There has been a tactical shooter on Steam for some time now, aimed at fans of Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. While the early access phase is well received, a new publisher aims to reach even more players. We present to you Ground Branch.
What kind of shooter is this? Ground Branch comes from former developers of the popular shooter series Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon and offers similar gameplay. You are a member of the paramilitary units called Special Activities Center (SAC) or Special Operations Group (SOG) and participate in covert missions around the world.
In a team, you need to solve various tasks on different maps. To achieve victory, you use tactics and weapons. In the 8-player co-op missions and also in the 8 vs 8 operations, teamwork plays an important role. In the trailer, you get a glimpse of the shooter:
A hardcore tactical shooter for fans of Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon
Why is the shooter particularly tactical? You need to be very attentive to your surroundings and also to your character. It is quite possible that a foot peeking out from cover could reveal your position. Therefore, it is necessary to always position yourself precisely.
Furthermore, the weapons can be adjusted in great detail, which is also important for the operations. Before each mission, you need to decide which mods and attachments to use to have better chances. However, you must always pay attention to how the mods affect the handling and weight of the weapons. Because that, in turn, has an impact on your character’s speed and agility.
All of this makes Ground Branch a very challenging and extremely tactical endeavor. Only those who think carefully, come up with smart strategies, and are able to implement them together with their teammates have a chance of victory.
How is the game being received? The shooter is currently still in the early access phase. Nevertheless, the general ratings are at 89% (as of May 6 at 10:45 AM with 3,109 votes), and the ratings for the past 30 days are at 92% (with 381 votes).
However, the player numbers are not so good with 603 concurrent active players at peak (via Steamcharts). And this is where something needs to be done in the future.
MicroProse will publish Ground Branch
What’s new? The developers at BlackFoot Studios announced that MicroProse will take over the distribution of the game in the future. This is expected to have positive effects on the game and its success.
MicroProse provides us with some much-needed stability while the development seriously progresses towards v1.0. The MicroProse crew will also take on a large part of the marketing and help us extend our reach not only to the established community but also to new audiences.
What do players think about Ground Branch? We summarize some voices from the community for you to show how the tactical shooter is being received:
- Pariah says (via Steam): “To be honest, Ground Branch doesn’t try to do much. The shooter gives you a handful of maps, a few modes, and tons of excellently modeled equipment that you can take into those modes. That’s all there is. But this is far from bad, as the game is sharply focused on delivering one of the best tactical shooters ever. “
- truck [NPA] expresses enthusiasm (via Steam): “Probably one of my favorite early access titles. Even in its current state, PvE and PvP are tons of fun. The upcoming updates are incredibly promising. The development team is great and is very active on their Discord. The passion they have for the game is very clear, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the game!”
- CABAL 2034 writes (via Steam): “This game, even in its rough pre-alpha state, is probably the best ‘true tactical shooter’ I have played on this platform.”
- SharpEyeHodgey is currently not as excited (via Steam): “The game has a long way to go. I can definitely see it becoming decent one day. A mix of Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. Unfortunately, it also reminded me of the absolute flop of Takedown: Red Sabre. The AI is absolutely terrible at the time of writing this review and needs a lot of work.”
Ground Branch has a lot of potential and plays well even in the early access version, despite some quirks. The development team could now iron out these issues with the help of the publisher.
Have you played Ground Branch or is it a shooter you would like to check out?
Would you like to check out other shooters? Then take a look at MeinMMO’s list of the 10 best free-to-play shooters of 2021.
