BattleBit Remastered (Reviewed)
Developer: SgtOkiDoki
Publisher: SgtOkiDoki
Release Date: June 15th, 2023
Price: $15 USD
BattleBit Remastered is a low-poly FPS that can accommodate up to 254 people on a single map and server. It's as simple as a multiplayer game can get, with a handful of different classes followed by various vehicles and game styles.
If I had to compare it to other games. It's fairly similar to BattleField, but with fewer vehicles and more armament. Note that the game is still in Early Access, and there appears to be a lot of development in place for a release in the near future, with a large number of people actively playing since the release.
It should be stated that this is not a remaster of anything. It's the original, and I think the term should have been dropped because it was recreated around 5 times before it was released. BattleBit simply sounds more appealing.
Problems
Lack of sound (Menus)
This would be more of a personal peeve of mine. Because the game is in Early Access, I hope there are plans in the future to liven up the main menu, perhaps with some music or simply a simple sound effect to signify that you are going through different game modes and menu places. It has no effect on gameplay, so it's not a big deal, but I think it would be a nice addition.
Campers
It doesn't matter what game you play, as long as it's a first-person shooter, there will always be campers hiding out in every single spot across the map.
What makes matters worse is that you can have 127 players, which means they can all cover most maps or even group up so that they can all resurrect and revive at the same areas or just relocate to a new location or even spawn camp.
Your only option is to take them out yourself, in a group, or simply go somewhere where snipers cannot see you till they get bored and move. However, most people are patient enough to wait and then you have to deal with the Assault Campers, which will pretty much sit in buildings around objectives with tons of claymores and heavy assault rifles. There just seems to be no end to it.
Note: campers are also present on other smaller maps, it's not as bad but can still be problematic, due to your ability to break holes into buildings, giving peepholes in places you normally wouldn't be able to shoot from.
No overlay map (currently)
Your allies are visible to you by using the dots on your screen, which are often too small to see in a combat or heavily smoked out environment. As a result, you rely on the sounds of footsteps and movement, as well as the directed weaponry whizzing around you. But when you can't see anything, it's all very perplexing as you get shot in the back of the head by someone sitting right next to your spawn.
This does seem to make it more immersive, but the game as a whole looks so much like a thinner Roblox that I don't want to take it seriously and just want to play it like other shooters that have a mini-map overlay. The only time you can see it, is when you are respawning, but that's not really interesting.
Presentation
Alright
The visuals are simple enough that it works with the simplistic textures, but I can't get away from the impression that I'm just playing Roblox, often with a swarm of players that are aggressively screaming on their mics and being too hyperactive. Personally, I turned it off after a few games. Even if their is no tolerance for toxicity and such with the developers, I prefer to remove it.
A lot of flaws linger with the audio features; you may hear bullets zipping by although no one is shooting remotely near you, and the lack of a mini-map makes it difficult to grasp your orientation in this very silent Early Access game.
Semi-Destructible world
I believe the devs should elaborate on this point. It's fantastic to be able to entirely level constructions without being limited to only particular walls, even going so far as to level entire towns until nothing but wreckage and debris remains. Some parts are destructible but others are just minor walls falling down.
Gameplay
The present gameplay comprises of a few different game modes that you should be very familiar with. It has Conquests, Rush, Elimination, and Plant the Bomb.
What we discussed earlier is my issue with the actual gameplay. You're not going to be alive for long if you spawn in even your presently captured area because it's often already overrun with enemies, whom you then get killed by. While it's not technically camping. It's frustrating because of how little you get to play alive.
Choose a place or a squad mate to spawn in on, and die immediately upon arriving in their area. Basically, rinse and repeat with very little variation.
I don't play many shooters since I'm not interested in that style of gameplay because it quickly becomes old and dull, and nothing ever changes. But when I do, it's usually with Aviation; regrettably, you can't play anything other than Helicopters right now, where I would have a lot more fun flying around in jets.
Dragging is an Interesting Mechanic
This actually works quite effectively, dragging bodies out of harm's way and reviving them as you go. I've never seen something like this in shooters I've played before; even in battlefield, it was always just the bunny hopping medic and his defibrillator like a madman.
This provides another level of gameplay that I enjoy seeing, you can also do this for the enemies corpses just to make sure they can't revive him on the spot and get him back in the fight against you with overwhelming odds.
Classes and customization
You can choose from a variety of classes and weapons, all of which are totally configurable, right down to the barrels, magazines, and so on. However, upon further investigation, I discovered that there is more than just visual character customization. Your character has stats that improve their defense, movement, and other abilities based on the gear you have unlocked.
If you ask me, it's a little unfair considering there will undoubtedly be high-level players with powerful weaponry dominating the battlefield. But it's still nice to see a deeper ability to customize things to your personal preference.
Conclusion
It's just like any other shooter
While the drag and resurrect mechanism is actually impressive and the somewhat ability to destroy walls and objects is fun and game changing, the rest of the game is most of the time irritating. Whatever you do, someone is always there, ready to take you out as you spawn, and vice versa. It becomes a cat and mouse game to see who will make the first move to get taken out quickly.
Outside of the large battles and groups of foes surrounding you at all times, the game's current condition leaves you with only a few seconds to regain your breath and think out what your next move will be depending on the game mode.
It's not a bad game, but it's not something I'd want to play more than once a day or once a week to get my shooter fix.
This concludes my views of this game; while my opinions may be met with criticism, that is what distinguishes gamers; you don't have to like the same things as others, nor do you have to agree with them.
If you want to catch me on one of my streams or locate me on social media, you may do so at the following locations, I'm always playing something new.
- Pawkt