Revolt review

[page=Revolt is different]
Revolt's boring and uninteresting exterior hides the fact that it has one of the most dynamic combat engines I have played in some time. It doesn't do anything fancy, but it gets the basics right.

Revolt will own you. The first time you try to capture a flag, you will unceremoniously be gunned down. For the first hour, most attempts to shoot will send more bullets into the walls than into flesh. You will be repeatedly targeted from places you didn’t even know players could reach. There is no middle ground in Revolt. Players either complain about their sagging scores and give up early, or they stick through these initial humiliations and gain the skill the game requires. If you choose the latter, you will be thrust into one of the deepest and most rewarding mods available today.

Get used to seeing this

Revolt's gun handling gives it a unique flavor. It does away with any sort of conefire mechanic and instead has every bullet hit the very center of the screen--every single round. A player firing an MP5 while running sideways is no less accurate than a camping sniper.

This facet alone affects the gameplay in a way that cannot be understated. No open space is safe—on the clearer maps, you will often find your head blown off from a hundred meters away. Standing still out in the open will lead to a quick, clean death. Capturing a control point requires a dedicated team effort—something lone wolves will realize after their tenth attempt.

A few concessions prevent Revolt from becoming a Quake-like fragfest. The most notable and noticeable is the total lack of crosshairs. Instead, you will be forced to use ironsights for almost all shooting. And then there's the recoil.

Revolt’s weapon recoil is awesome. With more akin to Day of Defeat than CS, firing a weapon in Revolt is truly a fight against the uncontrolled power of the gun. Single rounds create small, manageable kicks. By the end of a 5-round burst, the gun rattles like an uncaged animal. Spraying is completely discouraged by this system, as sustained fire will be totally ineffective in all but the closest quarters.

Iron Sights Rule

This recoil has the side affect of nearly forcing you to specialize in a couple weapons. Each gun has its own very distinct set of properties and, most importantly, its own general recoil pattern. It must be emphasized that these differences aren't like switching from an MP40 to an MP44; Revolt's AK-47 feels totally different from its holographic-sighted M4. So pick a gun and learn it--just like spending time with a car in Gran Turismo, knowing your gun in Revolt pays off in spades. This time investment will be a turnoff for many casual players, but being able to control one of Revolt's wild weapons is a very satisfying feeling.

[page=Surviving the Revolt]

Solo attack runs are not rewarded

To say it plainly, this high-damage high-accuracy frag-grenade-flying gameplay will throw newbies under the bus. The wide-open and complex nature of the maps, combined with the long-range accuracy of the guns, mean that death can come from just about anywhere. Combining this with the weapon learning curve will create frustratingly low kill-death ratios for most players for their first couple days of play. This is no more pronounced than in CS, but will nonetheless turn many away before they really get to know the game.

For those who want to be eased into the experience more slowly, Revolt does offer an option. Servers can choose one of two gameplay options—Low Grain or High Grain. High Grain is “true” Revolt, as I have described it here. Low Grain lowers the damage values and recoil of all weapons, creating an experience strikingly similar to the game’s Call of Duty roots. Low Grain is still extremely fun in its own right, and works as an excellent way to either “break into” the game or simply have a more laid-back experience. For the hardcore, though, Low Grain lacks the uniqueness and competitiveness that are hallmarks of High Grain.

Most of this combat will take place in one game mode—Clutch. Clutch places one central control point and two base control points on each level. A point is scored when a player crosses the opposing team’s base point while their team has control of the central point. It’s nothing terribly unique, but it makes for interesting matches while keeping the fast pace of the combat intact.

The maps deserve recognition for their impressive design. Most maps contain a good mix of open spaces and closed corridors, similar to DoD’s buildings-and-courtyards blend. They often contain a striking amount of complexity, with many side passages and out-of-the-way sniping spots. Learning these maps is very fun and interesting, as there always seem to be new ways to approach a target. Additionally, any sort of flag camping is almost impossible by a single player; there are just too many ways to attack the bases.

The center point on this map is always a hotbed of fire

It’s a good thing the gameplay is so solid, though, because Revolt has very little in the way of graphical and aural hooks. The entire atmosphere is extremely basic and utilitarian throughout. It doesn’t ever take away from the game per se, but it certainly never adds to the overall package in the way of games like Dystopia or World of Padman.

In the end, I think that Revolt is a game that will have legs, but never reach a large audience. Even though it doesn't have any "back of the box" features to speak of, its truly unique gameplay gives it more depth and intensity than many far more complicated games. By focusing on one gameplay design and shunning vehicles and the like, the core mechanics of Revolt flourish.

On the other hand, Revolt will inevitably require too much work for the average player to enjoy it Revolt lacks the sheer diversity of a class-based shooter and has a very intimidating learning curve. These obviously do not bode wel for its widespread appeal.

All things considered, though, if you are looking for an extremely intense and hardcore FPS experience, especially if you can get a strong team together, Revolt is a one-of-a-kind shooter that should not be passed by.

Pros:
(+) Perfectly accurate guns craft a very unique gameplay style
(+) Guns each feel very distinct
(+) Maps are extremely well designed, especially for team play
(+) Intense gameplay well geared for competitive play

Cons:
(-) Takes a few hours to really get the hang of
(-) Bland presentation
(-) Lack of vehicles, classes, etc limits gameplay diversity