Concrod is a galactic 5v5 PvP shooter for PlayStation 5 and PC by Firewalk. The game takes place in a colourful and sci-fi universe. You are one of the crew members of the Northstar, a gathering of mercenaries, misfits, and adventurers. And so you, along with the same losers, fight against even bigger losers in different modes and places to become real rock stars of the galaxy.
However, the game hasn't received as much attention as another PlayStation service game this year, Helldivers 2. But is Concord really a "passable" game, or is it underrated? The gg editorial team has conducted two beta testing sessions in Concord (closed and open) and is ready to share their impressions of the upcoming shooter, which will be fully released on 23 August.
Preface: an unexpected surprise
First and foremost, I love PlayStation games for their story-driven adventures. I'm crazy about The Last of Us, ready to play through God of War again or explore Ghost of Tsushima once again, so this is definitely not a company that evokes associations with multiplayer projects. And I'll admit, I'm not really a fan of online games, but Helldivers 2 in early 2024 was a real discovery for me and I still remember destroying bugs with my friends, so I decided to give Concord the green light. And I haven't regretted it.
Yes, I don't have a lot of experience with online shooters over the past 5 years, so it's easier to get me interested in this issue. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the Concord beta. It is a dynamic, fun shooter with cool characters, abilities, maps, and modes. The authors still have some work to do (but more on that later), but right now it's a good shooter that I would even return to, even though 2 weeks ago I didn't expect much from Firewalk.
How did the beta go and what was it like?
Concord beta testing took place in two stages. First, there was a closed beta for those who pre-ordered the game or had a PS Plus subscription, and then it was open to absolutely everyone. I decided to take part in two tests because of the power outages that occurred due to Russia's missile attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure. For example, I played only 40 minutes on the first day of the beta test, so I needed more time to evaluate the game than my colleagues from other countries.
In the closed beta, we had 3 modes, 4 maps, and all 16 heroes that will be in the release. The open beta offered the same, but a new map and a new mode were added.
Let's go through the modes first:
- Trophy Hunt: a classic Team Deathmatch where the team that kills 30 opponents first wins. It is divided into two types: a kill is counted immediately after the enemy dies or a kill is counted when you pick up a token from the enemy.
- Clash Points: you need to capture a point on the map and hold it for a certain time or simply kill the entire enemy team
- Cargo Run: you need to pick up a cargo, place it at point A or point B and hold the position for a certain time. As with Clash Points, you can destroy the enemy team and win. In the last two modes, the team that wins 4 rounds first wins
- Area Control: Teams compete to control multiple zones across the map. Control two or more zones to increase your team's score and reach 125 points to win.
We'd like to give Firewalk a shout-out for its pace. Matches in Trophy Hunt and Area Control modes last a maximum of 10 minutes (although it usually ends in the 7th minute).
In Clash Points and Cargo Run, we have 7 rounds of 2 minutes each. And even if you play all 7 rounds, you won't stay more than 15 minutes.
I really like the concept of quick matches. Firstly, it minimises the risk that your mum will say "we have to run to the shop" and you still have to play 10 rounds, which will take half an hour. At Concord, everything is easier. After 10-15 minutes, the match is over and you're free to go.
Secondly, you just don't have time to get bored with it all. After 10 minutes, you'll find yourself in a new situation, with different enemies and partners, possibly on a different map, and this works well to keep the player's attention. On the days when there were no problems with the light, I didn't leave Concord at all. I played the match quickly, took a minute to rest and went on to win more victories (or defeats, as the case may be).
As for the maps: they are all compact, which also contributes to the dynamics of the matches. It was very rare that you were running around and nothing was happening around you. Either you have a 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 shootout, or you all just meet in the centre of the map and a 5-on-5 meat grinder begins, and your heart is pounding from everything that's happening on the screen.
I would also like to mention the design of the cards. Some of the maps that were in the beta versions are just normal. I didn't see anything great in terms of level design, but they are easy to learn and navigate. There wasn't a map I didn't want to play. But in the future, more maps with interesting designs would only be good for Concord, as long as they remain compact and easy to navigate.
Some of the cards in Concord: High Voltage, Star Chamber and Water Hazard
The variety of characters
This is where Firewalk did a good job. There are 16 characters in total, which are divided into 6 classes. Want a character with a standard assault rifle, grenades, and mobility? We'd like to introduce you to Teo.
Can you go to the toilet at night without any problems? Then you're a natural sniper! Choose Val, who runs around with a sniper rifle and show off your skills.
Still having trouble aiming? No problem at all, because the heroine Rock runs around with an 8-charge grenade launcher, so shoot wherever you see and you're likely to kill someone.
Do you prefer cold steel? Then you'll want to play as Buzz, who runs around with knives that she can throw from a distance. This is the character I enjoyed playing the most.
Do you want to try yourself as a "tank" to soak up all the enemy shells like a sponge and thus draw the attention of the enemies to give your team an advantage? There are plenty of such heroes here. The 1-Off robot, Emery with a big shield, or the Star Child warrior.
"1-Off tanks, Emery and Star Child
We also like the weapons in the game. Each character is assigned a specific weapon, so it won't work out that you'll pick up a grenade launcher as Theo, but even the characters I didn't like much had interesting weapons. The most memorable are Theo's assault rifle (because it's the basis of all the basics), Rocky's grenade launcher, It-Z submachine gun, Lennox heavy revolver, Jabali rifle with a large magazine, Bazz knives, and Haymar fire crossbow.
