RATING:
Pros: highly detailed and gorgeous looking world design, fun and fast-paced combat.
Cons: None as of now
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Overall: 8
When Firefall was released a few days ago (at last!), we leaped at the opportunity to check it out. In case you haven’t heard about it yet, Firefall is a fast-paced sci-fi 3rd-person MMORPG from Red 5 Studios. Despite the fact that the game is free to play, it was released with two purchasable digital packs, the Digital Starter Pack ($29.99) and the Digital Deluxe Edition ($99.99) which grant players access to multiple exclusive in-game items and VIP status. And we were privileged enough to be provided with a Digital Deluxe Edition account in order to try out the new items as well as to check out the game in general, which we hadn’t done since beta.
So first of all, just a short outline of what the game is about: In the future, we will have discovered the space folding technology that will enable travels throughout space on board of the pioneering ship Arclight. During its maiden voyage from Fortaleza, Brazil, the ship suffered problems and pretty much ended up crashing back down to Earth. The Arclight engaged its engines and opened a dimensional rip referred to as the Melding and this is where the Chosen (bad alien guys) emerged from, trying to take over the world and turning Brazil into an absolute warzone. But now onto the game!
The very first thing we noted was that the developers have entirely changed the game’s initial tutorial mode. In the past, players began their virtual life in a futuristic training bunker, where they learned the fundamentals about controls and their gear while shooting down droids. However, developers now are taking a totally different approach and players are dropped in the centre of combat instead.
The Chosen have started a massive invasion on Copacabana and our squad was dropped straight into the heart of the battle. Being part of a defensive force, we moved forward and completed objectives as we tried to recover the decimated area and get the city’s shield backup online. During this ferocious fight, players get to see the five primary battleframes (the five main classes) in action and may decide which one they want to use. [SPOILER] In fact, the invasion actually is just a virtual simulation preparing player for their arrival in the as of yet uncontested area of Copacabana, which is the starting zone for the game.
One of our favourite things about the game is that players aren’t restricted to a specific battleframe for their class but can freely switch between them at a battleframe station. And one of the benefits the Digital Deluxe Edition grants is access to each and every of the eleven advanced battleframes that otherwise have to be unlocked with the in-game Beans currency, plus the exclusive battleframe Cobalt Phoenix warpaint. During our trial, we took some of the new battleframes out for a spin and they all handled really well, however, we weren’t able to give any of them an extended play-through.
Another one of the perks we were not only grated by the Deluxe account but also by our VIP status (which actually is part of the Deluxe account) were two cosmetic pets, one of which was a Little Claw, the other a Red Pander. However, the most impressive item was our transport, an armoured all-terrain jeep for 2 persons that allows one of them to drive while the other sitting in the passenger seat is able to shot at enemies in a drive-by. We additionally got access to our own personal glider, with the help of which we could quickly cover long distances before dropping back onto the ground. It even had rainbow wings and was indeed quite awesome.
And finally, we were also provided with 200 Beans to spend in the store, as well as with 90 days of VIP status, which grants XP and resource boosts to help players get ahead in the game. Those boosts are also available in the shop but can only be purchased with the premium Beans currency. There are also several other smaller benefits included the Deluxe status, in-game titles, for instance, as well as downloads outside of the game such as soundtrack and concept art.
Regarding the game itself, it seems to be working as well as it did in the beta. We were able to do some questing in an open world area that led into a bunker and to one of the thumper sites, those enormous harvester pods that collect resources over time, but are under constant enemy attack, forcing players to fend off wave after wave until the resources are extracted. The harvester was just a quest mission, but players can drop them at nearly any point/ location in the game world to collect their own resources.
Combat is quite intense and fast-paced; players are often surrounded by mobs of fast-moving enemies, which, with a little skill, some powerful weapons and your jet pack that allows you to fly around for a limited period of time, is still pretty fun and extremely thrilling. The visuals hold up well and offer a quite awesome world design, given that the developers have to take into account that players are free to move vertically at any point, using their jet pack. With a little exploration, there’s a plethora of high ledges and low valleys to discover.
In case you’re interested in finding out more, just have a look at our profile which is accessible via a single click onto the INFO button below. And, by the way, we will soon publish a first look video to allow you to see the game in action.
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