If Payday 3 has disappointed you, then Den of Wolves might be for you. The co-op shooter will be the new title from 10 Chambers, which was founded by former Payday developers. MyMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was able to play 2 missions already, and one mechanic in particular captivated him.
What is Den of Wolves? After the release of Payday 2, Ulf Andersson left Overkill Software and founded the studio 10 Chambers together with Simon Viklund.
The first game developed by the studio was GTFO, a horror co-op shooter. Now they want to return to heist roots with Den of Wolves. While Payday is set in the present, Den of Wolves opts for a new setting: a cyberpunk world that they describe as a techno-thriller
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10 Chambers invited MeinMMO to Denmark to play two missions of the new co-op shooter, and one crazy mechanic captivated me in particular. I was also able to ask Simon Viklund questions in an interview.
Like Payday, but Cyberpunk
Den of Wolves looks like Payday at first glance, but it’s Sci-Fi. In co-op with up to 4 players, you embark on missions that can be solved in various ways. There are stealth options, but also weapons to fight through.
The first big unique feature is the setting. Instead of modern banks, there are cyberpunk skyscrapers and nefarious companies controlling everything.
From what we could see, it fits very well. You work as a sort of mercenary and are hired by companies to take action against other companies. It is not just about money, but also about corporate secrets or new technologies.
This fits quite well into the heist theme. Especially since Den of Wolves is not too futuristic. Although the game is set nearly 70 years from now, they want to keep it grounded. No laser weapons, holograms, or teleporters. You are in an advanced world, but not a futuristic one. A good comparison is the vision of the future in Blade Runner, one of the inspirations for Den of Wolves. The film is set in the year 2019.
We also discussed this with Simon Viklund in the interview:
We want to create a future where people working in the financial district still wear suits; it’s not like everyone is dressed like in Star Trek or something. So it’s a pretty grounded future in 70 years. In our imagination, people often see the future as more futuristic than it actually is.
Simon Viklund on the vision of the future in Den of Wolves
Staying True to Co-op Shooter Roots
When playing the two missions, you quickly realize that Den of Wolves fully focuses on the co-op experience again. The coordinated teamwork was not only more efficient, but it was also a lot of fun.
The new gadgets complement the gameplay, and shooting felt good. Even if the hit feedback was quite lackluster in this early version. There could definitely be a bit more impact, especially since it was occasionally difficult to distinguish enemies from the background.
The various weapons we could play with were distinctly different and thus had their own functions on the battlefield. In our missions, you had to manage ammunition carefully, as otherwise it could get tricky, and you could quickly be cornered.
As in Payday 2, 10 Chambers does not want to rely solely on mindless shooting for the missions. We primarily completed the first mission we played stealthily. The environment was also used, and you always knew when you were detected and when you weren’t.
I must also highlight the audio design. The game sounded powerful and always fitting the situation. The techno soundtrack in fights really ramps up the adrenaline.
These are all aspects that fans of Payday 2 will be familiar with and love. However, Den of Wolves uses the setting especially in a new mechanic that I really liked: the dives.
The Big Highlight: The Dives
The dives offer great potential. During the second mission we were able to play, we had to use a dive
to get access to the knowledge of an important person. We literally dove into
the head of the target, fitting the setting. There, we did not have to shoot again, but face a parkour challenge in a dark, distorted world.
This was not only visually cool but also engaging gameplay-wise. In a relatively short sequence, you had to face not only the real enemies in the heist area but also the mind of the target person
. The developers told me in an interview that the dives are not meant to become mere parkour segments. Instead, they want to experiment with them:
This is the point where we can really go wild, and it gives us a lot of creative freedom to create these interesting scenarios because what you played today is like a platformer dive, but it could also be something entirely different. […] Because the dive is a low-risk environment, where if you die, you just get thrown back into the real world and can set up a new dive and try again.
Simon Viklund on the dives in Den of Wolves
The dives are meant to play with rules and concepts that challenge players in a different way than the normal heists. As examples of dive concepts, he mentions the possibility of a horror sequence where you are chased by a monster in a forest or labyrinth. He even calls the dives in this context micro-raids.
This immediately caught my attention because, if well implemented, it offers an interesting new way to keep the various missions fresh and diverse. The classic heist pace gets interrupted or even made more action-packed.
However, it is relevant how they are implemented, but I am already looking forward to playing the upcoming dives.
They Want to Focus on More Story
In our interview, we also discussed the topic of story and how they want to implement it properly without interfering with the multiplayer structure.
As we could see in the 2nd mission, there are small intro sequences for special assignments that tell us a little about the world. However, since they do not want to disrupt the gameplay loop, Den of Wolves will focus its storytelling on the menu outside the actual game.
We could not see this ourselves, but in the interview, Simon Viklund said that when selecting missions, you can listen to dialogues that reveal more to us. The mission structure should also help with this. Smaller preparation missions are not only story-wise important but also impact how you complete further missions. This should affect what options you have in the final heist and how you proceed.
However, these are just impressions after 2 missions and the trailers we have seen so far. Many of the aspects depend on what 10 Chambers will do with it, as a lot of creative freedom also carries the potential for frustration. After the first play session, I am eagerly waiting for the release, as Den of Wolves looks promising. Payday 3 managed to redeem itself despite a mediocre start: 12 months after release, Payday 3 finally gives fans what they want – Triples player counts on Steam
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