Netflix recently scaled back its gaming ambitions to a degree by closing a studio that had some notable developers who were working on a AAA title.

You can still play the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (what a mouthful!) versions of GTA III and Vice City on iOS and Android after December 13, but you'll need to buy them from the respective app stores. If you're looking for other games to play with your Netflix subscription, don't worry, we've got you covered with our picks. Or just Poinpy and thank me later.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/gta-iii-and-vice-city-are-leaving-netflixs-mobile-games-catalog-next-month-193106378.html?src=rss

Steam will force developers to be transparent about their season pass plans

Season passes are one of the most common ways to generate revenue for games such as Fortnite or Call of Duty that want players to keep returning day after day, month after month. This week, PC game platform Steam has rolled out support for this monetization approach. The Valve-owned platform clarified its policy about what it considers a season pass, as well as implementing rules for how developers should communicate with players about pass content.

Steam documentation now states that when a season pass is made available for a game, it must list all of the downloadable content (DLC) included within that purchase. Developers will also need to provide an expected release date for each DLC. Delays are common in game development, but Valve will only allow a studio to reschedule a season pass' release date once; if more changes are needed, Valve has to get involved with making that change. In cases where a season pass is canceled, customers must receive a refund for any unreleased content that they have paid for.

"By offering a Season Pass, you are promising future content," the documentation reads. "In the process of launching a Season Pass you will be asked to commit to a launch timing for each content release in the Season Pass. That launch timing is a commitment to both customers and Steam. If you aren't ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC AND when each DLC will be ready for launch, you shouldn't offer a Season Pass on Steam."

Steam recently revised its language around a few key topics this fall. The platform now clarifies that the hundreds or thousands of games in players' libraries are licenses to those titles rather than outright ownership. Valve has also removed points about binding arbitration from its Steam Subscriber Agreement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-will-force-developers-to-be-transparent-about-their-season-pass-plans-212313027.html?src=rss

Star Wars Outlaws just fixed those maddening stealth missions

Happy days. Massive and Ubisoft have listened to the complaints and fixed one of the most glaring problems with Star Wars Outlaws. Players know what I’m talking about. It’s those mind-numbing stealth missions that automatically fail as soon as someone is spotted. A new patch lets the game continue, even after being caught, so players can try to shoot their way out of a situation.

The developers say this change was instituted to give players a decision as to whether they prefer stealth or combat in any given scenario. Drew Rechner, Creative Director on Star Wars Outlaws, notes that the dev team has removed “forced stealth from almost all quest objectives.” However, stealth is still an option for any of these objectives. It’s just not required.

Star Wars Outlaws represents to us a true scoundrel experience and as Kay and Nix are street thieves by trade, stealth will always be an option for players that prefer that playstyle,” the devs wrote in a blog post. “We heard your feedback, and we're implementing changes that allow for greater player freedom and embracing more playstyles.”

The update also improves detection mechanics while operating in stealth mode, as the pre-existing enemy AI “could be unpredictable and inconsistent.” Now players will be able to choose stealth, action or, of course, a combination of both. My preferred method will be stealth until I get caught, which should happen approximately five seconds after entering a compound.

Today’s build expands player choice in other ways beyond removing forced stealth objectives. Players can now pick up and keep weapons for longer periods of time in the field, and the developers have added “more opportunities to use them in various scenarios.” Combat has also gotten another update, as players will now be able to target additional enemy body parts beyond the head for “exploiting weak points.”

Update 1.4 even includes some slight graphical upgrades, thanks to a refined camera system that improves the focus. To accompany today’s update, Ubisoft has dropped some story DLC called Wild Card. Everyone’s favorite villain-turned-hero Lando Calrissian is a major player in this expansion.

Star Wars Outlaws still has a few glaring problems, but Massive and Ubisoft have been busy improving the game since launch. The game now features improved and refined combat, with a complete overhaul of the stats of various weapons and enemies.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/star-wars-outlaws-just-fixed-those-maddening-stealth-missions-185341382.html?src=rss

Avowed preview: Classic Obsidian fantasy on a AAA budget

It looks like 2025 is going to be an excellent year for action role-playing games. We’ve already started things off with a big Dragon Age: Veilguard bang, but next year will also bring Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Fable and the subject of today’s dissection, Avowed. Each title offers something distinct for single-player RPG fans, and Avowed is poised to provide top-tier dialogue trees and rich worldbuilding, courtesy of Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds and Pentiment studio Obsidian Entertainment. This is the studio's first tentpole title under the Xbox Game Studios banner and its first AAA fantasy game ever. 

