SellingConcord, a task that might have been easy five years ago, feels like rolling a boulder up a hill in 2024. Developed by new studio Firewalk and published by PlayStation Studios,Concordis a 5v5 hero shooter that riffs onGuardians of the Galaxywith a cassette-era take on a pulpy space setting. It’s a premise that could certainly work, but the prime cultural moment for something fitting that bill has already passed, and an aggressive slate ofupcoming hero shooters likeMarvel Rivalsand Valve’sDeadlockpromises a lot of competition.
When it comes to the hero shooter staples,Concordcovers all the bases. 16 characters divided into six different classes compete across several primary game modes — the team-based deathmatch Brawl, a control points scenario called Overrun, and a competitive tactical option labeled Rivalry. Each one will randomly play out as one of two versions that make minor tweaks to the formula, but there’s nothing as radically different as a payload mode or free-for-all.
Familiar Elements With Minor Twists That Aren’t Earth-Shattering
Don’t Expect Anything Game-Changing From Concord
It’s difficult to discussConcordwithout talking aboutOverwatch, so it’s best to get it out of the way early.Concordfeels like the hero shooter titan to a degree that most competitors don’t, and perhaps even to a degree thatOverwatch 2doesn’t. From the responsive gunplay to the movement and heft of the characters, it’s all more or less in line, andits minimal interest in over-stimulation feels refreshingly aligned with the originalOverwatchexperience.
Concord Beta Early Access Preview: Familiar, Exciting, and Surprisingly Forward-Thinking
Screen Rant checks out the Concord Beta, loving the game’s newest twists on the competitive FPS formula, though it may intimidate one-tricks.
Concordthoroughly fulfills the hero-swapping premise with an open queue and a flexible approach to roles in general that could help combat over-reliance on meta compositions. Rather thandistinctions like DPS, tank, and support classes, divisions focus more on how characters poke at enemies, from Breachers like Star Child who can effectively lead charges to Haunts like It-Z who stay on the move. The unusual part is howConcordactively incentivizes hero-swapping with buffs that activate from participating in each role, an interesting but weirdly appended mechanic that might end up being ignored by casual players.
Character variants and custom roster building also emphasize the complexity of hero-swapping possibilities inConcord.
Abilities follow in the line of games likeValorantby being a bit more mutedin nature and effect. A lot of characters simply throw things, whether those are knives, grenades, or healing pads. It’s satisfying whenever abilities resolve in a successful gameplay sequence, especially thanks to a recharge mechanic that requires kills to regain a lot of skill uses. Flashbanging an enemy as Haymar and combo-ing them with walls of fire and flaming projectiles is deeply satisfying. Some skills, however, end up feeling only mildly impactful or even completely irrelevant.
Balancing Modes Could Hurt A Good Gameplay Cadence
Casual Modes Are Fun But Kneecapped By Design Restriction
AlthoughConcord’s maps don’t often naturally corral players in one direction, working with a team is important. High time-to-kill and a lack of abilities that quickly shatter health bars mean that picking off enemy players who aren’t alone is a challenge without backup. Charging into the fray as Emari (essentially aredux ofTeam Fortress 2’s Heavy) can be fun, but standing behind a corner to buff high-damage teammates with her armor generator is an equally strong decision.
Concordisn’t about constant showdowns, instead focusing on the ability to survive a confrontation and pick up the pieces before the next one. Healing pads and skills focus on gradated recharges rather than instant refills, and a number of expendable abilities are regained by picking up a drop after killing an enemy.For those who enjoy gameplay that fluctuates in intensity, it’s an engaging cadence, although actually finding healing while learning the maps can sometimes feel like a wild goose chase.
The biggest challenge forConcordlies in its attempt to put an equal emphasis on both casual FPS brawls and tactical shooter matches, two things that reward different abilities in uneven ways.At the moment, it feels like the game is balanced around Rivalry, which was altered after launch to give extra XP in order to fix queues that were previously struggling to fill. One of Rivalry’s two variants, Cargo Run, works like a bomb-planting extraction match. The other, Clash Point, simplifies things with one zone to control.
Winning a round with a hero locks them out for future use, but building a custom crew with repeat heroes can get around this obstacle. Swapping, however, is incentivized by the buff-stacking system, which integrates more naturally in Rivalry than in casual mode. With careful flanking and team showdowns that tend to be more guided than the directionless arenas of other modes, abilities are more consistently relevant, and playing a slower tank no longer feels like punishment. Rivalry is relatively tactical without venturing into hyper-competitive territory, and it could be nice for those who like strategizing without sweating.
A Good-Looking Game With Caveats Aplenty
Excellent Graphics & Uninspiring Design Litter Concord
Aesthetic is important for hero shooters, andConcordmay end up being fairly divisive in that realm. It’s certainly visually polished, with gorgeous lighting and textures even on medium settings. Some maps show off these features well, while others feel blandly industrial. Character designs manage to avoid falling back on tropes for every hero, but few of them actually come across as particularly appealing, and the current roster of cosmetics is never interestingly transformative.
The cast of characters is backed up by an emphasis on lore, and Firewalk is promising weekly cutscenes to keep that at the forefront. Information on the setting is reflected in-game through a Galactic Guide, which makes for decent reading while waiting for queues. Making the story interesting will require moving beyond its currently generic, quippy nature, however, and it might still be better to focus ongoing development on the game itself.
There’s one very baffling element ofConcord’s graphics settings, which is the lack of fullscreen resolution options on PC.
There’s one very baffling element ofConcord’s graphics settings, which is the lack of fullscreen resolution options on PC. It’s a fairly demanding title, so someone with a solid but unexceptional graphics card and a 4K monitor might have a better time running it with good settings on 1080p than with low ones in 4K. Achieving this in fullscreen can only be done by changing the display settings in the actual computer OS, a bizarre and frustrating requirement.
Concordalso has a couple of control quirks on PC. The Dodge maneuver, which is highly relevant for one character, is bound to a double-tap of the shift key that’s awkward and inconsistent to use.
Final Thoughts & Review Score
3/5 - Solid, Or Good, By Screen Rant’s Review Metric
The upfront cost ofConcordmight make it a hard sell in 2024, but it’s certainly nice to play a live-service shooter that doesn’t feel designed to ask for money at every turn. Everything in the game at the moment can at least be earned for free (with monetization presumably joining the game when the first season starts), although progression would feel better with some freedom of choice added in. The live-service element of the game will add heroes, maps, and more, and the focus on the lore promises a continuing story to come.
AlthoughConcordis solid and polished on a basic level, it’s faced with an uphill battle that it already seems to be losing.A shotgun blast approach that attempts to hit the basic notes of every hero shooter prerogative makes it harder for it to do one thing in a truly fresh way, and the casual modes would be more exciting with bigger abilities and maps with more interesting pressure points. The game’s systems click in Rivalry and get the job done across the other game modes, butConcordlacks the spark necessary to light much of a flame.
Screen Rantwas provided with a PC download codefor the purpose of this review.
Concord
Firewalk Studios presents Concord, a first-person multiplayer sci-fi shared-world shooter. The game was announced during the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase, with little details divulged on the product. The game is expected to make its debut sometime in 2024.
