Games worth discovering

Stunning photorealistic graphics, especially for a mobile game | Preview - REC.O.R.D.

8K View2023-10-13

REC.O.R.D

6.8

FPSActionFirst-PersonRealistic

Get

🤔This game looks familiar?

When I first saw the game reveal of Unrecord four months ago, I was immediately wowed by its ultra-realistic graphics that use body cam-style first-person perspective, blending seamlessly with photorealistic visuals and animations resulting in terrifyingly lifelike visuals. However, this is not Unrecord, but a mobile game titled REC.O.R.D. It's pretty darn close though, even the similar names speaks for themselves.

✨Game Overview

While Unrecord is still unreleased and basically dead silent as far as public updates go ever since the viral announcement four months ago, REC.O.R.D. is actually playable right now, with a very early preview version that feels more like a proof of concept than an actual finished product. However, I can't help but be impressed. They actually beat the original to the punch as far as coming up with a tangible, playable, game. Way before its inspiration. The preview version is free to try, but there are in-game ads every time you enter and exit a match.

Looking at REC.O.R.D., it feels like a game made for PC hastily adapted for mobile devices, because it resembles a PC game UI wise. Extensive graphics settings are available for fine-tuning the game to match your device's specifications, complete with small fonts typically reserved for PC gaming. Honestly, it just made the “port” even more impressive.

🎨Graphics

The graphics of REC.O.R.D are indeed amazing and photorealistic, especially for a mobile game, there’s zero doubt that REC.O.R.D. is totally inspired by the idea ignited by Unrecord. However, the game's appeal largely ends here. The game itself is basically a proof of concept, not even worthy to be called a Demo.

It only features one map “Factory”, which aesthetically and visually looks close to the abandoned looking map featured on the Unrecord reveal, but a lot smaller. REC.O.R.D most likely used real-life scans of the environment to achieve a photorealistic effect to a convincing degree. However, the weapons and character models are a bit less impressive, and looks much more from a normal video game instead.

🎮Gameplay

The gameplay centers around team-based deathmatches within these confined spaces, until the time runs out, offering zero variety.. There are different servers in place around the globe, but most are understandably empty, and the game connects by default to US NSW, regardless of actual location. I was able to play a few matches with a handful of players dropping in and out of the game. It was visually impressive, but frustratingly horrible from a gameplay standpoint.

It suffers mainly because the controls are horrible as of this current state. There is a noticeable “dead zone” for my touch inputs resulting in very inaccurate movement and aim. No amount of sensitivity setting fixes this. This proof of concept could have also benefited from bots, to be able to play TDM without the need of actual players, but for some reason it was removed (The Playstore screenshots showed bot players).

These issues hamper the entire experience and transforms what could have been an enjoyable proof of concept into something only mildly interesting. Gameplay wise, the game adopts a realistic approach. Guns are loud and effective, and single bullet hits are already deadly. There’s foundation for a class system already in place. I can select Recon, Engineer, Strike, or Support, but there’s no real implementation yet. There are four weapons available to try: Assault Rifle, Shotgun, Pistol, and Knife.

⚖️Conclusion

REC.O.R.D. showcases remarkable potential with its stunning photorealistic graphics, clearly influenced by the aspirations of Unrecord. Yet, it remains in a nascent state, more a proof of concept than a fully-fledged game. If you want to get a glimpse of what Unrecord is like, on your mobile phone no less, there's no harm in giving this a try. Just don’t expect more than a few minutes worth of amusement.

Mentioned games

REC.O.R.D

6.8

FPSActionFirst-PersonRealistic

Get