Developer: Novarama
Publisher: Novarama
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5
Tested on: PS5
Killsquad (PS5) – Review
Killsquad has been around for some time now, starting in Early Access back in 2019 and releasing officially two years later. During this process, the game underwent a ton of changes and added some much-requested content. Now the game drops on PlayStation to introduce a whole new fanbase to the looter-shooter multiplayer action.
Story
Killsquad is one of those games that focuses on gameplay for 99 percent, meaning the story and characters are just there to add a minimum of background for the action that’s happening on screen. There is something about an intergalactic war between factions, and you’re a mercenary that takes the side which drops the most cash. That’s really all you need to know to start playing. At the start of every mission, there is a brief explanation by your employer that gives a bit of context to that specific level. But most of it comes down to the classic ‘kill that monster for that guy’ or ‘collect that item for that corporation. While the lack of narrative isn’t a problem thanks to the gameplay-focused nature of the game, it would have been nice to get a bit of extra information on the different characters, planets, and factions mentioned in the briefings.
Graphics
Killsquad has a basic but colorful look. The characters all have unique designs that make them stand out from each other. The same goes for the places you visit and the enemies you face, which can range from ice planets to abandoned facilities with the inhabitants you would normally expect to live there. This offers some nice variety when jumping between missions. But this is where the repetitive type of gameplay usually found in looter-shooters causes a bit of a problem. Since you will not be constantly jumping between levels and you will be replaying the same ones over and over again, the environment can become a bit stale since there isn’t much randomization in each level.
Sound
The sound design of Killsquad is there to accompany the gameplay and nothing more. The tracks are energetic and fit the action perfectly. The sound effects are good as well and make the special attacks and enemies feel just a bit more unique. It won’t however be stuck in your head or be easily distinguished from other games’ soundtracks.
Gameplay
Killsquad is a looter-shooter with a big focus on co-op multiplayer for up to four players, which is very apparent in how the characters are built. The basic gameplay loop is a pretty classic one for a game of this genre: you choose a character, fight your way through a repeatable mission, get rewards that you can use to upgrade your gear, and do it all over again.
The biggest selling point in Killsquad is its unique characters, all of them having a unique class and loadout that compliments the co-op gameplay. This can range from a damage-focused gunslinger to a health-donating swordfighter. Each character has a personal weapon that feels unique to use, accompanied by a variety of abilities that emphasize their play style. As you play more, you will level up these characters to unlock more skills or buffs to customize your preferred playstyle for each character. This type of character customization and the unique classes make it a lot of fun to test them all out and see which one fits you the best. It’s also nice that it gives you more incentive to check out other characters, depending on which one other players are choosing. While the game is perfectly playable solo, there are some characters that are harder to use when doing so. The ones with melee weapons and healing abilities are clearly optimized for co-op play.
At the start of each mission, you will begin at level one and quickly gain levels throughout the mission to access all of your abilities. This gives a nice feeling of progression each time around and it gets more fun once you unlock more abilities that are accessed at different levels, giving a nice harmony between permanent upgrades and other ones. At the end of these missions, you will be rewarded with some loot and upgrade materials to upgrade your character. This loot will be specific to the one you just used and can be changed between missions. The problem with this is that the rewards can be pretty sparse, meaning you’ll be grinding quite a bit to hit the required equipment score for the next levels. This is especially painful since this has to be done for every character individually. Luckily there are also some missions to get extra materials and give you more incentive to try out different characters and weapons to keep the progress balanced.
Conclusion
Killsquad delivers a solid looter-shooter experience that has a big focus on co-op multiplayer. The game offers five unique characters with good synergy to turn it into a great experience with friends, which is a good distraction from the grindy progression and repetitive presentation. This, however, makes it a harder recommendation for solo players, especially during longer game sessions.
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