It’s hard to offer something truly original in the hero shooter space, especially in 2024.Team Fortress 2cemented the hero shooter genre and most of its gameplay conventions almost two decades ago, andOverwatchrefined them and popularized the genre even further. Now,games likeMarvel Rivals,FragPunk, andDeadlockare all about to throw their hat in the ring as well. But against all odds,Concorddoes bring something new to the table.
Concordhas plenty of game modes at launch, 16 playable Freegunners, and tons of customization options to incentivize long-term play. But these features are all expected of a modern hero shooter.Concordneeded to offer something more, and though it may not have too many distinct features of its own, it does bring some novel ideas to the table.Concord’s cooldown system is one such idea, albeit one that suffers from some balancing issues.
Concord’s Cooldown System Has Both Its Pros and Cons
Concord’s Cooldown System Rewards Skilled Players
Inmost hero shooters– or just about any video game in which the player has access to special powers – character abilities are often given a cooldown timer. This means that once a player uses an ability, they’ll need to wait for the cooldown timer to hit zero before they can use it again. This timer often differs between abilities based on how powerful said ability is, allowing developers to balance the game in subtle but meaningful ways.
Concorddoesn’t follow this hero shooter convention as strictly as its competition. While many ofConcord’s Freegunnersstill have a cooldown timer attached to their abilities, some do not, instead being able to reset their ability charges by completing a specific task. For example, many Freegunner abilities can be recharged after earning an elimination, and others require the player to manually hold the ability button to recharge it.
In theory,Concord’s cooldown systemis a fairly novel approach to a hero shooter convention that’s remained the same for almost two decades now. This system rewards those who are good at the game by allowing them to gain their abilities back at a faster rate and thus gives them the toolset to keep their streak going for longer. ButConcord’s unique cooldown system is far from perfect.
Concord’s Cooldown System Doesn’t Work For Every Freegunner
ForFreegunners like Lennox and Haymar, who are all about finding opponents quickly and taking them down in a matter of seconds,Concord’s cooldown system works quite well, feeding into the game’s faster pace and fueling players with a sense of accomplishment when they’re able to get a streak going. But that same cooldown system doesn’t work nearly as well for the slower-paced Freegunners onConcord’s roster.
When it comes to moresupport-oriented Freegunners like Jabali and Emari, this elimination-based cooldown system doesn’t feel quite right. Jabali’s healing orbs require the player to get eliminations to recharge, but that’s much easier said than done, with Jabali’s primary weapon dealing much less damage than other Freegunners on the roster. A similar thing is true for Emari’s shield, which is already a bit too weak. By the time players have gotten a kill as Emari and recharged their body shield, they’ll likely find themselves swamped by large groups of enemy Freegunners, with Emari’s large stature making her an easy target.
Concord
WHERE TO PLAY
Assemble your crew of Freegunner space outlaws and team up online with friends for thrilling 5v5 PVP modes across the galaxy in Concord.Concord is a new team-based first-person shooter for PS5® and PC*. Handpick your personal roster of Freegunners from the crew of the Northstar – a group of outlaws and adventurers working as guns-for-hire.ASSEMBLE YOUR CREWFrom powerful mystics to skilled gunslingers and helpful healers, each Freegunner brings their own unique skills, personality, and abilities that cater to a wide-range of playstyles.Create your own custom squads of Freegunners with Crew Builder to bring an arsenal of different role types to the match or focus on your favourite characters to master their gameplay and unlock unique modifiers, cosmetics, background lore, and more – you decide when to play your characters and how you impact the match.PLAY. PROGRESS. PERSONALIZE.Earn and unlock a wide range of character customization items and learn more about the characters, worlds, and factions in the Concord Galaxy with the Galactic Guide.You’ll also be able to progress toward and unlock Freegunner Variants—versions of each of the 16 Freegunners with added Combat Trait modifiers to their base abilities. As you learn and master the characters, Combat Traits empower you to tailor each character to your playstyle.
