They’re behind you. By Jay Tee 27/07/21 Previewed on Xbox Series X. — They’re behind you.
By Jay Tee
27/07/21
Previewed on Xbox Series X.

There’s nothing quite like being blindsided by a genuine surprise. Splitgate had not been on our radar, and yet it has rapidly become one of the quickest “just one more round” efforts of 2021 so far. It’s the right amount of zippy, quick thinking is rewarded, and who doesn’t like flanking someone through a portal?!

Based on our time with the now extended Beta, which can be attributed to an injection of hefty funding and an ever growing player base, Splitgate nails the feel of arena combat but doesn’t allow the mechanics to get bogged down. Judicious use of portals (and those often underutilised EMP grenades) is essential here, with reflexes and adaptability rewarded over spamming attacks or simple brute force.

The absence of lethal equipment does it a favour, particularly as comparisons with early Halo multiplayer are inevitable (although ultimately redundant). Despite the obvious aesthetic similarities, and the familiar sounding announcer, the gameplay feels closer to Call of Duty in terms of reflexes, with Halo’s shot timing. It’s a fun combo, and in practice works extremely well.

Even though servers have been buckling under the weight of demand (which is what Beta’s are for!), once you’re in the experience is silky smooth. It looks and feels well optimised on Series X, with a rock solid framerate and crispy visuals providing much need clarity when the action heats up.

In terms of map design, they’re visually distinct, and the carefully designed placement of portal pads (specific locations where a portal is permitted) ensures they don’t dominate whilst still affording plenty of sneaky flank or escape opportunities. Some of the smaller spaces within certain maps are a little too close quarter, making navigation tricky especially under fire. But once you learn the ropes, that issue is mitigated somewhat.

For a game that wasn’t even occupying our headspace a week ago, I’m pretty blown away. Splitgate is a winner. And it’s free to play, so give it a shot.

How DARE you say we look like Spartans. My squad mate is CLEARLY a cat. For some reason.

TARPS?

At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.