[NOTE: While updates have eliminated certain launch-day criticisms (as will be described below), I’m still going to graph my impressions focused more on time played around release. These later changes don’t really affect my personal thoughts & score to any meaningful degree.]
How does a developer follow up one of the most discussed, critically divided, and obnoxiously dreary shooters of this generation? If your answer was anywhere within the vicinity of ‘multiplayer-oriented squishy-ball battle with little marketing’ I’d be inclined to call you Nostradamus. Beyond just their previous game, Deformers is outside Ready at Dawn’s (RaD) wheelhouse if looking through their entire gameography. Surprisingly, this came with a fair share of grumbling from the community. From my perspective: when looking at the disparity between the dour, overly-dramatic pretentiousness of The Order: 1886 to this unwound, bouncy attitude seemed like a great way of hopping out of a creative rut—if only temporary; and not JUST for its intate differentiations over RaD’s previous, Deformers works so well by putting a team of great technical artists to work on a satisfying gameplay foundation.
Replacing the trite Mountain Dew-swilling online bouts of bragging rights and braggadocio from a Nuke killstreak reward, Deformers is interested in competition but in the context of bouncy balls of ballyhoo within intimate arena fights. For Deathmatch/TDM variants, a max of eight players are dropped onto a map set to duke it out against their enemies via ramming, shooting, throwing them off the map, utilizing offensive power-ups, or squishing them when thrown back in to respawn. And in these two-minute rounds there's this strange-yet-cutesy dalliance of bouncy characters steering around a map vying for more points and collecting the scattered remains of felled enemies for health. Within seconds of viewing the initial trailer ( https://www.youtube.com/wat... anyone can follow what this game's about and its oddball freneticism.
With such considerations though, there's also an underlying strategy. Said planning comes in the (de)form of classes:
-Marksman: Lightweight at taking damage and delivering physical damage offset by firing projectiles like an automatic
-Striker: Medium build, sub-par speed, etc. but hardest rammer
-Ranger: All-around class. No inherent weaknesses but average at everything.
-Speedster: Smallest and quickest of the classes. Low health as the drawback.
-Guardian: Typical Heavyweight traits. Built like a brick s***house but is the slowest shooter and at getting around the map.
Before each round you have to commit to said class. And since you're ignorant of whom they are until character selection is locked out, experimentation is a virtue for those lagging behind. If being a Guardian nets you several kills but trailing in total points, maybe dedicate your tactics to Marksman to secure the lead. Remember: landing projectile hits on numerous enemies is just as valuable as bashing enemies for kills.
One later-remedied complaint—among critics and friends alike—was the lack of any sort of tutorial. Plopping players in ranked or custom lobbies and saying "have fun!" appeared to be RaD’s idea of a fair time. Speaking as one who picked this up at launch, I seem to be one of those individuals left appreciating that ideal. Of course, I don't want to discount why adding Tutorial and Training for newbies was beneficial; and yet, I do feel like I gained something by its primeval 1.0 stage: the heuristic nature of testing the limits to my own accord. It's funny to think of how it took me a few matches before realizing I could CHARGE the ramming attack too! This may be dawdling too long into my 'subjective' interpretation to forgive missing features, but I don't think it's without merit. My combat acumen increased solely through the unremitting action of play; in turn, rendering me with a greater versatility.
It's flabbergasting to think of just how high of a skill ceiling there is for such a limited move set. Majority of action is dedicated to the trigger buttons: ram (RT), fire pellets (RB), block (LT), and grab (LB). And what class you select will inform the plethora of internalized decisions: focus on breaking up scattered objects to maintain ammo for ranged attacks, a bulldozer stratagem to disrupt and kill enemy players head-on, a combo of both whilst waiting for power-ups to materialize. Even simple moves can disrupt an opponent's strategy. Block renders you temporarily immobile & indestructible from charged attacks or pellets; however, Grab cancels Block and leaves them vulnerable to being hurtled off a map's edge--especially when a charged throw that renders them dizzy.
After considering all of these checks & balances it's not hard to see why expatiating on the game's design seems so interesting. And that's not just all the tidbits to glean from the gameplay either. Other ones that come to mind:
-How there's no cooldown after exiting Block. Meaning one can habitually pound and release the left trigger whilst attacking.
-The compressed time when dizzy is just enough for a skilled player to claw back into the ring if thrown off the edge.
