Since August 8, Cliff Bleszinski’s hero shooter LawBreakers has been in the virtual game shelves, and our guest author Dennis has treated himself to a trip into the action-packed world. He says: The game runs surprisingly dynamically and smoothly.
Some of you have surely heard of “Cliff Bleszinski”. For those who don’t know him: He is the mind behind the popular “Gears of War” series.
Now he is trying his hand at a new genre, the increasingly popular hero shooter. I am currently playing many representatives of this genre like Paladins or Overwatch. Eagerly, I welcomed LawBreakers to my Steam library and promptly started my first rounds.
In my first minutes of gameplay, I had to realize, how dynamic and smooth the gameplay feels. Everything runs smoothly and seamlessly. The wild jumping in the “Low Gravity” zones is also fun.
LawBreakers Classes – A lot of Variety
In LawBreakers, you have a lot of variety with classes. There are two factions: On one side, the Law’s – the law enforcers. And on the other side, the Breakers. Those who break the law.
Each faction has 9 different classes that bring their own playstyle.
- For beginners, I would recommend the Veteran. He plays solidly and mows down enemies with the assault rifle.
- If you want to quickly take out opponents from ambush, you should check out the Assassin, who is equipped with swords and moves around with his electric whip. However, this class is a bit tricky and requires a lot of time to master this playstyle.
- Tanks are a must; here you can take a closer look at the Executor, who is a valuable addition to any team with his shotgun and extra armor.
- For the extra dose of healing, there’s the Medic, who supports your teammates but can also deal a lot of damage.
Also cool: Each class has its own tutorial for learning about the characters and their abilities. My favorite among the classes at the moment is the Titan. He is equipped with a rocket launcher and annihilates enemy soldiers. If you want to compare Lawbreakers with Overwatch, the Titan would be roughly analogous to Pharah from Blizzard’s hero shooter.
You can personalize your characters over time and customize them with skins for weapons and armor. You can also adjust the impressions of your feet as desired. You receive skins and stickers from the depot crates, which you get after each level-up and can open. This way, you design your own characters with different designs and stand out from the crowd.
LawBreakers Gameplay
LawBreakers plays comfortably and precisely. You have to react quite quickly, as the game feels really fast. In addition, there are the “Low-Gravity” zones that make you feel sluggish, but also bring you to unexpected places on the maps.
How often has it happened to me that in these areas I quickly bit the dust because I was usually the ideal target for enemies. For a hero shooter, everything goes much faster in LawBreakers and you have to keep a close eye on the environment, as opponents can come from anywhere and suddenly stand right in front of your nose or ambush you from behind.
What I notice: Amid the stormy battles, it’s often hard to tell which enemy is running around with which class right in front of you. However, I find this point very important, especially for a hero shooter, so you can react to the respective class and ideally counter it. Competitor Overwatch does this much better, as you can immediately recognize which opponent you are dealing with.
Game Modes in LawBreakers
Currently, there are 5 different modes available. It’s not yet clear if more will come, but it takes quite some time to internalize these.
- First up is the Capture mode, where you must take and hold a specific point on the map to score points. After 45 seconds, the area shifts to another spot on the map, and the game ends when you reach 200 points.
- The second mode is Transfer, in which you and your team fight for control of a transmitter and bring it to your base. Then a transfer begins, and you must protect it. After three successful data transfers, you secure the victory.
- The third mode is called Blitzball, where you transport a ball and bring it to the target to score points.
- Fourth is Territory Control, which plays similarly to the Capture mode. Here you have not one but three zones to capture.
- Last but not least is Overcharge, where you need to bring a battery to your base and charge it. Again, the game ends after three full charges.
At this point, I can say again: There is no shortage of options and variety in the game; there’s something suitable for every taste.
LawBreakers First Impression: Not an Overwatch Clone, Unique Gameplay Feel
I have spent some time with the hero shooter LawBreakers and must say that it is definitely not a clone or spin-off of Overwatch or other genre representatives. It plays very uniquely and provides a whole new gameplay feel with its gravity zones. In my opinion, LawBreakers is a bit harder to master than other games.
So, if you bring a little endurance for learning the game mechanics and want to experience refreshing gameplay, you should give LawBreakers a chance. I will certainly continue training and soon chase down enemies like a contract killer with my Titan.
The text is by guest author Dennis Zühlke.
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