Lawbreakers is the new game by Boss Key Productions, founded by Cliff Bleszinski of Unreal Tournament and Gears of War fame. It’s a sci-fi first person hero based multiplayer shooter that demands the skill based twitch reflexes like Unreal Tournament did. And it’s fucking fantastic.
On the surface, Lawbreakers has similarities to other recent hero based shooters, especially Overwatch. But that’s just barely scratching the surface, since LawBreakers does some really unique and interesting things with the gameplay, and is fast paced in a way that is unlike any popular shooter today.
The characters themselves are diverse and play really different from each other. There are a total of nine classes, spread across 18 different characters with their own distinct arsenal of weapons, abilities and movement mechanics. There’s the standard soldier type which will ease you into the game, while other classes require bit more of a learning curve. The Assassin class can swing across quickly, while the Wraith slides around, and the Juggernaut moves slow but deals heavy damage. But for the most part, every character is designed to move, shoot and kill. There’s almost a blurring of the lines between classes, as no one is just a medic, or support or sniper. Everyone’s primary role is to get moving and dealing damage. In a way, this is LawBreakers biggest strength, and the Unreal Tournament DNA is dripping all over it.
The maps are also really well designed, and allow for some really clever traversal. There are Zero-Gravity zones on very map, and is tied to the central lore of LawBreakers. These Zero-G sections change the gameplay in an important way and learning how to move here takes some skill. You can shoot the gun backwards – this accelerates you ahead and can be helpful to fire at an enemy chasing you – but the game never does a good job of explaining this mechanic. LawBreakers desperately needs a proper tutorial mode so that newcomers can familiarize themselves with the characters and the gameplay. There are five game modes spread across eight maps, and range from usual deathmatch, control point, and capture the flag modes, with some variants to them. The modes are fun and varied enough, and I found myself easily hopping from match to match having a really great time.
The Zero-G segments are outstanding, a lot of the combat happens mid air, and the sense of verticality feels empowering once you’ve got a hang of it. It does take a while though, and I would recommend spending the first few hours trying to learn the characters’ abilities and see who works best for each map, mode or situation. You can switch roles anytime you die, so feel free to experiment. The key is to learn how to move fast, using whatever ability your character is equipped with, be it grappling hooks, jetpacks, or simply sliding around. The weapon variety is also fantastic, and learning their nuances is ultimately rewarding.
I’ve heard complains about the characters lacking more personality, but all of that feels like it’s in comparison to Overwatch. LawBreakers is more closer to Unreal Tournament, and is easily the best fast-paced first-person arena shooter. And it looks great too – the maps are shiny and polished giving off a futuristic vibe, particle effects looks great and environmental details are stunning. The only thing LawBreakers needs to do better is to provide an easier learning curve, and it does seem like the guys at Boss Key are listening. I would love to see this game grow over the next few months, and I intend to keep playing it. Honestly, this game has hooked me in a way that Overwatch never did. Maybe it’s because of my love for Unreal Tournament from back in my college days, but I can’t be alone in that right?
Play LawBreakers, give it a few hours and let the game show its depths. It takes a while to show how good it really is, but once you’ve gotten a taste for LawBreakers, there’s nothing else quite like it.
Register with us for the best in gaming, and join us for video game discussions on our forums.