While I couldn’t determine its full scope in the preview I played this week, I’m pleased to report that so far, Avowed’s world is as gorgeous as its writing.

The preview included the game’s first two hours or so, from character creation through the initial main missions. Avowed is a spin-off of the Pillars of Eternity series and it’s set in the Living Lands, an area unexplored in the existing games, giving Obsidian a blank canvas for an epic original story. A blight called Dreamscourge is spreading across the region, infecting plants, animals and people with a prismatic fungus that induces madness, rage and death. You play as the envoy of the emperor of the Aedyr Empire, which has a deep history of invading and colonizing the surrounding lands.

Of course your protagonist is special, even by the standards of this magical world. Players are a godlike, meaning they’ve been touched by the divine and marked by facial growths of rainbow fungus. Generally, your godlike status and relationship with Aedyr automatically instills respect and suspicion in the people you meet. As you learn more about the Dreamscourge, it becomes impossible to ignore its similarities to the godlike marks you carry, and this existential terror builds beautifully in the game’s first few hours.

Are nature’s mutations madness or divinity? It’s a thin distinction with a long and dark history, and Avowed wallows in this gray area. Its first few hours introduce multiple narrative themes that can be mined throughout the game — the violence of colonization, palace intrigue, spiritual visions, insanity and religious fervor form the most prominent talking points. These arcs play out in conversations with supporting characters and in interactive pieces of lore scattered around the environments, each concept unspooling in a natural and intriguing fashion. There are plenty of opportunities in the dialogue trees to investigate these ideas and learn more about the world or your companions, with specialized responses that unlock if you have the right stats. In general, dialogue in the Avowed preview is nice and quippy, and each new character comes with a distinct, believable personality. Already, I’m curious to know more about the people of the Living Lands.

There are no strict classes in Avowed. Instead, players freely level up their abilities across fighter, ranger, and wizard using acquired skill points. There’s also a godlike tree, a page to upgrade your companions’ skillsets, and a character sheet with classic RPG attributes that you can place points into. I focused on building up my magic, health and damage, and it took a minute to find my preferred combat style. There are two weapons loadouts you can swap between on the fly, a pop-up radial with extra abilities, and four programmable spots on the D-pad. It’s a lot to manage in the frenzy of battle, but new weapons and tools are added to your inventory at a steady pace and it’s easy to experiment with different builds. In terms of weapons, I stumbled across a knife, spear, bow, shield, grimoire, wand, pistol and giant hammer, but I suspect there were even more tools hidden in the world. The bow and pistol have unlimited ammo, but reloading the pistol is a lengthy process, and the hammer is incredibly powerful, but its swing takes a moment to connect, leaving you vulnerable between hits. Combat is chaotic — especially when fighting hordes of giant spiders — but the game responds well to rapid-fire inputs and generally, each encounter feels like a real skills test.

Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment

For me, everything felt right once I found the wand. I closed out the preview with the bow in one loadout, and the grimoire and wand in the other, and I was starting to feel like a real badass. The wand is a quick midrange weapon, and combined with the rechargeable spells in the grimoire and the long range of the bow, it worked really well for my preferred fighting style. One annoyance I noted was the fact that I couldn’t draw my bow while taking sustained toxic damage, as each small hit made my character lose focus — this was a tough lesson to learn while trying to fight off a gang of rat-toothed reptilian creatures, but I definitely absorbed it.

In any RPG, I have a hard time leaving an area without smashing every vase, breaking every box and exploring every path. Avowed rewards this behavior with bits of worldbuilding, potions, strange animals, coins and tools hidden in the corners and crannies of the Living Lands. Or, sometimes, there’s just a breathtaking view. Either way, it makes me excited to see what secrets the full game is hiding.

I also played Avowed for about 45 minutes at Xbox’s Gamescom event in August, starting with a pre-built mage character in the middle of a search-and-rescue mission a few hours into the game. I had a good time flinging spells from my grimoire and chatting with characters in the caves I was exploring, but I sensed a slight disconnect that I attributed to the rushed and public nature of the demo. Now, I know what was missing: Character creation.

Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment

Rich character customization is a massive reason RPGs can feel so immersive and emotionally powerful, and it was a treat to play around with this system in Avowed’s latest preview. As a godlike, your character’s face is dotted with technicolor fungal growths, and tweaking the placement and appearance of these details was delightful, allowing my brain to build the foundations of my character’s story immediately. I chose a face with fuschia butterfly-wing paddles covering my eyes and forehead, and a crown of neon ridges draped over my skull. I then started molding my character’s backstory as a witchy scholar with a logical mind and a heart of gold, and swapped a dexterity attribute point for constitution. All of the expected customization mechanics were there, allowing me to tweak the size and shape of each facial feature, and change my hairstyle and color, skin tone, body type, voice, background, basic skills, pronouns and name. Put simply, the Monster Factory boys could have a lot of fun with this one.

That said, it’s hard to find anything ugly in Avowed. It’s shaping up to be a beautiful game, and the preview showcases expansive medieval vistas, shimmering psychedelic spores, rainbow-flecked animals and highly detailed NPCs. I was particularly impressed with the skin textures in the preview: Our main companion, Kai, has snakelike teal skin, and I very much enjoyed watching the light shine on his scales as we chatted by the fire of our party camp. Maybe I’m developing a reptile fetish, or maybe Avowed is just a really pretty game — at least when running on a PC with an RTX 4070 Super. I haven’t had the chance to try it out on an Xbox yet, and I’m curious to see how it will perform on both the Series X and Series S.

Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment

I have it on good information that Pillars of Eternity players will recognize the rainbow fungus and its infesting ways, but I don’t because I’ve never played those games. Avowed is my introduction to Obsidian’s dark fantasy universe, and I’m not alone in this position. Developers at Obsidian are keenly aware that Avowed will be the first Pillars game for many players, as art director Matt Hansen and production director Ryan Warden explained to me in August.

“We don't want players to feel like there's required reading,” Hansen said. “So everything that we do should be accessible and fun and enjoyable on its own. If you're just playing Avowed and that's the only game you play, you'll have a good time. And then on top of that, we're finding ways to weave in little winks and nods.” He specified that these take the form of documents, books and even a few familiar faces. He continued, “We just wanted to make sure that this is a game that's fun for everyone, and thankfully the world is rich enough that it's easy to inject someone in at any point. It's also part of the reason we picked the Living Lands. Its unexploded territory gives us a lot of freedom.”

Warden added, “Even on the quest front, we try to keep it enriched by lore, but you’re not completely lost when you're a new player.” He said that characters in Avowed offer more information on the history of any given situation if you’re interested in asking them for it, and there’s a lore tooltip feature that allows you to look up terms mid-conversation (which is also a thing in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, so it’s kind of like a meta wink).

Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment

Hansen and Warden also shared some thoughts about the scope and layout of the full game, something that can’t be conveyed in a two-hour preview.

“The game is structured similar to Outer Worlds, where there's open zones that are open-world in structure, but not one contiguous open world,” Warden said. “So it allows the critical path, the main story to be more focused and have key moments that happen at a cadence that doesn't feel weirdly paced, but it also allows a ton of freedom for player choice. You can go off and do side quests and the regions are just small enough to be manageable. You can do a lot, you can explore, but it’s not just checking off a bunch of icons. Everything is bespoke. It's hand-done. There's not much reuse of things.”

Hansen nodded and said, “Lots to explore, but you're not punished for not exploring it. I mean, frankly, I'm becoming an old man. I don't want to spend 120 hours on a game anymore. I like being able to play through our game relatively swiftly. Or, I've had playthroughs that were like six times as long as other playthroughs because I started to get into the nitty gritty. And that's a nice accommodation.”

“It can be as long as you want it to be,” Warden finished.

Avowed is due to hit Steam and Xbox Series X/S on February 18, 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/avowed-preview-classic-obsidian-fantasy-on-a-aaa-budget-140056761.html?src=rss

You can now stream some Xbox games you own, but you still need Game Pass Ultimate

Microsoft has announced a long-anticipated feature for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Starting today, you'll be able to stream select games that you own on TVs and Meta Quest VR headsets, as well as supported browsers on phones, tablets and PCs in every country where Xbox Cloud Gaming is available. Microsoft plans to expand the feature to Xbox consoles and the Windows Xbox app next year.

