In a world of hero shooters FragPunk does something different

FragPunk is a brand new 5v5 hero shooter, currently in its closed beta phase. In a genre filled with high-quality, competing games, it may have all the tools it needs for long-term success, thanks to just one ingenious mechanic.

Developed by Bad Guitar Studio, a subsidiary of NetEase Games and ThunderFire Studios, logging in to FragPunk for the first time might seem like a very familiar experience. It has all the shiny bells and whistles that we so often associate with hero shooters, and the champions take on a familiar form for anyone who has played games like Overwatch already. 

Bad Guitar Studio

The gameplay loop is also immediately recognizable, though players can change their chosen hero and loadout in between rounds, rather than in between games. Beyond that, FragPunk consists of familiar, objective-based gameplay, shooting mechanics, and unique powers that depend on your chosen champion.

It’s important to say here that, despite it not doing anything new up to this point, the gameplay is remarkably polished. Movement is quick, and champions feel agile and able to make proper use of maps that offer verticality in spades. The gunplay is intuitive, if a little rudimentary, and there is a wide range of weapons to choose between, depending on your preferred playstyle.

That said, the real USP of FragPunk comes in the form of one spectacular mechanic.

FragPunk holds all the cards

Bad Guitar Studio

Bizarrely, the most exciting moment in each game comes in the signature Shard Clash game mode, between rounds, where players get to pick from a variety of randomly drawn cards. These cards have values associated with them that players can put points into to unlock them for the next round. The amount of points each player has available to them depends on their performance in securing kills and completing objectives in the previous round.

Whatever the effect of the card is will then kick in for the next round of gameplay. This simple, random, and enthralling mechanic has the knock-on effect of making no two rounds feel the same, and the landscape can quickly change even if you are several rounds behind. It also prevents that feeling of hopelessness when there is a significant gulf in skill, and a damage buff might be all you need to turn the tide.

The effects of these cards are highly varied and can do anything from increasing the amount of ammunition in the player’s clip to giving everyone on the opposite team enormous inflated heads. There are also cards which the team can pump points into without a hard limit, scaling the effect of the card further. Whether it be adding damage, healing or ability buffs, the impact on each game is enormous.

At this early stage, it’s difficult to overstate how promising FragPunk looks. Whether it can do enough in the run-up to full release to gather an audience and get started on the right foot remains to be seen, but it has all the tools to compete with the very best in the genre.