Even Cops Dial 911 - 60 Minutes With Ready or Not
With the advent of hero shooters and battle royales of recent years, slower-paced, tactical shooters fell by the wayside outside of a small number of titles with their dedicated fanbases. Though Ready or Not debuted on Steam in December 2023, it's recent launch on consoles has catapulted it back to the forefront of shooters. But does that mean it's worth checking out?
Ready or Not is a tactical first-person shooter that is intent on making its interactions feel as realistically challenging as possible, short of signing you up for the LAPD SWAT. Developed and published by Ireland-based VOID Interactive (something that hits close to home for me, for once), it enjoyed a year and a half of exclusivity on Steam, where it garnered rave reviews by fans and critics alike. Set in the fictional American city of Los Sueños where crime has been running rampant and the politicians and LAPD have been left jaded, the game's story follows SWAT Commander David “Judge” Beaumont and his platoon as they try to restore order to the city.
Despite some criticism for censoring within the game to make the port to consoles possible, Ready or Not’s success seems to have followed it; you can't keep a good game down, after all. The console ports come with all the latest PC updates and the previously-released expansions for Ready or Not, Home Invasion and Dark Waters. And in an industry where the most popular IPs have devolved into live service, FOMO-fuelled slog, it's refreshing to have a more grounded shooter that gives you what you pay for without having to worry about expiring battle passes.
Now that I've got my time with Ready or Not, I got to see for myself how it plays. While it's still early days, I've been quite impressed with Void Interactive's tactical shooter. It's scratched the itch that has been left behind by other series when they jumped the shark. There's a singleplayer campaign called Commander, and co-op and quick play multiplayer on offer, with PvP multiplayer planned further down the line, but I'm content with what's available now.
Campaign
With my intention to spend an hour with Ready or Not before writing up this mini-review, I wanted to make sure I maximized my playtime. The Commander campaign sees you take on the role of Judge and leading your five man squad through a series of challenging hostage situations and terrorist hunts across a wide array of locales, including a hospital, college campus, nightclub, and many more.
One of the key features of the Commander campaign is that every mission you complete takes its toll on the mental health of your officers. Too much strain and they will need therapy to deal with the stress and loss they're facing. In that case, you can send your squad members to therapy to improve their mental state. If things get too grim for a squad mate, they may just resign. Keeping track of your squad is important, as you won't be able to fully function with only half a squad. Stick with them long enough and keep their mental health in check and they will provide traits like the increased likelihood of suspects surrendering without a fight.
I ran through the tutorial to get a feel for the controls and gameplay, before diving in to the first mission Thank You, Come Again set in a gas station. There's something about moving slowly and methodically, room by room, and clearing a building that is just so satisfying. My AI squad were a little glitchy once in a while, but using them as the tip of the spear helped keep me alive because damage is usually lethal. There's commands to split your squad into two to breach two doors into a room, but it's not as cohesive as it was in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas. It's still manageable, and it's necessary to scope the room out ahead of entering with the Optiwand in case there are traps or multiple enemies.
I managed to wrap up the first mission successfully with only some minor damage and all squad members intact. I also secured all hostages and restrained every hostile, one way or another. Doing so unlocked the next mission and a few cosmetics. I found every gun was already unlocked from the start, with the exception of the DLC weapons which I didn't own. With that out of the way, I decided to take a quick run at the co-op multiplayer.
Co-op Multiplayer
I ended up loading into a multiplayer match on Thank You, Come Again and it played much different in co-op. While the AI were competent on my solo run, they're no match for other players. Taking things slower to aim for the S rank is more enjoyable (and easier) with real people, however it's not without its challenges. Sometimes the civilian AI can be overly eager to approach you. I had just opened a door when suddenly a civilian jumped out in front of me. The jumpscare caused me to squeeze the trigger on my pistol, but mercifully, my shot missed. But all it takes is one dead civilian to ruin your meticulous S-rank run.
The team I ended up with seemed to already know what to do, so I was happy to fall in and let someone lead the way. It's kinda hard to let someone know you won't be a burden when you don't happen to have your mic with you, but thankfully I was able to prove it by taking down a suspect. Sadly, we missed out on our S-rank, but I'm just happy it wasn't because of me. I dropped out of the lobby and went to the firing range so I could get to grips with the recoil pattern on my weapons. Usually, all it takes is 2-3 well-placed shots to stop a suspect, but without knowing how my chosen weapon plays out, I might miss some shots. I tried a few weapons before settling on an assault rifle and pistol, then messed around with my loadout for campaign.
Bugs
I did encounter a few minor bugs as I played, but nothing groundbreaking. During the training section, my command wheel stopped functioning and I couldn't get my squad to progress, but nothing a restart didn't solve. I also came across an NPC officer with a transparent head that changed colour and density depending on my distance to him. Other than that, my time with Ready or Not has so far been bug-free.
Overall
I've enjoyed Ready or Not for the time I've played and I'm eager to play more. Void Interactive seems to have knocked it out of the park with their rendition of a SWAT sim. In an era of dull, lifeless, and even downright soul-sucking live service titles, it's refreshing to find a game that puts emphasis on fun and challenging gameplay. After years of games vying to be a second, payless job, having a game with longevity and replay value is a blessing.
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