You'll still need to be an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member to use this feature, but it means that you're no longer limited to streaming only the games that are on that service. The "stream your own game" option includes support for 50 titles at the outset, with more to be added later. You can stream the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Stray, The Witcher 3, Balatro, Animal Well, NBA 2K25, Baldur’s Gate 3 and several Final Fantasy games. Just look for the "stream your own game" section on Cloud Gaming.

An Xbox spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that "streaming the games you own requires a digitally purchased game." So, you won't be able to stream a physical copy of, say, Farming Simulator 25 via this feature, but if you have the disc in your Xbox Series X, remote play is still an option. 

Although it's broadly good that people have more ways to play their games, this move lines up with Xbox inching toward an all-digital future — one in which gamers without access to fast, reliable Internet connections may be left behind. This also lets Xbox expand its cloud gaming offerings without having to necessarily pay third-party developers and publishers big bucks to get their projects on Game Pass proper. 

The stream your own game initiative also ties into Microsoft's new ad campaign about all kinds of devices being an Xbox when they are, in fact, not. The rollout comes a day after Sony started publicly testing a cloud gaming option on PlayStation Portal, a feature that the device should have had from the beginning. 

Update November 20, 1:41PM ET: Added clarification from Xbox that only digitally purchased games, and not physical copies, are eligible to stream. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/you-can-now-stream-some-xbox-games-you-own-but-you-still-need-game-pass-ultimate-181047095.html?src=rss

Final Fantasy 14 Mobile is on the way

Square Enix is plunging deeper into the Final Fantasy 14 goldmine with a mobile spin-off. There's no release window for Final Fantasy 14 Mobile as yet, but playtests will "soon" get underway in China, "followed by a global launch soon after."

Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida said in a video that developer Lightspeed Studios is working to "faithfully recreate the story, duties, battle content and other aspects of the original game." It seems that "duties" is a reference to the jobs system. A teaser trailer shows off the scope, grandeur and lived-in atmosphere of the mobile version of Eorzea, all set to typically absorbing music from FF14 sound director Masayoshi Soken.

It's not yet clear if there will be cross-progression with the PC and console version of Final Fantasy 14. While the mobile game is said to provide players with a "new adventure," the story bears at least some similarities to the original.

"You are beckoned by the Mothercrystal, carrying the light of hope to the world of Hydaelyn," according to the FF14 Mobile website. "Heed the Mothercrystal’s call, embrace your destiny as an adventurer, and confront the primals to deliver Eorzea from certain destruction." For what it's worth, a Mothercrystal trial was added to Final Fantasy 14 as part of the 2021 expansion, Endwalker, so the plot of the mobile game may not exactly follow the one from the original title.

Square Enix says you'll have a number of playable races to choose from. At the outset, there will be nine jobs, which you can switch between on the fly. You'll initially have access to 11 crafting and gathering classes, so you can be a miner, alchemist or, of course, a fisher.

Combat controls are being tuned for mobile devices. Outside of battles, you can customize your home and character, race chocobos, play the Triple Triad card game and enjoy seasonal events. You'll be able to play alongside friends and strangers, while there are more than 600 different weather patterns in the game.

Tencent's Lightspeed Studios is behind mobile hits like PUBG Mobile. Dragon's Dogma creator Hideaki Itsuno recently joined Lightspeed to head up a new studio.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/final-fantasy-14-mobile-is-on-the-way-171455003.html?src=rss

Day of the Devs livestream will showcase indie titles a day before the Game Awards

On December 12, The Game Awards will reveal some of the biggest upcoming games and honor the industry's achievements yet again. The day before it's set to take place, however, a Day of the Devs event will put a spotlight on indie developers and titles in a livestream that fans everywhere can watch online. This Game Awards Edition showcase will feature quite a lengthy list of developer partners, including Heart Machine, which is best known for 2D action role-playing game Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, a 3D platformer set against a neon-colored landscape. 

Panic, the developer behind Untitled Goose Game, will also participate in the event, along with Annapurna, a publisher whose games include What Remains of Edith Finch. There's also Riffraff Games that debuted its first title, Sleight of Hand, a "noir stealth sim" game about a former occult detective who must track down and defeat her former coven earlier this year. The event will showcase 19 indie titles in all and will feature seven world premieres, title reveals and release date announcements throughout. Indie games fans can watch it on the official Game Awards YouTube and Twitch channels on December 11, starting at 9AM PT/12PM ET. 