-The approximate amount of button-mashing required for a grabbed player to break free (for both parties).
-The near-nonexistent cooldown for dash makes eluding a viable option.
Tie all of these ancillary templates with tautened controls and you have a great cornerstone of cute mayhem. A full game can make each ephemeral round feel hectic.
"Sheesh...with all these dynamics to consider for Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch what more can you ask for?" I'm glad you'd ask because there's one mode I haven't touched on: Form Ball.
When looking at the timeline of Deformers' release it's not hard to connect dots and say this was an 11th-hour addition after Rocket League’s popularity. Even still, it's a distraction that may—intentionally or no—be more enticing to most players. The concept is simple: scoring the ball into the enemy net. Same control setup and class system; however, there’s quite a disparate value for certain classes within this mode. The biggest blemish to such a great mode is it being limited to one locale with no design variants. There's such promise in utilizing the stadium as a skeleton for creative users to incorporate unique rule sets & modes a la Halo's Forge Mode.
In a nutshell, that's the core design of this game. But while Deformers wouldn't be so successful without that core, it's the game’s goofy nature that breathes life into the concept.
I know I’ll eventually sound like I’m harping too much on the contrasting design sensibilities of The Order compared to this but hear me out. You know how restrictive The Order felt in respect to railroading you at every turn? Rather than dealing with unskippable cutscenes here even the loading screens and victory celebrations give players transient moments of self-expression. A small detail? Sure, but I don’t think it’s inconsequential. Tie this in with these rambunctious rondures ranging from farm animals to breakfast food and it’s easy to see just how light-hearted their approach was; further, that attitude seeps into play itself, along with funny quips and puns splattered before fights. These sundry elements brewed together are what has given me some of my most genial experiences in competitive play.
The feedback loop hangs on retrieving in-game credits to purchase new characters, accessories, and emotes. Want that adorable pug-ball to be dressed like a police officer and don a big donut for a backpack? Done. How about a big Rolly-Polly burger with whipped cream for a hat? That's there too. The panoply of customizable items (across all options) has to crack over a hundred in total.
The initial announcement of such a different product from RaD's previous caused a stir with many; yet I don't think they considered what kind of benefits there are in seeing graphics specialists work their technical knowhow on such a colorful project within a confined budget.
In an age where AA titles often show obvious signs of regimenting their budget, RaD deserves credit for a $30 title having a solid physics engine that supplements game feel. There's so many little things that look like respectable visual artists worked on it: the squishy ripple effect when bashing into other Deformers or shooting pellets never got old, the noticeable debility of an injured Deformer that becomes more and more mottled with bandages nearing death, the spongy quality of accessories on their backs. I can't ignore just how loopy it sounds to venerate a polished game about squishy spheroids smacking each other, but I can't help it. The art style works and is supported by the polish, UI, and more on the technical side.
As with RaD's forte with graphics, sound is another quality that's tough not to heap praise on. Austin Wintory composes with such brio that you're not quite sure how it fits. The amiable cabaret impression is heightened by these energetic tunes combining loud orchestral scores with...chants from what I expect to be a female opera singer in Viking garb? How does this work so well again? Aside from that, sound design hits more at the 'adequate' mark. There's no voice acting, character-specific noises during selection notwithstanding. Sound design hits that mark of being basic-yet-distinct. Whether it’s dashes or pellets whizzing by, the aural combat communication can be readily understood in the same way footsteps, environmental queues, etc. are heard in a competent shooter.
So with all of these positives, I have to dredge up the negatives. For one, I admonish anyone from attempting to get their hands on this game NOW since online servers have been disconnected. If you're asking why...well that's a funny story. Recall how I sounded over-the-moon on the dynamics when one was playing a "full game," right? Well…even at launch there were times such ambitions seemed like a Herculean task. It's a shame when looking at games like Evolve, LawBreakers, and Deformers thinking of what might've been if LFG tabs, Groups, and other tools were better-utilized to maintain an active community. Part of the reason any multiplayer action will have to be local (4 players max).
Discounting Form Ball's one static map, there's a paucity of maps for the Deathmatch variants too. I know I've raised the "quality > quantity" mantra before, but that's part of why I think the map rotation is lacking. A map like Chaotic Caverns presents so many opportunities that seem missing from something overly simplistic like Battle Butte. One or two more maps, and new modes, would've sweetened the deal—even if delivered over time.
