GROUND BRANCH

The first thing that i have to say is that if i could give this game a mixed review, i would. This game is not bad. It is actually incredibly fun when it does not actively spit in your face, but the issue is that it really likes doing this. I recently picked this game back up after not having played it for almost exactly 2 years. In that time it feels like no major changes have been made at all. The only notable changes that i can think of right now are a few map improvements and an added armor system. You can brush off issues with a game as "The developers are testing things." or "They are just working on a big update." but when 2 years and a full 1.0 release do not actually address the issues a game has it really does make you question whether anything is even happening behind the scenes. I will now do a quick overview of the major issues this game has: The AI is extremely unbalanced. Many people would tell you that the AI is unfair or overpowered. I don't think it is quite that simple. The AI is certainly overpowered, especially during the day and in CQB but i also feel like it sort of underpowered at the same time. What i mean by this is that instead of the AI being consistent and predictable (such as it simply being overpowered) it just feels kind of random. Let me give you an example: I run lone wolf night ops with quad nods and an ECOTI (basically a thermal imager). I can shoot at anything that stands in any light condition without having to ID anyone. I come across an enemy in a large storage room, likely some 50 meters away. In any reasonable scenario, i would be able to take out said enemy without him even being able to react to my presence, let alone ID me and open fire. This does not happen. He manages to fire multiple shots at me, in complete darkness without light, night vision or hesitation. At the same time, you can sometimes clear an entire building of enemies without them reacting to you, even while they are on alert. The armor system is incredibly inconsistent and underperforms. Let me say one thing: the armor system in this game might be the worst armor system i have ever seen. It is realistic, sure. Armor plates do not protect your entire body, that makes sense, but this does not matter here. This game is primarily a tactical PvE shooter. The armor system feels more like it is designed for a PvP shooter, where accurate aim should be rewarded. Instead, the AI just gets to bypass your armor entirely because apparently we have to reward it for accurate shooting (???) And do not even get me started on shotguns. Using shotguns in this game is incredibly fun. Getting shot at by them results in you either dying instantly or your armor getting pulverized out of the universe with a a single shot. Shotguns should be easily defeated by armor (that should be their only drawback imo) but apparently the devs thought that ceramic armor plates should actually not stop 12 gauge buckshot. I have had scenarios where i use godmode and see my armor plates get completely destroyed in a single shot at all ranges. I don't want the AI to not have shotguns, i want them to be nerfed. Shotguns should NOT EVER defeat armor. Armor of all kinds, especially ceramic plates, should ALWAYS win that battle. Ready or Not solves this issue by giving the AI "nerfed" buckshot that deals less damage and does not instakill. Ground Branch could certainly learn from this. Lack of gameplay customization. The only things this game really does to let you customize your gameplay experience are the ability to switch maps, time of day, enemy count and some basic AI parameters which mostly do not solve the issues with the AI. It would be great to see the ability to customize the AI further, where they can spawn, the equipment they have, where they spawn, which parts of the map are accessible, etc. However, this game does many things right. It knows exactly what it is supposed to be and does not feel like it is half of one thing and half of another. I will briefly list some things about this game that i really like. Weapon and Character customization are beyond anything i have ever seen before. Every bit of equipment on your vest, helmet and belt can be customized, down to exactly what you need and carry weight actually has an effect on the game. Every attachment on your gun can be placed exactly where you want it. "You want a riser for your optic? Got it.", "You want your optic to be mounted slight further down your rail? Done.", "You want Rail covers? Say no more.", "you want your scope to have night vision and a backup sight? You got it, boss." The Modding community is incredible and has achieved many things from thermal imagers for your NVGs (yes that one) to fully customizable rifles that you can build yourself however you want, without restrictions, it has something for everyone. The game is exremely immersive and it really does make you feel like you are the best of the best. You get all the fancy equipment, solid movement, recoil control, weapon handling, you name it. You don't feel like just some guy with quad nods and an expensive rifle but you also don't feel like john wick. The movement is solid and feels great. Compared to Ready or Not, it is a lot better in that you move faster, can jump and even sprint at quite a fast pace. This is more of a personal thing that i like but you can shoot while reloading, which is really cool (also ive never seen a game that lets you do this) I do not want this game to fail. I do not want to drive people away from it. I do not want people to look at this review and think that this game is bad. It isn't, which makes it sadder that it has these issues. I don't want the developers to think that this is "just another bad review" or just a review bomb. I want them to listen to the community and actually solve the issues this game has. I want them to implement new gameplay systems instead of just working on maps or making small changes. Please, use your time more effectively and rethink your priorities. TLDR: This game is not bad but it has some glaring issues (AI, Armor) and the devs don't really seem to care. Wow. This is by far the longest review i have ever written (literally looked at the whole thing and just went "oh my god"). i have been sitting here for almost an entire hour. Anyway, I hope you have a nice day.