Shadow War

Shadow War has been made by Patriots Division, a game development company focused on creating next-generation digital experiences. The game is a Hero based 5v5 shooter that features several classes with the current build making teams battle over 2 objectives to gain victory.

In the lore of the game the world is dominated by Morgana, a superintelligent AI, humanity is on a very thin line before losing any sort of control they have left. Shadow operatives are humanity's last hope against this seemingly unending power, players are thrust into battle that is more than just about victory, It’s about their future. The game is currently in its alpha stage through Steam with monthly playtests. The hardware specs for this game are mediocre. 

Gameplay

In the current build there is only 1  map available for now with 2 simple objectives to capture. The team that manages to hold their objectives until their points fill up will emerge victorious.

There are 5 classes in Shadow war which are: Vanguard, Specialist, Tactical, Assault and Predator.

The Vanguard is a tank based robot. Durable, large and impactful operatives. A melee character with abilities including propelling himself forward while stunning the opponent if hit. Another ability of his is launching his blades at an enemy that inflicts damage.

Specialists, they are brought in for their unique weapons and skills. They provide supporting fire and range pressure onto their opponents with their special abilities like Neural Enchantment System will seek out nearby enemies. The Specialist also has a melee ability where he can do an area attack knocking down enemies.

Tactical, these operatives improve their team's already existing toolkit with either enhanced effect or utility. While being able to use guns and melee weapons, special abilities for the Tactical include turning invisible for a short period of time and ziplining into any direction making it a highly mobile class.

Assault operatives are pure melee characters. Well balanced operatives who deal high damage up close while also having good mobility with their special abilities. If left unchecked the Assault characters can inflict huge amounts of damage.

And for last it’s the Predator. These operatives special abilities include being able to lunge forward and turning invisible while dashing forward also gaining invulnerability. Predators have very high mobility due to these abilities making them a dangerous opponent.

Review

When looking at Shadow War in the terms of graphics, the team have built a solid base with the environment and the characters designs. The VFX of the character attacks are well designed and give plenty of effect. Overall inside of this build you can tell this game is an early alpha build and still requires polishing before release. Considering the game's current stage the team has built a great foundation to develop upon further.

In terms of audio design the main menu and pre-game UX are well designed and add well to the games theme. When it comes to the inside of the game, the SFX of the character abilities and attacks are well made however there is more that could be done to improve a gamers experience one of these improvements could be to add more intricate sounding details when it comes to characters movement.

Looking at the game play of Shadow war, the team has done well in creating an action filled and fact pace 5v5 hero shooter. The current game mode of capturing objectives allows for the player to experience the core gameplay loop. And it will be interesting to see how the team further develops and what they currently have. 

Overall I would rate shadow war a 5.5/10 at its current stage. Considering where the game is currently at, it has created a satisfactory early alpha stage game that allows players to experience the core game loop. However their success will depend on what the team will do/implement to further the game play loop inside the game, as currently it has a lot of potential but it is too early to tell whether this game will be a hit amongst gamers.