Missing something? Oh right! There were micro transactions too. Like R6: Siege, there were two credit tiers with which players could purchase cosmetics. There are special considerations to make: this not being a full-priced game, the prices weren't outrageous, and they were only cosmetic. Nevertheless, it’s still sleazy. Cosmetics in a game like this are amplified in importance. This has been removed since RaD announced the servers would be shuttered; however, it’s still worth consideration since this review’s morphed more into a retrospective.
In conclusion, I couldn't help but dig this game from the start. Seeing RaD expand their creative horizons to such a degree after making a banal shooter clicked at the right time for me; more than that, it's an concept which upends the typical staples of class-based combat today despite maintaining so many of the same rewards structures and dynamism. Unfortunate for such a budget title with technical wizardry and fun design inviting for just a bit more variety and content.
coolbeans’s *FresH* badge
Joe Y writes: With server closures, glitches, and broken patches, many games have unobtainable achievements and trophies. Here are the top 10 you can't 100% anymore.
"It sounds simple enough, but due to the expiration of licenses, one of the four songs, Promised Land by Vesuvius, is no longer available to download. If you previously had it downloaded, it will *not* be taken away, so you'll still be able to grab this one."
Well damn it. I really dig that song from The Rocker and I did not know it was in RB3. I stopped playing after RB2.
Online achievement/trophies are dumb. I’m not sure why they still include them. I recall the modern warfare games were applauded for not including them.
Unless the game is an online only game because what choice is there at that point.
Uhm trophies are fantastic, they give you real reason to keep playing a game after you beat it
If you need trophies to keep playing a game after you beat it, then is the game worth playing any further? It's imaginary points, not better gaming. Good games will be replayed regardless of imaginary points.
@Christopher
That logic makes zero sense. It's most definitely 'worth playing further' as you go and do things you clearly didn't do the first time....hence why do didn't get the TROPHY. It's not about better/worse gaming, it's about a replay of a game feeling fresh and not redundant.
***It's most definitely 'worth playing further' as you go and do things you clearly didn't do the first time....hence why do didn't get the TROPHY.***
If you need a trophy to do something and not the fact that you enjoy it, is the game actually worth playing? Seriously, how is that a foreign concept? How is that nonsensical? I guess it's nonsense to someone who plays for trophies, but that's about all you're playing for when you promote the reason for doing more to just get trophies and not because you enjoy it.
Chris
In fairness sony did have that gold trophy auction for all those commercial props.
Would have loved to have enough trophies for that.
Pretty ignorant statement to have... there are lots of fun achievements/trophies to be had playing online... I've never played through the single-player campaign in any COD... but had lots of fun playing online... Companies have to be sure to cater to all gamers when it comes to achievements/trophies... a good mix is never a bad thing...
...except if you want to play a game online a couple of years later and not being able to, hence from getting all the trophies.
I’m not obsessed with getting every achievement/trophy but if I like the game I may try to. I’m simply being punished for not discovering the game earlier.
Most games... minus complete failures last much...much longer online than I believe you are giving credit for...
Half of these are false .. The Evolve one can still unlocked... Ghostbusters is only unachievable on PS3 its still online on 360.. Destiny 2 one is only unobtainable for a while as said by bungie... GTAV one can still be unlocked too in a private game. And the Black Ops 3 one can still be unlocked using a few different methods. Guy who wrote this is clueless.
When a games server goes offline then they should allow users to create their own p2p servers to keep these games active. They should also unlock or delete the trophies from any list to those who havent got them.
I can think of a few honorable mentions. there is one for smartglass seeing as smartglass is now defunct. there is also ones for 1v100 and dorito crash course 2 since both of those games are also defunct.
Ready At Dawn has announced that it will be shutting down the servers for its physics-based arena brawler, Deformers, in its Western and European markets on August 9th. According to the team, Deformers was no longer financially viable in the West and in Europe, which is why it decided to shut down its servers.
That game looked like a April fools prank after the order. Would be like naughty dog making state of decay instead of tlou
Outside of in-engine graphic fidelity The Order 1886 was a horrible game, one of this generation's worst. I'm not saying Deformers was a blockbuster hit, or that great, but it was at least more of a game than 1886's CGI hallway was.
