Lord, it has been a hot minute since I played a hero shooter. I’m pretty sure that Destiny 2 knocked that enjoyment out of me, which is sad because I always loved playing team-based PvP games that were fun and always felt fresh and accessible. There’s just something exciting about jumping into a scrum with teammates and taking down a team of other gamers. When done right and balanced, it’s a nightly ritual that I can fall into.
Well, despite my Destiny 2 disappointment, my interest has been piqued, and my love for this type of gaming may have returned thanks to Bad Guitar Studio’s FragPunk. While it’s a free-to-play game, something that shouldn’t deter you from trying it out, it brings quick action, unique characters with specialized powers, and a card system that helps to set rules for matches and keeps the gameplay interesting. While it certainly contains microtransactions (otherwise, how is the studio going to make money?), and a mode that misses, there is still a lot more positive than negative. Tons more.
So, let’s charge ahead, lock and load, and dive into this hero shooter game to see what is under the hood.
Valorant gameplay with a stylish attitude
The first thing you will notice about FragPunk is how similar it feels to Valorant on a competitive level. You have unique characters with certain powers armed to the teeth with Call of Duty-like weapon choices, and who weave in and out of a nicely sized map to quickly dispose of. This game includes shields, smoke screens, and tornado disruption, which makes this feel like Riot’s shooter. Honestly, there isn’t much wrong with that, as you want games like this to feel familiar so that you can jump into them quickly.
Where things start to separate with this game is around the time you learn about Shard Cards and how they work in FragPunk. These are cards that either help your team or hurt your enemies. They can be something as simple as shooting your teammate to give them more life, or they can be as vicious as causing fall damage to enemies who like leaping off high places on maps. Regardless of the card, you get three to choose from, sometimes you can combine them, and your team votes on which ones to use before a match begins. Once chosen, you unleash whatever type of hell you want on enemies through those cards.
The inclusion of the shard card makes this a more diverse gameplay experience, as your matches can go quite a few ways depending on what card comes up and what everyone chooses. Some of the cards can shift a round, and some can put enemy victory plans on hold. The Shard Cards were a clever and fun element added on top of easy-to-pick-up gameplay. While they are buffs at their core, getting the full advantage of the cards depends heavily on player skill.
What’s even better about the shard cards is that they aren’t microtransactional; rather, they can be earned through gameplay success. They will randomly appear as you continue to play the game, and there are a whopping 150 of them in place, so they don’t feel repetitive. As an old-school veteran of simple shooter games since the 90s, having these in place with no unfair advantage does wonders for modern hero shooter gameplay. It makes it more accessible for gamers just starting, and creates motivation to keep playing the game so that you can obtain more of them. They’re great for this type of game and were cleverly implemented to make this more than another hero shooter.
How the game plays
As with all shooters of this type, my biggest worry as I get older is how the controls are going to feel and how easy it is to be successful amongst players who generally have more experience than I, and who are probably younger with quicker reaction time. The positive here is that this shooter feels good. The accuracy of the game is on point (no pun intended), and even coming into it as a n00b, there is a great chance of success. My very first match had me killing about 6-8 enemies, while not dying once. It was fast, furious, and accurate. At the very least, it gave me some confidence to keep playing.
Added to the pick-up-and-go feeling, the controls also felt good. Speeding up, sliding, pointing,g, and shooting – all of it felt natural, and nothing felt buggy or off. Even with a controller, which is my preferred method of hero shooting, it didn’t feel like I was at a disadvantage, which is a Christmas miracle. Keyboard commandos usually come in with accuracy and advantage, but it never felt that way.
Now, that doesn’t mean the game isn’t challenging as you progress. The game starts to put you in matches with more seasoned players as you progress. For example, the second and third matches, where I went into higher-level brackets, were far more challenging. I certainly had my fair share of my ass being handed to me. That’s not uncommon with these types of games. Eventually, you’re going to gradually be paired with tougher players as you progress.
Being paired up with better players and learning the nuances of the game through my various deaths taught me a lot. The game is constructed in such a way that I picked up strategies, learned to use my character’s powers better, and started to pull even with my fellow players. FragPunk does a great job with gradual progression and just tip-toeing you through so that you don’t feel over your head with better competition. It’s balanced, even though you do feel the more difficult players when you progress and enter another match. The game does a good job of pairing up and getting you into a better challenge, but not keeping you buried.
