Developer: Blue Dot Games
Publisher: Blue Dot Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
’83 – Preview
It’s a small miracle that ‘83 even made it to Early Access. Initial development of the game was handled by Rising Storm 2 developer Antimatter Games before the project was shelved in 2023, after the studio was shut down by its parent company. The development team then decided to start their own independent studio, Blue Dot Games, and was able to obtain the rights to the game from their former parent company. This gives us at least the impression that ‘83 is somewhat of a passion project for the team, because they could’ve just gone on and built something completely new from the ground up without having to negotiate for the rights. The question at hand is, of course, whether or not ‘83 was worth all that effort.
Set in an alternate version of history, ‘83 takes a stab at what could have happened if the Cold War hadn’t remained cold. NATO and the Soviet PACT find themselves in a boots-on-the-ground conflict, and one pair of those boots just happens to belong to you. In the grand scheme of things, you’re just a cog in the war machine, just like the other 79 players in this 40 vs. 40 tactical shooter. Yes, you read that right: 40 vs. 40. We’ll get back to what this entails for ‘83’s future, but for now let’s start by taking a look at what the game has to offer in its current state.
The core of ‘83 is built around FPS gameplay, of course, but the game takes this in a slightly different direction from your Call of Duty or your Battlefield. ‘83 puts more emphasis on tactical gameplay, which is refreshing in a way. War isn’t glorified here, and you’re just an average recruit and not some sort of super soldier that is capable of anything and everything. You start off by choosing your specialty from one of six categories: anti-tank, grenadier, machine gunner, marksman, NCO or rifleman. One of the players in your squad also applies to be the platoon’s commander. A commander differs in that they set up radio communications as well as mark targets for your artillery. The role of the commander adds a unique tactical flavour, and it makes sense: you’re on a mission and working towards specific goals, rather than engaging in a free-for-all blastfest.
Regardless of which specialty you choose, you start out with basic equipment: primary weapons, your trusty sidearm, some ammo, explosives and other equipment. A particularly realistic touch is that encumbrance is a thing here: every item you carry counts towards your carry limit. In addition, weapons have recoil and your physical actions, like running or jumping, drain your stamina. This all contributes to ‘83’s feeling of being grounded in reality. It also makes for a brutally difficult game, especially when you’re still finding your footing. Expect to die quite soon, especially in your first few games. While the game’s menu lists a tutorial, at the time of writing, it’s simply a slideshow with writing and images, including the default button layouts. Mind you, ‘83 does not have controller support yet either. Given that the game’s mouse-and-keyboard setup does feel rather clunky, we can imagine that this will turn off some players.
Speaking of, building up and keeping a dedicated player base is seemingly ‘83’s biggest challenge. 40 vs. 40 gameplay does require a healthy player base, and ‘83 simply doesn’t have this yet. According to the SteamDB charts for the game, ‘83 peaked shortly after launch, but dropped off just as quickly as well, and currently struggles to get those 80 players in. This made it difficult to actually get some game time in where you get to see the game’s full potential, and most of our time with the game was spent with the game’s limited single-player content instead.
Apart from the aforementioned tutorial “mode”, ‘83 also offers a shooting range mode, where you can try out which weapon suits you best, as well as an offline practice mode that boasts 9 scenarios. The supposed meat of the game remains in its online play though. Right now, you’ll find dedicated frontline and assault modes here, as well as an “any” mode where you can hopefully find a matchup more quickly and a server browser. The game only has three maps so far, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, map familiarity tends to be an advantage in games like this, but on the other, variety is necessary to keep things interesting throughout.
According to ‘83’s roadmap, at least three additional maps are coming in the future, alongside more factions, commander-specific abilities and even vehicles. It’s important to keep in mind that the development team is intending to keep the game in Early Access for at least another year, with the full launch expected in mid-to-late 2027. In the meantime, the official YouTube channel for Blue Dot Games has launched a dedicated behind-the-scenes web series, where players can get insights into what is in the game, what the design philosophies behind those things were and what the future holds.
Conclusion
While we absolutely see the potential in ‘83, the game really needs that push towards an active player base if it wants to succeed. If that Developer Tapes web series is anything to go by, then the team definitely is both very passionate about the game and they’re actively listening to player feedback. While we usually err on the side of caution for Early Access games, there definitely is enough here to make it worth at least a look if you’re an FPS fan, although more content would be welcome, of course.
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