Don’t trust the developers! This game is not about portals at all, sometimes they even get in the way.
Everyone jokes: SplitGate is when you didn’t keep track of Halo and Portal . There is some truth here. But only one tenth. This game is an independent product that has something to say to our community. The guys who made a separate mode out of tibagany, I think, are completely tongue-tied… But more on that later.
Now let’s figure out what the game can give us? What makes it so exciting and popular?? What did the developers want to convey to us and did they succeed?? And in the end we will answer the question – is it worth it??
Video/audio version of the material. Enjoy watching! :Z
Project foundation
So, SplitGate is a perfect example of how disclosure one single idea makes a project look like candy. You might think that we are talking specifically about the portal system, which the developers boasted so much about on the game page and in trailers. But it’s not that simple.
Portals are, of course, an important aspect, but this is game mechanics, and creating a game around mechanics alone won’t work, no matter how much you’d like to. Well, it will be possible to create something, but it’s unlikely to retain a player.
Therefore the project is based on Idea. Around just one idea, which in this case can be expressed in one word. Dynamics. And in those places where the developers remembered this, the project turned out great. But first things first.
Revealing the main mechanics
Splitgate – This shooter first person. You run and shoot. Therefore, the most important mechanics that the eye immediately falls on are movement and shooting.
And both of these aspects are done beautifully in their own way. Movement feels swift, nimble and inert at the same time. All maps in the game are quite small, and can be run through in about fifteen seconds from end to end. That’s why all the players are running around like mad.
At the same time level design carried out so that the project does not turn into a shooting gallery. This was done due to vertical gameplay, so battles often take place not somewhere in front, but above or below the player. To quickly get to the battle site, use backpack. The charge in it lasts for a few seconds, but to correct a fall or the trajectory of a jump, this is more than enough.
An interesting aspect of the game is inertia – you can smoothly turn while falling, the character becomes quite helpless in flight, but most importantly, this property is often used when passing through portals to accelerate the character (on which, by the way, damage in melee depends). Yes, with portals you’ll have to figure it out one way or another.
Proper use of portals allows you to kill an enemy in close combat with one blow (basic damage “from hand” is 30 units)
I have nothing against these guys, it’s just a shame that a good project is remembered by the community only as Portal with guns, although in this mechanics, it’s worth admitting, the similarities are obvious. As in the legendary Valve game, the character has the ability to create portals strictly on certain surfaces. There are four buttons responsible for opening and closing them, which is disorienting at first.
On the keyboard these are the buttons Q, E, Z, X. You quickly get used to them, the main thing to remember is what color is the “left portal” and what color is the “right”. Some players, by the way, prefer a gamepad even on a PC.
But then, when you learn to use them correctly and react to the actions of the enemy, you get a second wind. Quickly catch up with the enemy at low HP? Easily! Situation monitoring? Camping? Using the portal’s momentum for melee attacks? Unexpected moves, traps and tactics? All this is realized with four buttons and a boiling pot.
It’s hard to describe in words, but portals really benefit the game, but they are not the goal, they are just means.
Means. Achievements. Mad. Speakers. A mechanism for creating adrenaline-pumping situations when you can fly at an enemy in a second or catch a shotgun blast from the other end of the map with your face. A way to change the outcome of a battle or hide from an enemy. Of course, there are some problems and they are related to the game modes, so for now let’s talk about shooting.
I can’t say whether the shooting in Splitgate and the same Halo are similar – I just haven’t gotten acquainted with the second project. But I can describe my own impressions. As a proud Silver Rank holder in Apex (this season a little less proud – bronze), I can responsibly declare: there is no recoil, no sights are needed, the TTK is excellent, A no damage from grenades I realized after about five hours of intense play. They are here to destroy enemy portals, it turns out.
With each round you start using grenades more and more often
Someone might call shooting wooden and, on the one hand, they would be right. But let’s be honest: SplitGate is an arcade shooter through and through, in which realistic shooting is not needed. I’m not sure that the shots here have flatness, if only because implementing the “weight” of a bullet and a portal system in one project, it seems to me, would greatly load the server part.
And in a game like this, realism is only interfered would be dynamics and confused people. And so – everything is very clear. Where you shoot, the bullet flies there. And this only benefits the gameplay and gives rise to many bright and pleasant impressions.
What’s under the hood?
The arsenal here, by the way, is quite modest, but interesting. Here you will find various types of rifles, compact pistols, a shotgun, and the beloved railgun. Total – 11 guns. But there are more than enough of them for such cards. If there were more weapons, there would be more fuss and unpleasant situations, the taste of the main part of the community is more than covered by these weapons.
Did I mention great TTK. Why did I express myself so loudly? Well, first of all, because exactly the kind of killing time that is implemented in the project is ideal for the spirit of Splitgate. You can kill an enemy in just a couple of seconds, just as you can “fly away” yourself. If you survive the fight, your health reserve of one hundred units will begin to quickly recover in just a few seconds. Not a minute of respite, no thinking about “what” and “where”. Running! Running! Running!
