14 DAY TRIAL // UK-based developer Splash Damage won the hearts and minds of many shooter fans with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory many years ago, but in recent periods, it didn't exactly thrill with projects like the innovative Brink or the multiplayer mode in Batman: Arkham Origins.
Even so, fans shouldn't lose hope, as the studio has been working hard for quite some time on Dirty Bomb, a new competitive first-person shooter experience that's multiplayer-only and promises a big emphasis on skills, not on the traditional free-to-play microtransaction shenanigans.
After spending quite some time in a closed beta state into which players could get either through an invitation or by buying a special pack, the Dirty Bomb open beta is now available on the PC via the Steam service.
Does the competitive shooter manage to deliver the goods or should it be defused ahead of the final launch? Let's have a quick look.
Dirty Bomb emphasizes skill and teamwork.
Right from the first opening video, Dirty Bomb emphasizes its focus on skill and teamwork, as players are invited to go into a tutorial, but once they complete it, life on the actual servers isn't going to hold their hands.
From the get-go, you notice the old school movement system that's fast and fluid, not to mention the focus on nailing headshots for maximum damage and almost non-existent emphasis on aiming down the sights of the gun. In Dirty Bomb, you're still accurate when shooting from the hip, while on the move, but don't expect any aim assist to help you out.
While the shooter and movement mechanics reward individual skills, the actual game modes, such as Objective or Stopwatch, emphasize teamwork above all else. In Objective, one squad tries to complete certain goals, like bombing trains or fixing APCs, while the defenders must stop them until the clock goes down. In Stopwatch, these two aspects are quickly switched around based on a timer, so be prepared for lots of turnarounds.
While teamwork is certainly essential in winning the game, Dirty Bomb doesn't exactly reward those who spend time going for objectives, instead opting to give more XP and credits to those with high kill scores. As such, expect many to go around like in a regular deathmatch instead of going for the goals.
Maps and microtransactions are pretty good
Maps are vibrant in their visuals and quite well designed, but some are better than others. A few shine thanks to their open layout, but others are just a series of chokepoints where only the best coordination can actually result in any success.
Last but not least, it's important to talk about the microtransactions. You start with two free Mercenaries and can buy others with real-world cash or lots of in-game currency. You can also get for free or buy multiple cases that bring different loadouts for your Mercs. Overall, while getting new characters can require a bit of a grind, Dirty Bomb is pretty fair for all players, not just those who pay.
As a conclusion, Dirty Bomb is looking pretty good, but a fair amount of work is still needed in terms of map design and polishing, as well as reward tweaking, so that all different play styles get rewarded if they help the team.
Check out the video and screenshots below.