I rather enjoyed The Order. The setting was fantastic. The gameplay could use some tweaking for sure, but what was on offer was good. The world needs another game set in this universe.
@nodoze Yeah, as someone who really values cool settings, tone, characters and stuff like that I absolutely loved the order and think it was a great starting point that they could add more mechanics and systems around. Really hope Sony decides to save them from having to make more Deformers-like games. I still believe this studio can thrive with a big budget.
I've actually had a review resting on this for a while too. My mindset was similar to your own: jumping from an overly-constrained, dreary shooter to a bounce-house brawler looked like a great direction for them (if only as a diversion).
EDIT: In fact, I think I'm going to invest time to finish it!
Did you actually play the game to develop that opinion? The Order was far from a horrible game; it was definitely short, and didn’t need those couple of chapters that were nothing more than cutscenes, but the gameplay, the gun mechanics, the overall story, the setting/ environment, and the voice acting were all top notch. The insanely good graphics go without say. Nothing about it was broken, and everything worked extremely well. Nothing that a bigger and better resourced team couldn’t fix in a potential sequel to make an actually fantastic game.
@Nodoze:
The issue is that as a big budget AAA it failed to deliver. Didn't make enough to justify sequel, yet the people who liked it feel justified in asking for one as if it had performed well. Willfully miss the point
@narsaku
I feel the hate in your blood, let it consume you and come to the darkside.
It's RAD's first full scale project and we should encourage them.
The game wasn't bad at all.
It was short, YES!
It had no replayability value, YES!
it is however a very good foundation for a more ambitious sequel.
Its 2018 and still people call a game bad for being short...so by that logic launch window NMS was an infinitely great game?
Lets get serious...it was short and it lacked replayability but what was there was top quality (gun play, voice acting, story, visuals, sound..) and more than enough to warrant a sequel that could address all shortcomings.
We as gamers should be advocating for RAD and Sony to give The Order a second chance, to give us what we deserve.. a better game set in this unique setting, not rooting against it. This is so wrong in so many levels.
Order 1886 has huge potential. And it was not a horrible game.. I hope the game gets another chance..
The order was a fantastic game.. U know whats worst and horrible? Sea of theieves and it blows my mind outlets still gave that trash anything above a 3.. The order was atleast atleasttt an 8! What a game..
The only problem with the Order was that it was unfinished and rushed out the door to get it done. It certainly wasn't the best game this gen, but it's not the worst.
I didn't even realize this ever came out. I remember them talking about it after The Order. Everybody was like 'huh'? I was willing to try it out... but honestly never realized it came out!
The Order is not as bad as so many people say it is. There are certain games that come out that you play and you say, "Okay, this is decent... I can really see the potential in it. I bet they could do something a lot better with it in a sequel". That's how I feel about The Order. Much like how I feel about Rage and the presumably true (?) leak of Rage 2. I have high hopes that Rage 2 will fix many of the mistakes of the first, because the core of the game was a good foundation I could see built upon. I bet it will be a lot better game.
I love when people go graphics over gameplay and fun. Deformers was okay nothing special but fun at times. The order could have been a cgi movie. More shallow than anything this gen
The Order had some of the worst AI Ive played in a while. The half-breeds were just terrible, collectibles were pointless. Story started off great but got stale and rather silly when they introduce vampires, just a little much. Human enemies AI, and the combat with them was rather good with a cover system that was very top notch.
Art/graphics were great. The shortness of the game would have not bothered me if it was a well thought out game from start to finish. QTE's were ok with the human AI enemy, but just terrible with half-breeds. So a good rental, but far from a "CGI" movie.
After the crap that was The Order, they needed to do something big but alas...they settled on this
Played through it twice and want to go through it again, try to get the Platinum Trophy. I understand this type of game isn't for everyone but I liked it a lot. The atmosphere and story were amazing.
I think Order was a bad video game but they did a good job at creating eye candy to the average viewer. I only see praise for the things that are second to a video game foundation, like characters, setting, world, story. You can't write any positive aspects about the game parts because it does nothing new any other shooter had done in the last decade. Ready at Dawn is a textbook example of the differences between western developers and eastern developers
https://www.gamasutra.com/v...
The gameplay was mediocre, sure, but the tone, setting, world mythos and atmosphere was probably some of the best this gen.
A lot of what made it good, came from all the subtleties and implicit workings, weaved into the game world.
