There’s a definite feeling that Dirty Bomb is Splash Damage’s attempt to redo their interesting but ultimately flawed 2011 shooter Brink. In many ways, this is the British studio stripping things back, ditching gimmicky mechanics like Brink’s ‘SMART’ movement system (which was never actually all that smart) and multiplayer narrative in favour of going what they do best – simple, addictive team-based multiplayer that’s sharpened to a razor’s edge.
Dirty Bomb takes place in an abandoned, near-future London. Quite why it’s abandoned I’m not sure. Perhaps house prices have finally risen so high that even the world’s richest oligarchs can’t afford to live there any more. Anyway, this isn’t your typical dour, post-apocalyptic setting; Dirty Bomb’s art style and general tone is actually pretty colourful. The sun’s shining, the birds are singing, and several PMC mercenary armies are doing their level best to turn each other into chunks of liver pate.
You play as one of several such mercenaries, choosing from a list of characters that each pack a couple of special abilities. Splash Damage was keen to avoid any direct comparisons with the MOBA genre, but that’s definitely been an influence here – instead of strict classes, each character loosely slots into a certain style of play, but brings their own slightly unique talents to the table. Regular Scottish artillery chap ‘Skyhammer’ can bring down a mass artillery strike by throwing a flare out, for example, while ‘Arty’ (one of three new additions that will be hitting the game’s closed beta today) instead uses a target designator to call down fire support in less powerful but more accurate bursts.
Even within a certain speciality – medics, light-footed speedsters, heavy support – there’s plenty of opportunity to find something that appeals to you. You can take three mercs into each match. I made good use of ‘Arty’, but added fellow mercs ‘Fletcher’ (shotgun expert packing remote-denotation mines) and ‘Phoenix’ (a medic who can also revive himself, making for some entertainingly sneaky behind-enemy-lines subterfuge). You can switch between your mercs after each death, adapting to scenarios as needed. If the enemy’s over-running your team and you need some firepower, change to ‘Rhino’, who wields a nasty minigun. If you want to cause some chaos on the enemy’s flank, self-reviving ‘Phoenix’ is your man.
The gun feel is very solid, weighty and satisfying, with chunky sound effects that make each weapon feel distinct. Though you can use iron sights, firing from the hip is just as valid an option, even at medium to long range. Enemies aren’t sacks of hitpoints, but they go down slower than in games like Battlefield or Call of Duty, so controlling your bullet spread and keeping your hand steady is more important than instant reactions. Thankfully, because in my case those went long ago. Dirty Bomb’s gunplay rewards speed and quick thinking, smart use of your tactical abilities, and an awareness that the game’s not all about the kill.
It’s about the objectives. Fans of the fantastic Enemy Territory, the shooter that really made Splash Damage’s name, will feel right at home here. Rather than a game that celebrates individual skill (though that’s obviously a factor), matches in Dirty Bomb are decided by which team communicates most effectively, and reads the battlefield the better. My five person team (8v8 is an option too) played Stopwatch, the game’s time-attack objective mode, on new map Bridge, and were tasked with escorting a vehicle through cramped backstreets to a hospital. The opposing team was attempting to damage the vehicle enough to make it break down, slowing our advance. Once at our destination, we had to rush in to the hospital, grab some medical supplies, and hot-foot it back to a drop-off point, under a hail of gunfire.
Maps feature a nice mix of open areas, cramped corridors and lanes of attack, offering options for each character type. Bridge has two-storey office buildings that are a haven for snipers, branching lanes for the defending team to ambush the advancing enemy, and clear, open streets where artillery really comes into play. Tactical placement of healing stations and ammo packs, defended with turrets and proximity mines, can set up little mini-fortifications in key areas, creating choke points to slow your opponents down. Certain characters come into their own at different stages in the match; zippy characters like demo expert ‘Proxy’ are invaluable for grabbing objective items once your team reaches the extraction point, while my personal favourite ‘Arty’ was fantastic at knocking out the enemy transport.
My team hit a good time (naturally, with me on the team), and then the match swapped around, putting us in the role of defender. If the other team beat our score, they would win. It’s a simple setup that creates some brilliantly tense and exciting moments; last-ditch kills the second before an enemy reaches his objective, artillery strikes that hammer into the transport, knocking it out just as it reaches the final stretch, and forcing the enemy to rush out of cover to repair it, in full view of your team sniper. With a decent team communicating effectively, it’s a reminder of just how well Splash Damage understands team-based shooter play. That’s definitely the way you’ll get the most out of Dirty Bomb; I think it will provide decent fun if you jump into a public game, but teaming up with friends is the way to go, if possible.
Right, there’s the fun stuff out of the way, on the the game’s free-to-play (or free-to-win, as the developers call it) model. Out of the gate players will get access to two characters, medic ‘Aura’ and artillery expert ‘Skyhammer’. Buying a $20 starter pack will net you five more, along with a fistful of in-game currency, and others can be purchased for around $6, bought with in-game currency, or tested out in a monthly free rotation. That’s pretty much your standard F2P setup. Sampling different characters was a huge part of the fun of playing, so while I understand that Splash Damage has to monetise the game in some way, the fact that lots of them will be gated off is a little sad. Splash Damage will also have to be mighty careful with balance, to avoid players feeling like they’ve no choice but to splash out for certain characters.
My other concern is that each merc’s weapon loadout can only be altered by buying card packs, either with real money or in-game cash, and hoping you get the right one. You can’t build up an armoury of weapons and perks to swap between. There is a trade-up system that lets you cash in unwanted cards for higher-tier loadouts for your favourite character, but we’ll only really get a sense of how fair and balanced the system is when the game goes live. It’s hard to parse how well a model will work right off the bat, or how much of an advantage splashing out big bucks on tonnes of rare cards will give you. If Splash Damage can get the balance right in its first attempt at mainstream free-to-play (they did put out a F2P iOS game called Rad Soldiers that was generally well received), Dirty Bomb certainly has enough gusto behind it to carve out a niche in the PC shooter market. The game’s closed beta is now available on Steam, and you can register for a key on the official website.
Top Game Moment: After being violently rebuffed for a good minute or two, finally working your way into the heart of the enemy base and making off with your mission objective.