Overall, the game felt great. No doubt that it is a challenge as you continue to level up, but nothing so discouraging that you’ll want to drop this game at any given point. It’s not like Destiny 2, where you’ll have people unfairly one-shotting you with an overpowered weapon, or pairing you with difficult competition that uses you for target practice. Everything feels like it’s balanced, even if you have to learn and progress a bit.
Multiple maps and modes
For a game like FragPunk, I didn’t expect a lot from maps and modes. This is a free-to-play game, so adding well-constructed maps didn’t seem like a typical formula. Even with games like Valorant and Overwatch 2, most of their maps are similarly structured, so while they look different, they feel the same. Again, they’re free-to-play, so you’re not there for the map variety.
With FragPunk, the majority of the maps you fight on are multi-tiered and wide. I’m not talking about Battlefield-wide, but certainly bigger than the typical Call of Duty map. They’re also constructed uniquely, such is the case that you may play on an ancient ruins map that has large sets of stairs, dead-ends, and a marketplace to hide in, or you might get a map more technology-driven with labs and a flatter area. Regardless of the map, they feel different, play differently, and are different. You never feel like you’re stuck in the same type of structure or have a disadvantage when playing within different areas. I give huge kudos to the devs for taking the time to construct unique experiences that keep the gameplay feeling fresh.
Now, some of the maps, depending on mode, don’t work as well as they should. For example, there is a mode in the game called FrogPunk, where you’re either a frog or a mosquito. The single map I played in this mode was small and uninspiring. The mode gives you an insane amount of both types of characters to play. When you die, you can revive, but the area is so tight that it doesn’t matter because you’re always going to die quickly (especially the frogs). I’m talking about one structure in the middle, four small areas, each one on each side of the middle, that look and play the same. You’re simply going back and forth in this mode, and it can get a bit boring. This was the only mode and map I didn’t take to during my gameplay. I just need either bigger teams or bigger maps (or both).
Anyway, for the most part, I enjoyed the maps, their styles, and their flexibility with new player performances. There are enough corners to see, places to hide, and map areas to explore that you’ve got a great chance of winning regardless of experience. I can dig these types of maps.
On the mode side of the tracks, they come in a variety of flavors. The game features the following modes:
Team Deathmatch – Exactly what you think it is. The teams are 5v5, and it’s the last one standing wins. Nothing too out of the ordinary with this mode.
One Shot – Can you guess? Everyone has one bullet in their magazine, and it can take down enemies. A toughie and not for the weak-hearted.
Free for Fall – Showing your chops against everyone. This is a great way to get experience, train with better players, and just improve. No frustration in this mode, it’s just pure take down and count it!
FrogPunk – Frogs versus mosquitos. Frogs can hop everywhere, mosquitoes can fly. The latter has a large advantage over the former. As Obi-Wan once said, “I have the high ground!” And if you have that, then whoever is below is at an extreme disadvantage. I bet a bigger map would make this better and more balanced.
Outbreak – Survivors and attackers. It’s an interesting and familiar take on zombies.
Duel Master – I knew that I was not built for this mode, but for those with big win streaks and even bigger egos, they may love the 1v1 play.
Scrimmage – Casual gunfights and easily repeatable gunplay. It’s a good time all the time.
Shard Clash – This is where you use those shard cards wisely. In this mode, you try to find the best advantage over your opponents with your cards, and then you jump into a plant/defuse gameplay that you’ve seen before in other games. There are multiple ways to take advantage of a situation in this game, but guessing the best strategy makes it interesting. Playing both sides of the coin also helps keep it engaging.
Beyond these modes, there are also special events that take place, challenges you can go up against, and I’m sure future add-ons that will keep the gameplay fresh. As of right now, the game is loaded with good ways to play, sans FrogPunk (just not a fan), and it seems like it has everything for everyone.
Overall, there is a lot here packaged in a free-to-play game. Yes, there are certainly things you can purchase and styles you can adopt, and battle pass scenarios that can keep you well-armed and unique, but ultimately, FragPunk is a lot bigger than expected. More importantly, it’s an entertaining game.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
FragPunk from developer Bad Guitar Studio has a lot going on, most of which is positive. The game is easy to jump into, there are a variety of modes to play to keep the gameplay fresh, and the game just looks and feels cool. Not all of it is gold, but it’s certainly close.