Not for everyone, I'll agree with that, but for those who understood them, the game was a pretty good experience :)
Good thing, I got the game for free since Gamestop was giving away to all power up members.
Looks like I'll have to put on my teacher hat... *sighs*
Ready At Dawn has made some good games though:
- Daxter on PSP was a great game.
- God of War: Chains of Olympus on PSP was a great game.
- Okami on the Wii was a damn good port.
- God of War: Ghost of Sparta on PSP was a great game.
- God of War: Origins Collection was an excellent remaster collection.
- Lone Echo on Oculus Rift was critically acclaimed.
They also have more projects in the works, so its possible for them to release more quality games after switching to work on 3 games outside of their comfort zone for the first time (big budget/new IP/console project, a multiplayer project, and a PCVR project... respectively). If you don't try new things, it becomes easy to stagnate. Props to them for having ambition and wanting to try new things and grow as a studio.
Lone Echo was something big (at least in the VR arena), but according to Septic it neither exists nor is it good: https://www.youtube.com/wat...
"If you don't try new things, it becomes easy to stagnate. Props to them for having ambition and wanting to try new things and grow as a studio."
I think this is--surprisingly--one of the most thoughtful takes on the trite negativity on here. It's easy to just play armchair-publisher and ask "why not dedicate resourses to what I want?" but it's apparent that the money wasn't there. They're exploring different avenues b/c that appears to be the only way they can keep the lights on (atm).
Okami on Wii is a butchered port. Paper filter removed. Lousy controls and removed the original team's credits.
This is another reason why I don't want to hear people saying the future for video games is more multiplayer games, because if the game sells bad you're left with a brick.
Not wanting reality is a tough struggle bud. I feel you though I ship Naruto/Sakura.
But more multiplayer is coming whether you like it or not bud.
over saturation will cause it to balance itself. Multi without single-player rarely happens, single without multi happens a lot. A game is art, and single player is where it shines.
@mkis
Theres a whole genre built around multiplayer without single player. Battle Royale, in top of that there's the arena shooters and brawlers like overwatch and paladins
@BlackIceJoe
I agree with you. I said this even during the PS3/360 era. People are going to realize what they're pushing for when it's too late to do anything about it. Everyone buying into things like "always online, "GAAS", and games without a single player component have to come to the realization that when a game's server goes offline, so does any use of the game they purchased.
I don't care if a game server goes down 1 year or 20 years after I bought it. I like to think whatever I bought is still USEABLE when the server is eventually gone.
Unfortunately, the game companies know enough people are slaves to gaming and will accept it. I just know the moment their "future" becomes reality is the moment I stop being a "current" game and go retro. I love games, but not enough to buy into this mutliplayer only stuff.
What a complete and utter waste of development talent...on this. They should have been commissioned for a sequel to The Order. Instead they made this. Sorry but what a terrible decision.
But remember that PlayStation cut ties with Ready At Dawn so they are no longer a second Party studio. So the only one who can do a sequel for The Order is Santa Monica since they did help out Ready At Dawn make the game.
Sony could always hire them to make a sequel. It's not that if you cut ties you aren't allowed to work together again exclusively lol
@shinoff2183 the problem is that they haven't made a good game in awhile and haven't done anything big ever since The Order. Plus The Order didn't do that well in sales and got mixed reviews. If sales was decent then PS probably could have greenlit The Order sequel just like Knack which Knack won't get another sequel since the second game was a flop.
It's not a waste, if they were forced to do it than yes, but if they genuinely have ideas for this genre than they should keep trying.
But even with that in mind, what they did with the order is nothing but an improvement( From my eyes a great achievement) compared to their previous games. So they shouldn't have stopped. They should make a plan and try get the support. They shouldn't doubt themselves...
The International Film Music Critics Association announced the nominees for its annual IFMCA awards, and they have a great selection.
He's back! Hope everyone enjoyed the review. Please feel free to leave any comments and/or questions below.
Is it weird to submit a review of a game past its online expiration? Yes indeed! Truthfully, I was really tempted to jot my thoughts down as far back as summer of LAST YEAR. I just had a couple paragraphs and lines saved on a Word doc forever and just decided to give it a whirl. In a way, it's almost like a 'time-capsule review.' Spouting off on stuff that seems like yesterday while using past tense for things updates rectified later on. Hopefully I weaved that past/present tense well.