Find out more about the game and the studio at the 1047 Games website.

Just before its console launch, Splitgate experienced severe overload on its servers. This caused the game to go down temporarily, which helped to fuel the media coverage. In the weeks after the outage the studio, 1047 Games, made some changes that greatly improved server stability and load capacity.

Gameplay

For those who’ve not yet had a chance to experience this game, it has a lot of elements familiar to others in the shooter genre. Much of the game is similar to the look and feel of Halo, with alien-looking landscapes and characters. The one game mechanic that sets it apart from similar games is the ability to open portals. The portal feature allows for players to view and jump to different parts of a map. I found this piece of gameplay to be an awesome and refreshing aspect.

It took me a little while to get used to portals and how to effectively use them, but they offer a strategic and tactical advantage. Not only can you hop to and from locations but you can also peer through and shoot opponents in a different part of the map. Be careful, though, because this is a double-edged sword and it’s just as easy to fall victim to bullets flying from seemingly nowhere.

Weapons

One aspect of this game that I truly appreciate is the fact that there are no weapon load-outs to chose from in matches. Every player starts with the same weapons, and in some maps, there are weapons to pick up. This effectively helps to levels the playing field and helps limit a player’s advantage to their skill. Even the available options for weapon swaps are limited to a small handful of choices.

Look and Feel of the Game

Given that there were server issues plaguing this game early on, I expected that gameplay would be affected as a result. Every time I play this game, however, it is consistently smooth and reliable. I’ve experienced no choppy frames or lag in matches. I find this to be rare in this type of online game as a whole.

In terms of graphics or visuals, the game is fairly basic but looks good. There is a somewhat simple element to the level environments. It’s hard to say this without making it sound like a negative feature. There’s not a ton of fancy detail, but maps and landscapes are simple and work well for the game.

Overall I would recommend this game to any fans of the genre, or those who may not play FPS games much. Splitgate is very fun to play and offers a level playing field; it’s no fun to get worked in a game because the opponents have fully stacked loadouts. The best part is that it’s a free-to-play game that operates smoothly every time. Check it out on Steam, PS5, or Xbox Series S/X.

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The game begins by diving right into learning character functions naturally and without extensive cut scenes. Playing as Cal Kestis, you start by traversing the wreckage of a massive ship, which you are working on as a scrapper. This teaches the basics of maneuvering landscapes, including scaling walls, walking rails, and squeezing through tight spaces.

This form of easing into the gameplay makes for a smooth transition into areas where it’s more challenging to negotiate the topography. There are points in the game where it’s good to have a strong bearing on the button layout, in order to rely on muscle memory rather than having to recall which button does what on the fly.

Rich and Immersive Environments

Two of my favorite elements of this game are the sights and sounds of the immersive environment, both of which are equally rich. Landscapes have great depth and offer a feel more similar to an open world than the fixed path restraint that the game holds. Light plays a big role in the overall look of this game, and EA has it dialed with reflections, light iridescent glow, and even shadows draping every pixel of play.

The sound helps to tie everything together and surrounds the ears like a nice warm blanket. I highly recommend having a good pair of full-range headphones or a decent sound system, as the game supports up to 7.1 channel surround. In this game, audio helps to alert you of enemies and other threats.

The character experience is flexible, in terms of character changes, with unlockable outfits and customizable lightsaber options found by exploring the game. It’s nice to choose the look of the lightsaber and select a color that fits you. Skill points are given throughout the game, and are used to increase the character’s effectiveness in three different areas; Force, Lightsaber, and Survival. The skill tree can be filled in the order that you see fit, but eventually, the entire tree will become full, and Cal is free to live his best life.

The Downsides

If there are negatives to be found in this game, I would have to say that camera angle tracking and sprawling maps are two adverse areas of the game. Camera angles can tend to be off in tight areas, to the point where you can briefly lose sight of the character, making it difficult in a heated battle. The game covers multiple planets, making the maps for each pretty large. There is no function for fast-travel, so walking from A to B tends to be a nuisance. Overall these cons are insignificant and don’t matter enough to affect play.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a great game with tons to offer. This adventure stands on its own and has a lot to offer both Star Wars fans those who don’t care much for the franchise. Available on PlayStation Xbox and PC, it is sure to lend hours of lightsaber-wielding fun no matter how you play.

The post Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order first appeared on The Gaming Column.

Feel of the Game

The game’s lighting and sound match perfectly with the macabre narrative. These components cause the platform-style gameplay to be elevated to another level. Fantastically dark elements lend themselves seamlessly to this adventure.

Ghoulish enemies lurk, to offer steady streams of panic and dread for the hero, as you push forward to the inevitable outcome. The enemies are bizarrely disproportional and move awkwardly, in a way that catches the player off guard and almost begs a deeper explanation than the game offers – leaving more to the imagination.

Gameplay

The gameplay is fun and challenging, more than a traditional platform-style game. This is partly because of the menacing atmosphere and the need to keep safe from ghouls around every corner. Some areas become very dim, if not altogether dark, and pathways get narrow.

Additional challenges and achievement opportunities add depth to the game and offer reasons to replay chapters – including hidden items and objectives. I found that going through chapters a second time, after I had finished the game, revealed things that I had missed the first go-round.

Drawbacks

As for cons, there are a couple of minor drawbacks that can be a little bit of a nuisance but don’t detract from the game overall. Lengthy load times constantly shifting camera angles were the shortcomings I noticed. There is not much to any given level, in terms of real estate. All “maps” are fairly small and limited, so there isn’t much territory to explore. For this reason, I would expect the load times to be quicker than they are. On the other hand, there is a good deal of graphical detail to each level, including shading and character movement. This can be a major cause of loading delays – making this a forgivable sin. Constant shifts in the camera angle were seen to be a nuisance, as the view is always swaying back and forth. There is good reason for this, as it pertains to the storyline, but it makes moving through levels a challenge.

In summary, this game has a lot to offer the player and is defiantly worth running through at least once. The visual and auditory elements are a great addition to the storyline and add an element of fear to the experience. The cons aren’t great enough to deter from the game as a whole.

The sequel to this game, Little Nightmares II, released on February 11th, 2021. Now is a great time to play the original, and catch up on the story. This one is well worth the play, for fans of the genre as well as anyone just looking for a different gaming experience.

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