If you’re looking for a solid experience that keeps going and motivates you to keep going through rewards and short missions, then you’ll enjoy Defiance 2050. It’s a solid title that does what is advertised. Just excuse those last generation cutscenes.
Trion Worlds returns with their last generation updated Defiance 2050 that taps into the Xbox One X. While the cutscene animation looks very last generation, the girth of the world and the loaded objectives takes full advantage of the current generation power. Does that improve things from the last generation? Maybe in some areas, maybe not in others. Let’s talk.
The initial gameplay design of Defiance 2050 is still very much intact from the last generation release. You have story groundwork laid down for you that puts you on a scorched earth that has been drastically altered thanks to an alien invasion, as well as war. Along the way, you will run into mutants, aliens, and other baddies that are trying to prevent your progression in whatever mission you’re trying to accomplish. It’s basic at its core, and nothing that hasn’t been done in a cheesy Hollywood film before (it’s like a mixture of Independence Day and Avatar), but there is some charm and entertainment value in it.
Beyond the story, the initial gameplay is what Trion Worlds does best. They put you in a series of scenarios where you have to accomplish certain tasks, while also given the opportunity to explore the world as much as you want. You have seen this sort of gameplay in Trion titles like RIFT and TROVE, where the game is run by smaller experiences. It’s not a bad structure, though Defiance 2050 feels like it takes less effort to succeed and proceed through missions, which is what you want from a game like this. Keep the player going without throwing too much at once at them. Once you complete a mission, you’re immediately pointed to another, which is how the game keeps you interested and engaged.
Another aspect that helps keep the player interested is the style of the gameplay. The fact that it’s also a third person shooter does help things when it comes to quick progression department. You point, you shoot, you take cover when needed, and you eliminate the enemy by strategically maneuvering through the map. It’s quick stints that just keep you exploring and pushing forward. Nothing takes too long, which is great for games like this, as you don’t want to spend an abnormal amount of time on one mission, unless it’s a major part of the story. Thing Fallout on a smaller scale and you get the picture. Again, succeed and proceed is the name of the game and it works here.
To keep your interests further engaged, the game features an outrageously (respectfully) weapon and customization system. You can change up your player, their weapons (you earn them and find them) and whatnot. You can improve your player on multiple levels with the system they built, which helps continually keep the player going. Knowing that you could potentially improve your situation in the game through missions, actions, and exploration can be motivating factors for the game’s longevity.
Trion Worlds also included a solid rewards systems that is built to keep you motivated. For example, at the beginning of the game you are rewarded with an off-road vehicle, which helps you move from location to location. You get this vehicle by accomplishing initial missions. Running, in all its glory, absolutely sucks. It’s time consuming and it makes the game slow. Getting rewarded with something to help you, after completing a few missions, and at the same time make you feel more improved/powerful, is a good way to keep players engaged. For a game that is free-to-play like Defiance 2050, you need your gamers to feel like they’re getting properly rewarded for their efforts. It does a good job of that during gameplay.
Beyond rewards, the sheer girth of the world that Trion Worlds has built for this version of Defiance is impressive. The environments are detailed, sprawling, and give you a sense of destruction through a heavy amount of effects. For example, while you’re exploring the war torn land of Defiance 2050, you’ll notice pillars of smoke, giant explosions happening in the background, and endless amounts of dangerous life populating the land. It’s impressive and you can tell that TW tapped into the power of XBX. I just wish they would have put some more effort into recreating the very stiff looking cutscenes. They’re pretty old looking when compared to other remastering jobs of older games (see Resident Evil for example).
Now, if there was a true downer to this game it would have to be the repetitiveness of the enemies at least at the initial start. There’s a lot of repetition going on, as enemies look and act the same through the first initial missions of the Defiance 2050. It does help when it comes to bringing down enemies and proceeding forward in the story, but it doesn’t do much for the variety of enemies. In defense of this, though, most MMO-esque games like this have a lot of repetitiveness to them. FFXIV suffers from this, as does World of Warcraft. And much like those games, the bosses or main villains in bigger missions are unique, so it’s not total repetition, but it’s a wash/rinse/repeat sort of deal prior with standard enemies. If this is the biggest knock, though, then I think TW is doing just find with their title.
Overall, if you’re looking for a solid experience that keeps going and motivates you to keep going through rewards and short missions, then you’ll enjoy Defiance 2050. It’s a solid title that does what is advertised. Just excuse those last generation cutscenes.
