Door Kickers Alpha 4 Review
So I spend time going through the latest Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight startup titles and I came across this game that peaked my interests. Its a top down RTS game where you take command of a SWAT team thats in charge of taking out bad guys. Now before I begin my Pros & Cons list just a heads up this is a Alpha Build, which means theres tons more features, bug fixes, and development left on this game. Heres my preview
Pros
Quick Learning Curve
I really picked this game up quick. I learned the basics of the controls within minutes. It was very easy to start playing. I commend these game developers for making a game so easy to play you don’t need a tutorial.
Good Map
I like the map. Its simple and easy to identify what things are, who the good and bad guys are.
Cool Entry Mechanics
Its really cool that I have a bunch of ways I can storm through doors. Flash grenade, breeching charge, or the old fashioned boot. And even before you head in you could use a camera to see who’s on the other side. Really cool. Love using these.
Game Mechanics
The movement system in this game is really good. You can go realtime and move the character anywhere you want them, right that second or you can pause the game and plan all your characters moves from start to end. I really like how fluid everything is. Also Line of Sight is in this game, which is really cool because it gives you greater control over your characters. Line of Sight isn’t done always right in many games, but rest assured it is in this game, and its really easy to pick up. I got it in seconds.
Interesting AI
So the baddies are pretty smart. If they hear any action going on they head on over to join the fight. Also they walk around the map, so if you don’t have your eyes peeled on your 6 (rear) they might just come up behind you and blast your team away. I really like this. A AI that thinks :)
However I did notice from time to time that The AI characters sometimes were facing walls and not the doors or entry ways. Must be a bug. Again this is a Alpha game so this will be present.
Lots of Cool Features on its way
So the game is cool as is, but they are planning to add in more features like a campaign mode, weapon customizations, multi story buildings, a inventory system, and a mission editor. Really like what I hear.
Cons
Waypoints
The movement waypoints sometimes got in the way sometimes. I posted a few waypoints for one of my guys and after the 4th one I rethought my strategy and decided yeah this is not gonna work. So I tried to just undo the last way point by canceling it out, but was unable to. I could to the previous ones but I didn’t need to change them. In the end I had to cancel all the waypoints and start over.
Character Hesitation
So I ran into this a few times where my man entered a room and instead of shooting he didn’t and ended up getting shot and killed.
Enemy Firepower
Sometimes when engaged in a firefight I wonder what kind of weapon the enemy has. Honestly it seems like a mini gun at times lol. They shoot so many rounds, so fast and spray everything.
Recommendation
Running System
I would like to see a running system included in the game just in case I want my men to haul a$% to another part of the map
iPad
Honestly while playing this game I started thinking how awesome this game would be for The iPad. The controls, map, graphics, etc would all fit on a tablet and be perfect for those 15 minute breaks when you want to take out some baddies.
Melee system
In one scenario I had one of my guys turn the corner and boom a baddie was there, not 2 feet away. Instead of knocking him to the floor he decided to use his M4 at 2 feet distance. I wish a melee system would be included in the game, which would allow my guy to kick some butt.
Hostage reaction
During 1 scenario I was shooting at some baddies but between me and them were about 4 hostages. Unfortunately they just stood there in the middle of a gun fight, so one of them got hit and got KIA. I would like to see a feature added where they would panic and run away trying to find safety. It would be more realistic. That would be a really cool addition.
Graphics
Since this game is designed for the desktop I think a bump up in graphics for SWAT members and the baddies would be a plus.
Playable Bad Guys
Yes, I want this feature because its sometimes fun to play the bad guys lol.
Multiplayer
I would love to play this game with my friends. Have them play the bad guys while I try to storm in guns blazing would be cool. Or even with my buddy controlling half my team, coming in from the other end of the building would be a really cool feature to this game.
Conclusion
Door Kickers is a Steam Greenlight game thats in early development. The game looks and plays really good. I spent over 40 minutes going scenario to scenario and not being able to stop playing. I feel this game is similar to another game I played - Breech & Clear for iOS - but the difference between that game and this…This one is done a lot better, and whats funny is that its not even done yet.
You can start playing the game for $9.99 and if your looking for a good game that put you in the shoes of SWAT this is it. Now since The game is in Alpha 4 status, you’ll be guaranteed future releases of the game as they move to Alpha 5, 6, etc. and get more features that will spice up the game. I plan on playing this game many more times before then though.
