Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
Watch Dogs: Legion – Online – Review
Watch Dogs: Legion is a game that got much praise for the way it handled the “play as anyone” concept. You could use any NPC in the GTA-styled Watch Dogs: Legion, meaning there were many unique people to be found with one-of-a-kind skills and audio lines. Now, WDL also has a “play with anyone” mode, as it introduces an online mode. Want to know more about Watch Dogs: Legion and the original story, sound, graphics, and gameplay? Click here to get to our review of the base game, because in the following review, we will only be looking at all the online content available.
Watch Dogs: Legion – Online could be seen as a direct extension to the storyline of the single-player campaign. The game asks you the question, how do we keep DedSec’s power contained in such a way, that we ourselves don’t get corrupted from the inside? According to the introduction, the best way is to immediately start a new resistance group all over again but this time, with different goals. After a short introductory mission, we got to free-roam in the multiplayer version of futuristic London. As the online mode only supports four players in a world at any given time, it’s a more intimate setting than other games. Like in most games, playing with people you know, instead of strangers, is almost always more appealing as you can rely on someone’s presence, skills, communication and you often know what to expect of your regular gaming buddies.
The Online mode has got a few things for you and your friends to do. While there is also a little bit to do for those playing alone, those things turn out to be rather bland. It’s basically the same formula as the offline mode, where you play short and sometimes uninspired missions. Content for solo players in the online mode is just like that as well. It could be seen as stuff to do while waiting for others, but it pales in comparison to the regular single-player mode. There’s also a more competitive online game mode, which might be appealing to all, whether it be solo players or a group of friends. This mode is an arena for spider bots, where up to four competitors can take control of said spider bot and try to blast each other to smithereens. It’s a bit like a third-person classic arena shooter, like Quake III Arena or Unreal Tournament, but with small mechanical critters. There are weapons and health pick-ups, and it is generally quite intense and fun. The only comment here is that some weapons are clearly way stronger than others.
Other modes include more “regular” missions and playlists to do together, which contain the same gameplay as the single-player campaign, but with stronger enemies and unique content. There’s also a tougher playlist set of five missions, where if a single operative dies, you fail the game and have to start it over again. In our experience, this was pretty hard because we were quickly forced to split up into teams of two. As soon as one of the two teams was downed, we had to start over again. This extra difficulty is a good reason to spend some time separated from each other outside playlists, because you can use influence (comparable to “tech” from the single-player mode) to unlock and upgrade your technology for missions, as well as recruit stronger recruits. Sadly, the aforementioned is all the gameplay you’re going to get. There’s a possibility that a random event occurs every now and then, but it doesn’t seem to happen enough to be a large, prominent part of the online version of the game.
Aside from the shifts in gameplay, ranging from solo missions to sometimes challenging missions, the online mode of Watch Dogs: Legion also brings us something we are starting to get tired of. By this, we mean the formula of ‘years split into seasons’ with ranks, where your rank is determined by how much time you spend in the game. You play more, you get more, but you can obviously also buy stuff. Games such as COD Warzone, Fortnite, and others, all want your time and attention to get the “most unique best gear, rewards, and cosmetics”. The first big difference is that previously named games are free-to-play and only have this model as their sole source of income, but Watch Dogs: Legion already is a game you are paying for, so it feels like a tired approach to take more money straight out of your wallet. Especially considering the game already had a lot of ‘pay-to-unlock’ content upon its initial release.
While the Online mode seemed fun to just mess around a bit, it also didn’t feel inspired enough to actually come back to a lot. Where GTA V does this better with more massive combat and content, the enemy AI and shoot-outs are comparable to i.e. The Division 2, where the aforementioned also seems to do it better. Watch Dogs: Legion seemed to be more concerned with a way to prolong the gameplay and setting up a financial system, like every other online game these days, instead of putting real effort into crafting something unique. Perhaps this will change the weeks or months after release, but we have our doubts.
Conclusion
The Online mode from Watch Dogs: Legion brings you the opportunity to play with up to four people. You can do unique missions and playlists together, or just have some fun. While the spider bot shooting arena seems original, the ‘normal’ missions are either a bit bland or have a touch of “unfair” to them, quickly making them less fun to spend time on. The addition of a loot-for-rank (playtime) system that’s split up into seasons made us turn away even more. Is online fun? Perhaps; depending on what you expect. If you’re looking for a generic overused system, you will certainly enjoy this one. If you’re expecting an elaborate online mode with loads to do, you’ll probably be disappointed.
Watch Dogs: Legion - Online - Review,
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