Dirty Bomb (Beta)

As the talent behind Brink (2011) and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (2003), among other titles, the developers at Splash Damage have had more than enough experience with team-based multiplayer games. Dirty Bomb is a free-to-play online first-person shooter currently in open beta that serves up equal portions of intense action and tactical gameplay. We tried out the beta version, so keep reading to find out what we thought.

Welcome to the Postapocalypse

More well-known multiplayer game modes like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are nowhere to be found in Dirty Bomb. Instead, there is a single mode that divides players into two groups of mercs (attackers and a defenders) who are tasked with completing a series of specific objectives. To avoid any ambiguity, each team is given a short mission briefing before every match informing them of the sequence of mission objectives they must complete. For example, the attacking team might first have to blow up a certain wall using plastic explosives, then they might have to destroy some supply crates containing important documents. The task of the defending team is, naturally, to stop all this from happening by firing on the attackers from strategic locations and choke points throughout the map. 

At the beginning of each match, you select the three mercs you want to play with. If one of them dies in the game, you can switch to one of the other two. Since each merc features a totally different set of skills and equipment, this will probably affect how you approach your mission objectives. Some mercs have the ability to call in air support, others might boast more powerful armor that allows them to stay in the line of fire longer and deal more damage before having to take cover. Others function as medics, and can distribute health packs, set up healing stations, or use a defibrillator to revive their fallen comrades.

While a handful of mercenaries are available at the start of the game – including the medic Aura and the weapons specialist Skyhammer – you have to unlock the rest of the 19 mercs that are currently in the game before you can use them in the field. As you win matches and complete mission objectives, you earn not only Experience Points, but also Credits, which you can use to hire additional soldiers of fortune. Since mercs typically cost tens of thousands fo Credits, it can take a while before you're able to welcome a new comrade into your ranks. So if you don't feel like waiting, you can always use real money to unlock new mercs or to upgrade the ones you already have on your roster with additional gear and special abilities.

(Smells Like) Team Spirit

While Dirty Bomb is a truly action-packed game, it also places a strong emphasis on teamplay. If you want to win a match, it's very important that your medic does their job as needed, and that your mercs with the most firepower fight on the front lines. Snipers should lurk behind to do their dirty work from a distance, and other mercs have to be able to call in air strikes at just the right time to take out multiple enemies at strategically important points. Winning or losing is closely tied with how well you're able to keep your individual team members working as a single, organic, unit. The upshot of this means that players who prefer going on a lone-warrior rampage aren't going to like Dirty Bomb all that much, since it's only possible to win if your team works together to complete the mission objectives.

Above Average?

As of right now, there are only five maps to choose from, each one representing a different part of Inner London. Settings include the dark tunnels of the London Underground in the East End, an abandoned train yard (Waterloo Station?), and the winding streets of the Whitechapel district, among others, all of them designed with their own mission objectives in mind, featuring twisting paths and multiple layers. The urban level design means there are lots of objects you can interact with to gain an additional tactical advantage in combat – there's a machine-gun nest you can take over in one case, and in another you can release a cloud of deadly gas that can contaminate whole areas of the map.

Unfortunately, due to some murky textures and lack of detail, the settings can sometimes feel really sterile, not at all what you'd expect of a post-apocalyptic scenario. And there's room for improvement in other areas, too – sub-par particles and lighting have an overall negative effect on the game's appearance, especially when combined with the somewhat mediocre textures. In terms of sound design, the developers offer just about what you'd expect from the music and effects in a game of this kind, so no surprises here.