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| Alana Hagues |
More multiplayer loot madness!
06.26.19 - 5:39 PM
Killsquad was one of the biggest surprises at this year's E3 for me. Tucked away at the Indiecade booth on the showfloor, this game drew crowds of people who were ready to sit down and play some cooperative RPG action. Its Diablo-esque, top-down appearance was initially intimidating to me, but once I got into the game, I had a blast.
Killsquad is set in a galaxy that's been thrown into chaos, where corporations send groups of bounty hunters known as "Killsquads" to various planets to loot the remaining resources. Exploring these planets comes in the form of Contracts, which are missions that send you and three other Killsquad members out to defeat monsters and fulfill your objectives. You can do this with a group of friends, or be paired up online with three other people.
In the demo, I could choose from four different classes, each with their own specialties in combat. I chose the sword-wielder, who is a mix between close-range, fast combat and some psychic abilities which see her dart across the screen or leap above enemies and deal huge amounts of damage to them. There is also a gunner class which specialises in staying out of the enemy's range and dealing heavy damage from afar. Novarama confirmed that they want to add up to 30 classes in the final version of the game, which will add even more diversity and variety when playing online. You never know who you'll be paired with.
What's great about the characters is that all of them play and control really well, and no one class is better than the others. Each character can be picked up and learned very easily, and while they all control exactly the same, their different skills and abilities make them feel very different. You'll also be able to customise your character and equip them with new weapons and armour as you progress through the game, likely from the loot you pick up from each planet, so you'll be able to pick your favourite character and deck them out to your heart's desire.
Visually, the game looks stunning. The environments are detailed, full of colour, life and all types of ecosystems, and there was very little slow-down or lag when I sat down and played the game with three others. It felt incredibly polished, which for a game that's just about to enter Early Access, is incredible.
If you're looking for some loot-heavy co-op RPG action, Killsquad might just be the game for you. Novarama recently announced the game will be entering Early Access on July 16th, and the plan is for the game to stay there for six months while the development team make tweaks and add new Contracts and characters, after which it will be available to the rest of the world. The focus is currently on the Steam version, but console ports will "likely follow," according to the developers.