The Game Awards recently announced this year's nominees, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Astro Bot leading the pack with seven nominations each. Metaphor: ReFantazio, a fantasy Japanese RPG from the same team behind Persona 5, got six noms. Silent Hill 2 and the poker/roguelike game Balatro aren't far behind, each with five nominations. All of those games, aside from Silent Hill 2, are shortlisted for Game of the Year, along with Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/day-of-the-devs-livestream-will-showcase-indie-titles-a-day-before-the-game-awards-170002009.html?src=rss

Strinova’s 2D Stringify mechanic breathes some new life into hero shooters

Strinova is a third-person hero shooter coming out this week, and its recent closed beta functioned more like an open beta despite the label. Its anime art style caught my eye, so I decided to register and try it out. While this hero shooter had much in common with others in the genre, I thoroughly enjoyed the new mechanics it introduced.

This new third-person shooter from iDreamSky has elements players of Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch and Valorant will find familiar, such as game modes and Agent roles. However, the game sets itself apart by implementing a mechanic called “Stringify,” allowing Agents to turn from 3D into paper-thin 2D models.

Stringify allows Agents to avoid gunfire, climb up walls and even glide through the air, but they can’t shoot or use abilities while Stringified. This mechanic allows for possibilities like chambering sniper rifle rounds while minimizing one’s hitbox and traversing walls mid-gunfight. It was incredibly entertaining to move around like this, but it isn’t so over-the-top like how some Call of Duty games and Titanfall implement movement mechanics. Spamming glides or sprints won’t do much good.

Each Agent has unique abilities and primary weapons, while secondary weapons and grenades can be swapped out. You have many familiar roles like snipers, designated marksmen with semi-automatic rifles, mid-range assault units and close-quarters-focused brawlers armed with shotguns. The abilities range from defensive supports to lone-wolf offensive kits, though Strinova doesn’t encourage engaging groups of enemies alone due to a longer time to kill.

My favorite Agent from the open beta is Meredith (image below), a mid-range assault Agent who can glide in mid-air longer due to a time-slowing mechanic. Her gunplay feels almost inspired by Warframe’s Zephyr, who also has extended airtime. Meredith also has area denial abilities that apply debuffs, most significantly with her Ultimate Skill that drains HP temporarily while limiting vision.

Meredith Strinova
Jeremy Gan for Engadget

Another standout is Audrey, whose ability turns her into a stationary turret and lets her fire her machine gun without recoil or reloading. However, you’ll want to watch out for overheating. She has a limited shield that blocks some incoming fire while aiming down the sights — but there’s a catch. Despite being a bullet hose, she’s vulnerable to a single sniper headshot, and a shotgun user can take her out quickly before she enters turret mode, which has a longer startup animation.

There were four game modes in the open beta: team deathmatch, team arena, escort, and demolition. Escort is similar to what Overwatch offers, which has an attacking team escorting a payload to the goal. Demolition is basically competitive Counter-Strike. Team deathmatch has five teams of three fighting each other, while team arena has a 7v7 format. In the last two game modes, Ultimate Skills are disabled.

Based on my experience, Strinova has a longer time to kill, which forces players to be more tactical, especially when everyone can use Stringify to move around. I was forced to ditch my highly aggressive playstyle and employ proper movement and peeking to ensure I survived gunfights. Since each Agent gets to turn 2D, glide and climb walls, there are plenty of ways to get the drop on opponents.

Weapon Upgrade Strinova
Jeremy Gan for Engadget

Strinova ran smoothly on my gaming laptop, reaching 120FPS easily and rarely dropping many frames. However, there was a glaring bug in which my A key was perceived as being held down. The only way to “fix” was to pause or unplug my keyboard. I usually had to perform the latter, and it was rather annoying to deal with, though hopefully it’s something that gets worked out by release.

I definitely enjoyed playing the Strinova open beta, and the game is set to come out on November 21. There are plenty of other cool things in the game, but the combat absolutely stands out. I don’t play that many hero shooters, but this one is like a diamond in the rough to me.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/strinovas-2d-stringify-mechanic-breathes-some-new-life-into-hero-shooters-140043155.html?src=rss