The indie shooter Squad has been regarded as a little hidden gem on Steam for years and is growing bigger. After the latest update and a short Free2Play phase, the shooter doubled its number of simultaneous players and is more popular than ever. MeinMMO gives you a brief introduction to the title.
What kind of game is this? Squad is a team-based hardcore shooter on Steam that has been available on the platform for over 7 years. The title can be described as a mix between the military simulation Arma and the all-out shooter Battlefield.
Squad excels with a high degree of realism in its mechanics – the feel of the weapons, the sound, the behavior of equipment such as smoke grenades. However, it also uses casual mechanics like respawns in some areas.
Matches are played 50vs50 and to have fun, you need to engage with your 9-man squad and the entire 50-player team and pursue a tactic together. Communication is a crucial aspect of the shooter.
In addition, there are extensive “Fortifying” elements. With fortifications, you build positions, increase firepower, and protect yourselves from attacks.
For an impression of the gameplay, we embed an English video from YouTuber LevelCapGaming, who tried out the latest update:
Squad relies on teamwork and realism
Why is the game currently successful? Recently, the update v2.15 brought a new army faction into the game, and over Easter, Squad was playable for free for a few days.
Since the beginning of 2022, the title has seen a significant increase in player numbers and reached a provisional peak on Easter Sunday: with over 26,000 simultaneous players, it shattered the previous record of just under 15,000 players.
Since its release on Steam in Early Access in late 2015, the shooter has gradually become more popular and has built a loyal fan base (via steamcharts.com).
What do players say on Steam about Squad? On Steam, the shooter is rated “Very Positive” – both in the last 30 days and in all reviews (90% positive / 75,563 reviews / as of: 20.04.22).
Particularly, the audio output is praised and draws many players in right away. Steam user “Ridoc” writes: “Holy shit, the sound grabbed me immediately! It stood out positively to me right away. The sound is impressive and that’s incredibly important, e.g., footsteps, panting from the enemy without stamina.” This was after the first few hours. By now, Ridoc has nearly 12,500 hours of playtime (via steam.com).
However, the core idea of the game, the unconditional focus on teamwork and equipment realism, is well received by many reviewers.
Nonetheless, some problems of Squad are also mentioned. According to some players, the community is very helpful. Still, it takes time to find a good squad with which you also play more often. This way, you get the most out of the shooter.
Additionally, there are some negative comments about the developers. There are complaints about lack of support and missing updates. The last truly significant update is said to be over a year old, and the latest smaller updates might have caused performance issues (via Steam).
Squad is an exciting niche game that has built a loyal and engaged fan base over many years. When someone spends 12,500 hours in a shooter, that’s quite significant.
If Squad appeals to you, keep an eye out for the next Free2Play event and check it out with your shooter buddies. According to the reviews on Steam, there are also well-visited German servers.
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