I don’t envy the developers behind Concord. The hero shooter subgenre is a difficult space to break into, and cultivating a dedicated playerbase is even tougher. After seeing Concord’s gameplay reveal last month and its lukewarm response, I would have told you Firewalk Studios’ debut title would likely fall flat on its face.
However, after spending a few hours with Concord earlier this month, it’s clear that PlayStation and Firewalk Studios have built a solid foundation for its sci-fi multiplayer shooter. Mechanically, Concord sits somewhere between Overwatch and Valorant. Gun combat plays a big role in the moment-to-moment gameplay, but fast reaction times and pinpoint accuracy aren’t the be-all end-all of firefights. Each hero, or Freegunner as they are called, boasts a unique primary weapon, a distinct movement style, and two primary abilities. The lengthy time to kill lets all these different abilities shine without undermining the tight and responsive gunplay. Success requires good team composition, an understanding of each character’s abilities, and a bit of raw skill.
While most Freegunners still fit into a traditional role–such as a support or tank–they feel a bit more flexible than their Overwatch counterparts. You’d think Star Child, the blue and red behemoth with a large health pool, would be the ideal tank. But thanks to his well-rounded kit–including a primary ability that essentially turns him into a wrecking ball that charges across the battlefield–and his shotgun that doubles as an axe, he can fit into an offensive DPS role with hit-and-run tactics. In the back half of one game, I racked up a half dozen kills by outflanking the enemy team.
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