Insurgency Review

You know what this world really needs? Another modern military shooter. Forget about the cure for cancer or world peace, if there’s one thing we just can’t possibly do without it has to be an oddly familiar FPS videogame based around modern combat in a Middle Eastern setting. If you don’t find that remotely sarcastic, then Insurgency is definitely the game for you. If, however, you’re also sick and tired of games trudging out the same tired old book of videogaming themes, then there’s a good chance you’ll pass this by without a second thought. It’s a shame really, because if you put aside the all-too-familiar setting, Insurgency is a highly capable and brilliantly punishing shooter that breathes a little extra life into the genre.

Insurgency is a game built entirely around brutal online multiplayer. So if you’re a fan of cinematic action, then it’s best you exit stage left right now. This is no frills gameplay from a game that’s not afraid to put its players to the test. Fans of Red Orchestra 2 will find this tough style familiar, although Insurgency is undeniably less tactical than what could be seen as its WW2 big brother. The open fields of the Second World War make for a stark contrast to the tight corridors and small rooms of modern combat, making fighting even tenser, but also slightly more random. Compared to the frantic Call of Duty style however, Insurgency might as well be a game of chess. It takes very little to bring an enemy down and most game modes punish death with long respawn times, making each movement across the map a considered tactical process.

Of course, this tough style means there’s no escaping the steep learning curve. The first few hours of the game will likely see players dying regularly and racking up a kill-count for the entire game that would be common for just a single match in CoD. It’s hard to adjust to; even for a Red Orchestra player such as myself, the initial going was incredibly difficult. As ever, difficulty doesn’t breed failure, far from it. While dying constantly may prove frustrating at first, you’ll be able to chart your improvement much more obviously than in other games. By the time you’re knocking off a few players per round, you’ll feel like the king of gaming. There’s an undeniable sense of satisfaction to be found in games of this ilk and Insurgency finds that sweet spot between tough to play but easy to kill.

Unfortunately, once you get better at the game, some of the cracks in the system begin to show. While Insurgency is tactical to a certain degree, largely thanks to the low health rate, it sadly lacks the true strategic depth of games like Red Orchestra or ARMA III. That initial image of picture-perfect teamwork and deeply tactical gunplay is dented a little by the time you grasp the true functionings of the game. Getting up close and personal, for instance, is a much more viable tactic than it should be and the maps are also poorly crafted in terms of making the most of the quick-death mechanic. Those previously mentioned tight maps are certainly better used in CoD; the reactions needed to traverse them successfully in Insurgency are so inhuman that it might as well all be down to dumb luck.

I understand that a degree of the ‘less than civil’ strategy and tactics in place at the moment are at least partially due to the influx of new players, but that’s not the crux of the issue. The game modes themselves encourage individualism rather than teamwork. It’s a shame really, as other than this slight issue, the modes are the most original and inventive part of the game. There are six core game modes to choose from, all with names you’d expect but easily forget. The key here is that a lot of the games revolve around capturing objectives in order to force a respawn within your team. It’s a clever middle ground between the perma-death of round-based games like Search and Destroy from CoD and standard multiplayer deathmatch respawning. Each capture feels more important than in other FPS games, as not only are you taking your team closer to victory, but you’re also ensuring that the ground taken can be held.

The other modes that don’t implement this concept are still generally good, although they’re mostly just riffs on game modes from the big military shooters. A somewhat deceivingly titled co-op mode can also be found in Insurgency. This tasks a team of up to 12 players with taking on AI opponents across the various maps. The mode forces players to move through the map together and achieves a much greater sense of unity than the standard multiplayer modes. The AI enemies are tough, which makes the gameplay much more interesting than in similar modes in other games. There’s only the one co-op game mode sadly, as this is one of the best segments of the entire game, especially when playing with friends.

Despite developers New World Interactive clearly trying to set their product apart from the successful FPS games, there are influences that are difficult to ignore. Attempts at customisation are present, although a little lacking in development. You can choose equipment to attach to your weapons, mainly simple stuff like scopes, silencers and torches. You also have a degree of control over what weapon your soldier spawns with. There’s no ranking system though, which makes for a nice departure from the norm; everyone starts with the same options, rewarding able payers rather than those with lots of free time. Preventing the game from becoming complete confusion is a class system that does a decent job of splitting up the responsibilities within a team. The usual mix of snipers, demolition specialists, machine gunners and commandos are all vital roles that help to create a slight team mentality.

Despite the smaller development team, the game looks great. Of course, FPS games lead the field in terms of graphical achievement, so Insurgency has some tough competition and against games like Battlefield 4 or ARMA III, it can’t compare. However, some excellent texture work and a neat attention to detail take it beyond most indie titles. The scenery can seem a little repetitive, leading to a little confusion between maps, but overall, Insurgency certainly won’t offend your eyes; the realistic gameplay is well complemented by the gritty visuals. Sound design is also good but not exactly astounding when compared to the work of field-leading devs like Dice.

Insurgency is a game in an odd position. It’s certainly more complicated and difficult than games like CoD and Battlefield, but it’s also substantially simpler than ARMA or even Red Orchestra. It finds its own place in between these two extremes, and while this may seem like a clever move at first, one must ask who will actually want to buy this game? It could be a good stepping stone for those only accustomed to the Call of Duty style, but it’s probably a little too tricky for this audience. For the Red Orchestra players, the cracks in the teamplay mechanics will be most obvious, and ARMA players never seem to play anything else. Insurgency is a well developed game that’s fun in short bursts, but a deceptively solo-focused gameplay style and lack of original ideas mean it falls well short of being an essential purchase.