Each of the characters also has their own unique abilities. Theo has two types of grenades: smoke grenades and hand grenades. It-Z is able to move in space. Roka can fly into the air on her jetpack. Star Child is like a wild boar running at his prey to strike hard and unstoppable.
So, there are no problems with character variability at all. You will 100% find the characters you like. Concord allows you to choose your favourite playstyle and win, because the game does not require learning many mechanics. You have only two active abilities, one passive ability, and a weapon to shoot. After playing 2-3 matches, the basics of the game will become clear.
However, the game encourages you not to focus on one hero, but to be able to play at least five, because in Clash Points and Cargo Run modes, the team chooses characters in turn, so your favourite can already be taken away before it's your turn, and even if you took your favourite, you won't get to take him in the next round, which is why it's very important to understand how to play at least a few characters so that you don't find yourself in a difficult situation.
And I like this approach, because you constantly need to develop and learn new characters in the game, and at the same time their abilities and weapons.
How does it all work together?
For example, you go to play the Clash Points mode. Choose one of your favourite characters - let's say it's Theo. You go to the rear of the enemy team, they don't notice you, so you throw grenades at them, fire a burst of automatic fire, and quickly run away so that the survivors don't finish you off. The next round, you take Roku and fly with the whole team to the centre of the map and overwhelm everyone with your shells while the others cautiously make their way closer and closer to take the point for themselves and take another round for yourself.
After that, you lose 2 rounds and the score is 2:2. You decide to take Buzz to run around the map very quickly and throw knives at your opponents, while your teammates help you finish them off. The tactic worked and the score is 3:2. If you win now, you win the match. Finally, you decide to take Vail to cover your teammates with a sniper while they take positions. You find a high point on the map and start shooting everything that moves, so that your opponents start to panic more and can't afford to run forward, because they might get shot by you. Thanks to your actions and the actions of your team, you take the winning round and celebrate.
After 15 minutes of strategy, you just want to shoot, so you go to Trophy Hunt, where you run around the map as your favourite character, chat with your friends and kill as many enemies as possible.
Also, to make the game more interesting, there is a menu with rewards for challenges, which are divided into daily, weekly, and seasonal ones. For example, you need to kill 5 more enemies to complete the weekly challenge. If you succeed, you level up and get new cosmetics after the victory. It can be a costume for your character, a keychain for your weapon, or a new look for your weapon. After that, you open the menu with the heroes and give them new items that you received for completing tasks. This is common in every game, but in Concord, it's easy to close it all, so by the end of the beta test, I had successfully completed most of the tests.
What would you like to see in the release version?
There are also things to criticise Concord for. The game has a somewhat high TTK (Time to kill). It needs to be lowered, because sometimes you end up not shooting, but "poking" each other, which is not very good for a shooter.
You also need to balance the tanks, because when, for example, playing as a 1-Off, TWO opponents barely kill me, because even after several spent magazines I still go after them, it's not very good. I understand that this is the peculiarity of the "tank", because this type of hero requires more resources and time to destroy, but not that much. Once these two aspects are balanced, Concord will become an even more enjoyable game.
The game should definitely have a competitive mode with a rating. Because in the long run, just running around in Trophy Hunt or Clash Points will get boring. We need a separate mode where everyone will have their own knowledge, like in a conditional Counter-Strike, because players will want to stay in the game longer to get a new rank or even reach the highest one. Because going to Concord tomorrow with your friends for an hour is cool, but going to Concord to try to get a new rank sounds more interesting.
Perhaps the game could also use a PvE mode. After all, in the world of Concord, characters run various errands, so maybe you can send them to some exotic planet where they have to find treasures while destroying strange creatures?
A good shooter that did not have time to jump on the bandwagon
Concord, even during the beta, looks like an interesting shooter that you want to return to. However, there is one important nuance that I decided to mention at the very end. In recent years, we have seen so many online shooters that we can't even remember more than half of them. Players are no longer as interested in such projects as they once were. And this is not Concord's problem, it's just that the audience's preferences have changed. Or it could be something too interesting for everyone, like Helldivers 2. Even so, in less than six months on PC, the There are fewer and fewer fighters for democracy: Helldivers 2 has lost 90% of its PC audience. Although back in the winter and spring, you could hear about Helldivers 2 from every iron. So, looking at the overall trend, my optimism and faith in Concord remains cautious. I would advise Sony to continue to focus on single-player games, as most of the Japanese giant's story-driven projects always attract attention. Just take into account the fact that players Players add Astro Bot to their wish list the most of any game shown at the summer presentations among all the games shown at the summer presentations. And you don't even need to jump on this bandwagon: you just need to maintain its condition and give players as many memorable adventures as possible.
Go Deeper:
- Stellar Blade Review: A Sharp Blade with Hot Hips
- "Shōgun" of the next century: Rise of the Ronin review
- Helldivers 2 review
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered review
- God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla review
The editorial team would like to thank Sony Interactive Entertainment for kindly providing access to the Concord beta version
Our game editor has been playing games since he was 4 years old and can't imagine himself without it. He has played 100+ games on PlayStation, but still considers The Last of Us Part II to be the best in the industry. In January 2022, he joined the gg team. He studies at the Faculty of Journalism at Kyiv International University.