And we resort straight to talking about https://chokdee777casino.co.uk/ maps And game modes. I counted exactly ten cards, plus six more minimalistic “simulations” that stand apart. We’ll talk about the cards themselves later; in this game they are just decorations. But the modes are already worth a separate discussion.
So, game modes. Conventionally, they can be divided into classic And modified. In both cases, the variety is pleasantly pleasing, but the modes themselves… Not all of them are suitable for the project.
Variety definitely pleases, although not always in the way you expect
Variety definitely pleases, although not always in the way you expect
Let me remind you – Splitgate is based on dynamics. Dynamic battles, constantly moving around the map, confusing the enemy, a game of cat and mouse, if you like. And if some regimes use this concept for their own benefit, another part is trying to go against the basics. For example, classic TDM plays great. Oddball, where points are scored for holding the “ball” – also.
But King of the Hill, Domination And VIP player – modes in which the focus of the game is not on moving, but on protecting a static point – are no longer so attractive. Why is a VIP player a static point?? Despite his double health, he cannot use portals, which is why he turns into just a slowly running marker. Slow compared to other players who can instantly jump from one corner of the map to another.
Moreover, if you fall down the map as a VIP player, you won’t be able to get back up. So all that remains is to shoot nimble opponents “from the bottom”..
As a result, some kind of dump occurs, someone constantly dies, portals appear around, the screams of the wounded are heard… In general, the most I got from these modes was a feeling of slight paranoia.
The remaining classic modes feel different. Shooty Snipers, essentially the same TDM, only with a sniper rifle and a shotgun.
By the way, this mode is one of my favorites. Team SWAT the same Faberge, only in profile. TDM, that is. Headshots kill instantly. You smell the dynamics? Works!
But Team Showdown, Spacing and to my surprise, Death match don’t work as well as we would like. It turns out that the feeling of flow when playing such a “fast” game can be destroyed not only by the player’s “tying” to a point, but also by unnecessary chaos. The above modes suffer from the great and mighty randomness. Well, they also removed the dynamics from the fight.
When playing here you simply don’t know what to expect: you are constantly unlucky with weapons, the balance is impossible to calculate due to chance, everything is decided by chance, and in deathmatch you simply suffer from the lack of eyes in the back of your head. Well, this seems to me, as a proud non-owner of a global. Maybe avid shooter players are throwing 360-nonscope.
The reaction is not always enough..
The second type of modes is modifiers. As I understand it, this is a list of classic modes modified by players. Also ten pieces. In some places, the changes affected only the size of the heads and the speed of movement or charging the railgun, in others the players recreated, and the developers then refined, classic modes from other games – Zombie And Gun Game.
Classic zombie mode, seasoned with portals, feels very nice
But some of them, for example Prisoner, beautiful, but absolutely not suitable for the project. One ammo on respawn and one for every kill. No room for error. Adrenaline, juicy, but how the dynamics sags… Everyone is trying to make the decisive blow and often “rat” while sitting in the portals.
Although the mode is great for acute moments, much more often you become defenseless against more accurate opponents
OK! Caught! The whole part about custom modes was made for this purpose. Teabag Confirmed! Lord, how could you have thought of it?! "Teabag enemies and get points. Make a tea bag on your allies so that your enemies don’t get points.".
Dynamic TDM with an unusual aftertaste in the mouth… Cough..
Okay, last joke.
How nice it is to take revenge on an enemy for the murder of a friend, while tibaging on the corpse of a comrade..
In fact, this is the same TDM with a twist. The “token” system has already been seen in other projects. But the concept itself and the courage of the developers, given the current realities, pleases.
To talk about maps: they are made… Average. Somewhere I would argue with the level design decisions, some of them seemed too simple or small to me, but in general you begin to focus on them after a couple of hours of play. You memorize short portal paths, know the main camper sites and weapon locations. And honestly, there’s not much else to say.
Vertical gameplay, portal surfaces, all that.. The game is not about strategy on the battlefield, but about lightning-fast tactical decisions and “actions according to the situation”. Therefore, even if the developers made, for example, a more or less understandable labyrinth from only portal surfaces, it would still be interesting to play. Until a certain point..
Pot, don’t cook
A certain moment for me came around level twenty, right when competitive play opened up. The project is exciting. Gives a lot of positive emotions, but.. He’s too sweet, too sweet in a good way. Very vivid impressions, permanent tension, dynamics, assessment of the situation. All this very exhausting. Maintain concentration at all times very difficult.
In regular shooters there are moments of concentration alternate with moments of moving around the map, choosing equipment and waiting for the enemy. This short breaks, but they relax us.
Splitgate allows you to relax only in the main menu.
Therefore in competitive mode I came tired. In any case, this is what I will use to justify my own skill.
There are three competitive modes here – 4 vs 4, 2 vs 2, plus Breakout. I never tried the last one, in the first one (there is a separate calibration) I calibrated to Gold. I visited the second one a couple of times and sat down to write a review. This is to make it clear how objective my next words are.
