[h1] <-- Review written for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35180752/] 3 Point Play [/url] --> [/h1]
This is a new entry on a cool concept that was attempted a few times before. Nowadays, I don't really recall the names of those games, but you probably know what I'm talking about, those spell-based FPS, RPGs, in which you'd play a mage and then you'd launch fireballs around or work with whatever magic you'd have available. This one, Dusk Warlocks, is, once again, one of those titles. The others I've mentioned, as far as I know, haven't had much success. A recurring theme in some of my last reviews has been the "Good concept, poor execution" idea, in which a game has a lot of potential but it ends up being lackluster over missing mechanics, being too "over the top" when it comes to gameplay and thus getting players to drop out before they understand how to properly play, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff to do without a proper explanation.
Well, this game has both a good concept and a nice execution, while minimalistic in nature, it manages to stay interesting for a few matches, perhaps as one of those "excuse" games my friends and I would have running so we could say we're actually playing something, when the main objective is to chat; this doesn't mean the game is bad by any means, but it does have some flaws.
So, going back to the idea I've mentioned, the concept of being a warlock and fighting in a sort of deathmatch in which you'd figure out what works for you and getting different spell combos is really amazing, I like those sort of games that give you the fruit, but don't chew on it, so you can figure out what's the proper way to eat it; much like that analogy, in Dusk Warlocks you get a list of elements with spells, and a brief description for everyone, and then, you'll figure out in-game how much mana do they cost, how much damage do they do, what kind of synergy do they have, so, keeping in mind all of this, the other part about "nice execution" is true as well.
However, being a paid online-only game, it has a really fatal flaw, a true game-killer, about the amount of players. Truth is, when I entered the game on my own, after I finished customizing my character and getting my spells ready, there wasn't a single server available. Luckily, the devs were kind enough to send us several keys, so we managed to set up a game with a friend in our curator team.
We played a few rounds, had some fun. The mechanics are nice and feel fresh, the spells are nice and easy to use, and there's a lot of combo potential and a high skill ceilling. My friend would play a zoning-based spellcaster with a lot of area of effect magicks, and I'd play a classic "hit them while their pants are down" character, using a stun spell and a flamethrower one.
The main objective of the game is to gather "crystals", some sort of control point, so the game switches from deathmatch to king of the hill pretty quickly, and it is really dynamic, since you're always changing your role from the offencive to the defensive. Really fun. Protect the crystal for 40 seconds without dying and you're golden, you score 1 point and you need only 5 to win. When you reach 5, you win the match and it resets.
So, there we got a lot of fun, indeed, but another flaw as well; since everything is unlocked from the beginning, and the game resets to the same map, same objectives and you're using the same loadout, it could potentially get repetitive and boring after one or two matches. It's true, I know, I mentioned it would be really fun with friends and some sort of VoIP system, but then again, what's the reward for playing?
While you could answer "The reward is the fun we all had!" and you'd be right to mention that, most games nowadays reward the players for playing, and some sort of reward system would be cool. Perhaps locking most of the characters and releasing them as you play? Perhaps some sort of spell enhancement?
When it comes to the devs, this is a dangerous game in my opinion; notice our playtime, it's half an hour. Without a big playerbase, and without some sort of mechanism that keeps the players coming back, how would you expect to have the sort of community a game like this needs to survive?
Once again, I liked the game, but imo, it would be better if it was free to play, and featured some sort of cosmetic purchases option. It would bring more people to the game, and would give the players something to look forward to when playing. Remember, the Steam refund treshold is 2 hours, how would you expect to win money/players if there's not an incentive for players to reach the skill ceillings the players are supposed to reach, and there aren't any other players to begin with?
