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Concord is not the disaster the discourse around it would lead you to believe. This online first-person shooter – a debut effort from Sony studio Firewalk – has outrageous production values, a fair business model, and a genuinely entertaining gameplay loop. Its biggest issue is its lack of identity: there’s no denying the developer has been heavily inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy, and while the title does genuinely try to blaze its own trail, that’ll largely be its downfall.

For those who haven’t been following, this is the second of PlayStation’s much-discussed live service efforts, following on from the record-breaking success of Helldivers 2 earlier in the year. Available on PS5 and PC, this is a premium release with a $40/£35 price point, and all 16 characters and 12 maps are available for everyone from day one. There are no microtransactions, Battle Passes, or hidden costs – although the studio has said it plans to sell cosmetics at a later date.

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You play as a Freegunner from a ship named the Northstar, a ragtag crew of sci-fi mercenaries tasked with taking on high stakes missions. Each match, across a total of six modes, is framed as one of said objectives. Characters include a lizard-like individual named Lennox, who wields a revolver and can heal himself. You’ll also find Haymar, a pyromaniac with a penchant for crossbows, and Teo, an ex-elite soldier with a love for grenades.

Each of the 16 characters have their own personality and kit, providing them with unique gameplay possibilities. Lark, a kind of fungi-like humanoid, can deposit plants on the stage which enables them to either warp to safe spots or buff the mobility of their teammates. Emari, meanwhile, an enormous hulking lady, can deploy armour for her allies and utilise her own personal shield to defend herself from incoming shrapnel and enemy fire.

A key gameplay mechanic encourages you to switch between different characters in each match, as completing a full round with one hero will unlock bonuses for another. Choosing the hyperactive cat-girl It-Z, for example, will improve your movement speed. You can then utilise this when you respawn as a different character to increase your overall agility. All of these systems intertwine strategically, allowing you to collaborate with teammates to seriously enhance the capabilities of your chosen character.

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To add even more tactical depth, variants of each Freegunner are available to unlock. While these don’t drastically change their kit, they do introduce interesting gameplay wrinkles, such as increased ammunition reserves or better healing capabilities. The higher tension modes – like Flash Point and Cargo Run, which don’t have respawns – really force you to consider your team-building priorities, and reward you for understanding multiple characters, as winning a round will permanently lock you out of your currently selected hero for the remainder of the match.

The production values are off the charts, with dense detailed sky boxes and superb animation. All of the characters are motion captured, and while there’s a degree of uncanny valley to some of the heroes, it still all looks incredibly impressive in motion. Personally, we’re not particularly keen on some of the designs: 1-Off, a recycling robot armed with a giant industrial vacuum cleaner, is ridiculous – and DeVeers is inexplicably equipped with Tupperware on her head.

It’s also hard to shake the lack of originality in places. Star Child, a beefcake shotgun wielder with red and blue skin, is effectively Drax – and Teo is your typical textbook PS3 protagonist from 2008. We wouldn’t be surprised if he’s voiced by Nolan North!

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The developer clearly wants you to fall in love with the characters regardless. It’s promising weekly cinematic skits in order to connect you with the cast, and these look as expensive as they sound. Frankly, we’ll be surprised if it’s able to afford to keep making these beyond the first few seasons, and we’re not entirely sure how much they add to the overall experience. The same could be said of the lore library, which expands as you explore more maps and progress with different characters.

We should reiterate, there are no Battle Passes or shady business models here: everything can be unlocked simply by playing the game. This includes alternative outfits, accessories, attachments, and more. While the studio has admitted it intends to sell cosmetics later down the line, it’s refreshing to play a multiplayer game not burdened by microtransactions, and there’s a reasonable amount to unlock on day one. It remains to be seen how much more gets added in future seasons.

It’s worth mentioning as well that the user interface is a work of art. It captures the title’s retro sci-fi theme perfectly, and everything is presented cleanly and clearly. There are also no real bugs that we’ve encountered, although we did get stuck to the spot towards the end of one match, meaning we couldn’t move to assist our team. Fortunately, we’ve been unable to replicate this issue and we’re assuming it’s rare.

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Our biggest concern, beyond the overall lack of identity, is how the game is going to retain players’ interest long-term. There are only six modes available at launch, almost all of which are variants of playlists you’ll be familiar with from other games, and there’s not the lure of a never-ending list of quests and objectives like in Fortnite. The studio clearly hopes players will get a kick out of the gameplay itself and not all of the surrounding fluff, but that’s a tough ask in this competitive market. We obviously can’t speak to how much the title will grow and evolve beyond launch.

Conclusion

Concord is a clean and well-meaning first-person shooter, with no shady business practices to boot. Its lack of real identity is an issue, and it’s difficult to determine just how much Sony is going to get behind it long-term. However, there’s a polished and beautifully presented experience on offer here, with some interesting tactical team-building systems and sublime animations. Firewalk’s debut may not be out of this world, but it’s genuinely pretty good overall.

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