Fragpunk is the newest first person shooter from Bad Guitar Studio, they are a subsidiary of NetEase’s ThunderFire Studios. Fragpunk is a 5 versus 5 competitive shooter with a random card system that introduces changes to the moment to moment gameplay. The game was in beta for some time and fully launched on March 6th of this year and is available on Playstation, Xbox and PC.
The Main Gist Of Fragpunk
Building on the base of 5v5 competitive shooter the game introduces a completely new mechanic of a card system. Players have cards that they can use before the start of every round, players can choose only 1 of 3 per round.
There are over 150 cards available which ensures that no two rounds every playout the same way, the cards themselves change up the round in various ways such as a card that increases the head size of the opponent team, a card that increases movement speed, melee hits regain health points etc.
Cards can also be combined and can counter the other team thus players must think before they activate whatever card they choose, this system is a breath of fresh air to the age old 5v5 genre and introduces a new level of tactical play to a game mode that is the pinnacle of esports.
An Interesting Roster
There are 13 operators available for players to choose between at launch, called ‘Lancers’, they each have unique abilities for each style of play. For example Broker is someone who wields a rocket launcher that knocks back enemies and damages them or Nitro is someone who can create shield walls to provide cover.
Another new addition is Hollowpoint, her special ability is a single shot Railgun that can detect enemies on her field of view and her gadgets are ‘Smoke Screen’ which as the name describes deploys a slow moving cloud of smoke that reveals any enemy that passes through it and ‘Paparazzi’ which is a trap that can be placed anywhere and attaches itself to the nearest enemy revealing them.
Each of the Lancers either focus on offensive style of play or defensive, molding them to be as effective as possible on the classic gamemode. The variety in the Lancers and their unique special abilities allow a lot of flexibility for those wanting to become competitive as fast as possible.
The Aesthetic And Design
Fragpunk focuses on bright vibrant colors along with edgy character designs as expected from the name. All of the characters look extremely detailed and have their own unique style going for them.
The distinct style is throughout with colorfully designed guns and equipment, there are over 10 maps available at launch, each being a completely different environment from the other. From forests, ancient ruins, to secret caves Fragpunk has it all.
Another thing to mention is that additional skins for guns and operators can be unlocked through their store. Only visual designs are the only things to pay for here, no weapons or cards are locked behind paywalls.
Conclusion
Fragpunk is a breath of fresh air in this already saturated space, it delivers on its promises of providing a twist on the general gameplay with really fun, interesting and amusing changes to the moment to moment gameplay. There are other game modes available too such as Zombies, Sniper Duels, Melee battles and more.
The developers have also promised weekly limited timed Events to keep the game from getting stale, a practice that all free to play games should follow. However there are some imbalances to fix such as the card that increases movement, this buff makes whichever team has it a little bit too fast and thus makes it a pain to play against.
Overall the game is a must play for those wanting something different from Counter Strike or Valorant. The operators offer genuine tactical play with each of their kits and the Card system is sure to keep any seasoned player on his or her toes.
