On September 8, 2022, a new shooter called Shatterline was released on Steam (PC). Since its release, over 21,000 players have played simultaneously and praised the free-to-play game. MeinMMO presents the new shooter to you.
What kind of shooter is this? The Ukrainian indie studio Frag Lab has released Shatterline in Early Access on Steam. The shooter is loosely based on classics like Call of Duty and also offers its own elements like a coop mode.
Shatterline is still under development, which is why not all content is available yet. The developers also note that the game is continuously being worked on and new features will be added. Bugs cannot be ruled out.
For fans, Shatterline is already a huge success. The game has 75% positive reviews on Steam and many players describe it as a better, free alternative to Call of Duty – or as an ideal pastime while waiting for the upcoming CoD: Modern Warfare 2.
Here you can see early access gameplay of Shatterline:
This is what Shatterline offers: At its core, Shatterline is an arena shooter with a roguelike coop mode (“Expedition”) as well as various maps with 4 PvP modes that you know from the shooter genre:
- Team Deathmatch
- “Conquest”
- “Plant-the-Bomb” (Search and Destroy, similar to Counter-Strike)
- Escort
For the game modes, you have 8 playable characters (“Operatives”) from different backgrounds available, which are equipped with various abilities and equipment items. The equipment can be customized in the game and partially crafted via a crafting system.
Additionally, Shatterline offers a selection of 25 weapons, which you can modify with attachments, similar to the gunsmith in Call of Duty.
You can download Shatterline for free on Steam, the download size is only about 19.2 GB, making it slimmer than traditional Call of Duty. The game is monetized through a store where you can buy cosmetics for premium currency.
75% positive on Steam: “Everything that’s currently missing in CoD”
This is how Shatterline is received: Since its release, over 21,000 players have played Shatterline simultaneously, averaging over 11,000 (via steamcharts). Players praise, among other things, the gunplay and the scope. It is “on point” compared to current AAA shooters. Steam user Pim goes into detail in his review about the positive and negative aspects.
The balancing is okay, even though there are some abilities that seem too strong, while others are almost useless. But for just a few rounds of fun, Shatterline is ideal. Some fans call it the “best free CoD option” (a reference to an alternative), which offers “everything that is currently missing in CoD.”
Meanwhile, there are concerns, especially regarding monetization. While it’s still okay, it could shift to an unpleasant pay-to-win direction with regard to the crafting system. The balancing should also be monitored by the devs to avoid going off the rails.
There are also bugs, which is normal for an early access title. One player notes that Shatterline shows the full name and hometown. However, given the many positive reviews, it is hard to confirm whether this really is a problem.
Have you tried Shatterline yet? What is your opinion on the game? Let us know in the comments!
If you’re looking for another free alternative, check out Overwatch 2. The major shooter title from Blizzard was released on October 4 and impressed us during the early test:
2 hours in Overwatch 2 is enough to show me what I’ve loved about this game for 6 years