The game here feels more tactical and "tough". People don’t come here to smoke, but to wrap the enemy’s spine around a railgun. It’s impossible to camp, everyone walks around so menacing and concentrated, you gape – the barrel is guaranteed at the fifth point.
At the same time dynamics, compared to a regular game, sags in everything. The recruitment of players takes longer, the choice of weapons is subjective, more modest, in some places you actually begin to be afraid to appear – suddenly he arrives immediately after rebirth, the time of which has been increased. In the second mode, 2 on 2, it’s more cheerful, but by that time… Let’s talk a little about “skins” and “graphon”, and then about the sad.
There is a battle pass. Doesn’t ask to eat. So, sometimes a window pops up in the style of “but if you bought it, this is what you would get”. Well, there are two experience bars at the end of the round – a battle pass bar and an account level bar. There are skins. Some are good, some are not so good. You can admire the weapon in battle, but it’s better not to be distracted and look in the center.
What I liked, by the way, is the testing system. In addition to the usual tasks like “get 10 double kills” and “earn points on such and such a map,” there is also a separate testing system for weapons: you deal damage, get kills and double kills, get killstreaks and simultaneous kills on a specific type of weapon – you get skins for this weapon. If you complete all the tests, you will receive a golden Kalash, hehe. Well, a golden skin for a “finished off” weapon.
Prices here, by the way, are the same as in Apex . If anyone is interested..
Grafonium was not delivered. Is it good or bad – everyone chooses for themselves. But for me this is a project more from the early 1900s than something relevant. At first I even thought that this creation was made on the Source engine, but no – the fourth anrial. The soundtrack is not memorable, but the sound effects are rich, bright and help you navigate the battlefield. The sound of footsteps is positioned perfectly, although it does not pass through the portal, but this would be very confusing in some moments.
You don’t notice the arcade graphics in the dynamics of the battle, so I wouldn’t classify this as a disadvantage of the game. But it’s a fact that games run on fairly modest machines.
The game’s flaws and its main disadvantage (?)
In general, the whole project feels like something very classic. And, by the way, undemanding. Graphics, menu and level design, character design. Some menus are very overloaded, sometimes the color scheme hurts the eyes. Fortunately, my monitor is not very good, and therefore does not blind. Well, I think the localization will be fixed. By the way, there are no more problems with the queue and ping. It only catches drops a couple of times. But this is more of a nitpick.
The game has another problem.
It’s corny from her you get tired. Now, if I overcome myself now, go in, roll a couple of rounds, I’ll get involved and will shoot my opponents with passion. Not in competitive mode – it’s too hot for me yet, but in the regular twenty. But I don’t want to go in now. Too bright, too cloying, too intense. Now, if you take a little break and look at the label in a week or two, you’ll be happy.
This game is very interesting and exciting to play, but it is difficult to do it a lot. Regularly, an hour a day – maybe. But it’s almost physically difficult to binge on this project. At least for a phlegmatic person like me.
Vivid emotions. This is what this game gives you. Dynamics, which was elevated to absolute. Lightning battles, supplemented by a portal system. Many different modes for every taste. This game feels like it was made by players just like us. This is one of those projects where you feel like you had a hand in the development.
In my opinion – try Splitgate definitely costs. Log in for an hour or two, play around in different modes with portals, try out different weapons – please. Stay in it for a long time? There’s enough of you here. Play for fun. Try new things. And most importantly, don’t force yourself if you’re tired. And this game keeps you on your toes almost always, which makes you get tired quickly.
Thanks for checking out the blog! If you suddenly feel that no games are attractive anymore, you can read the article about gaming burnout. Maybe one of the tips there will help you.
In the comments, I will be glad to hear your opinion about this game and will be glad if you point out any inaccuracies or flaws. And I repeat – play for fun:
Best comments
Played in beta. There is a profile “Beta Fish” lying on the account. I actively drooled into it for 2-3 weeks, and then successfully deleted it. Either I got tired of it or didn’t like the balance in the competitive mode. It seems like the second half of all ranks, but only perches play, who don’t know anything other than camping and shooting chaotically.
How do you like the game?? Now I’m wondering if there are any worthy analogues available for free? Not by concept, but by popularity and “sophistication” of the product.
All the reasons why the author didn’t like the game are related solely to his little experience and inability to play shooters. I don’t understand how you can say that after a while the game is exhausting, I, as an overwatch player on platinum, say that it’s impossible to get tired of the splitgate, it’s very simple in shooting and in everything and at the same time decent, with a variety of modes. I like modes with one bullet and others that are difficult for the author, because there is at least some kind of challenge there. And to the author of this review, I would recommend playing games like kalovduti, as in his mind it will be, purely in desmatch, running around without a head and farting and farting sometimes. You don’t get tired of the game, you get tired of titanfall 2, overwatch, but not of the split-rate. The only disadvantage of the game is the implementation of portals, when not all cards are equally good for them, it is better for the developers to integrate them into cards as in Quake than to give them to the players. I would recommend that the author never write reviews on fps again, I got the impression that in principle it was not written by an fps player, who for some reason managed to try splitgate, but he plays a CCG or something like that.