On September 3, a new shooter called Spectre Divide launched on Steam, and although the game offers very innovative gameplay, the first reviews are rather disappointing.
What game is it about? Spectre Divide was released on September 3. This is a new tactical shooter from Mountaintop Studios developed in collaboration with Twitch streamer and former shooter pro (CS:GO and Valorant) shroud.
- In Spectre Divide, 2 teams consisting of 3 players compete against each other, trying to plant a bomb or prevent planting / defuse the planted bomb.
- With each round played, you collect money, which you then use to buy weapons and gadgets.
- Unlike in CS2 and Valorant, you use the sight much more and can move while shooting without losing accuracy.
The major feature of the shooter is the so-called “Spectre,” a second body that each player has at their disposal. You can use this second body tactically and activate it at the push of a button.
The shop works, the game does not
How did the release go? The launch of Spectre Divide on Steam was rather mediocre. On the release day, the shooter reached a solid peak of 30,971 players (as of September 4, 2024, via SteamDB). However, the first player reviews are quite disappointing.
Out of nearly 2,400 reviews, 53% are negative.
What are the first players saying? The first players express a lot of criticism. For example, the matchmaking shortly after the release is terrible, and players say they had to wait a long time for a round to start. Generally, the servers are a problem.
In return, it is disappointing that there is an in-game shop with expensive skins. The criticism is: The shop works, the servers do not.
- “The game launches with a full cash shop, servers that don’t work, and no ranked mode. Good that they have set their priorities straight.” – via Steam
- “Countless bugs with inputs in my first two games. I tried to play the third game, but could not connect and sat in the queue for 15 minutes without success. Then I tried to cancel the queue […], which literally does not work. The only option is to leave the queue.” – via Steam
- “I don’t understand why you would play this when there’s Valorant. Duality is a nice gimmick, but I don’t see this mechanic being enough to convince […] fans to switch to this game instead of sticking with Val or CS2. […] The game is fun, but definitely a level below its competitors.” – via Steam
- “The priority of getting out of beta was to create a complete shop instead of server stability and fixing bugs.”
Are there also positive voices? Yes, after all, 47% of the reviews are positive. Some players are really enjoying the principle of two characters. Additionally, the gunplay and movement are quite well received.
There is also praise for the graphic style in cel-shading design, reminiscent of Borderlands – though of course that is a very subjective feeling.
Developers respond to criticism, lower skin prices
How have the developers responded? Many players criticized that the skins in Spectre Divide were very expensive and cost up to 90 € – while on the other hand, the matchmaking and servers don’t function properly.
Now the developers have announced on X.com that they will permanently reduce the prices by 17–25%. Additionally, all players who have already purchased the skins will receive a refund of 30% of the in-game currency.
Why should Spectre Divide have been the shooter of the year? Spectre Divide has a unique gameplay principle that innovatively changes the gameplay of games like CS2 and Valorant, adding a new component.
The mix of 3v3 with 2 playable bodies per round, the important use of the sight while shooting, and the fact that you have normal accuracy while moving while shooting clearly distinguishes Spectre Divide from the competition.
MeinMMO editor Dariusz was already a big fan of the shooter in the beta and found that the gameplay of Spectre Divide has great potential. You can read his opinion on the beta here: Spectre Divide is already the best PvP shooter of 2024 in beta – Here’s why the new game is so much fun
