Rogue Company is a new combatant emerging in the team-based competitive shooter genre. It’s a primary third-person shooter that is generating quite a bit of noise lately. Rogue feels like something a bit different from previous titles in the genre with its unique cast of characters, abilities, and more. It’s currently in closed beta for now with a dedicated roadmap, including new maps, new skins, new characters, a battle pass, and a ranking system. I was skeptical at first with Hi-Rez Studios’ latest venture because I was not much of a fan of Paladins. Since you know, there was Overwatch, that in my opinion, was far superior. However, Rogue won me over, and it has a ton of potential going into the future. Let’s take a look at the first impressions from the beta.
In A Rogue Of Its Own
Rogue Company is a simple competitive shooter at first glance, but if you look deeper, it does have features that we have previously seen in other games. This is not a bad thing at all! The gameplay is simply a mash-up of a ton of shooters currently on the market today. When it comes to the Rogues (characters in the game), they have unique traits of passive and special abilities similar to Overwatch. The buyout system between rounds is similarly seen in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The gunplay and motion are identical to that of Fortnite minus the whole building component as well as the modes of Demolition, which is basically Call of Duty’s Search and Destroy mode.
As mentioned, Rogue takes a bit of inspiration from Overwatch and Paladins. The game offers a diverse selection of characters called “Rogues” that provide unique abilities and perks. In total, there are 13 Rogues to choose from that create a wide array of gameplay styles and options. The unique skills give way to many set up’s and scenarios. You will have Rogues such as Dallas that can spot enemies from afar, allowing rogues to prepare for incoming flanks or attacks. Powerhouse Rogues like Scorch can deal with a ton of damage, allowing you to change the tide of battle. There are also defensive Rogues like Anvil that can block off potential pathways and change locational strategies. There seems to be a Rogue for virtually any kind of playstyle, from passive to aggressive or offensive to defensive.
The game balances out, but I feel some characters are more beneficial than others. My favorite Rogue is Talon, a sort of Yakuza inspired character. He has the perfect set of perks and abilities that are elusive and matches my flanking playstyle. His radar dart can easily spot enemies nearby to spot potential interferences. A passive ability in his telekinetic-like Mag Gloves is excellent for grabbing far away items and weapons to use against enemies. Talon’s perks like silent footsteps and faster reload speeds add to the sleekness of the character. I did dabble in a couple of characters before unlocking Talon through in-game currency. This includes the “Lifeline 2.0” of Saint, which allows a useful med drone that can revive downed allies anywhere on the map, as well as Dima, with his devastating Grenade Launcher that destroys enemies.
Game Modes
Let’s talk about the current game modes that Rogue Company has to offer. There are three standard modes so far, utilizing the 4v4 format. There is the CSGO-esque, Demolition, where you plant a bomb within two locations as the opposition team attempts to disarm it. Extraction is the newest mode, which is practically the same as Demolition. Instead, there is only one bomb at one location—lastly, my favorite mode, Strikeout! Strikeout is a combination of Team Deathmatch and Hardpoint, where both sides have twelve lives and one designated area to control. There are two ways to win a round. A team wins when all lives on the opposing team are gone, or a team captures the objective. This is great to prevent would-be campers and instead offer an alternative to win rounds.
Each game mode can be played on six different stages scattered around the world. Each stage can play in multiple ways and directions, depending on how the game turns out. There are a ton of flank routes that are easier to access with the use of ziplines. In contrast, you may take a longer detour to get the jump on enemies. While multiple accessways are great, the one major gripe I have with the map is some of the objective points for Extraction. In many cases, the designated bomb location was either too close or too far for enemies or us to implement a solid gameplan of attack. I prefer the bomb to be within the middle ground for fairness on both sides.
Future Suggestions & Changes
Many things need to be changed from the beta to launch. Changes would include ironing out some bugs, character balances, and spawn issues. Although, for things to stay fresh, the new modes would have to play a huge factor whether or not the Rogue ship sinks or sails. It often gets repetitive in some scenarios, especially if you are continually losing due to inactive teammates that leave or you dominate the game with little to no oppositional resistance. Hopefully, another change could be made for the revive issues. Revives can be harder to initiate even when downed teammates are near you. Your allies sometimes don’t take priority around a multitude of objects. That can be a huge issue in certain “last life” situations, which could make or break the round.
Speaking of which, something that is a problem that many games like Overwatch addresses this perfectly is leaving of matches and inactive teammates. With a match composing of 4v4, it’s critical to have all your teammates to claim victory. Losing one teammate is terrible enough, but the ability not to leave a game because of this is troublesome. No one wants to continue being destroyed in a 2v4 scenario because they are forced to stay in the match to avoid the five-minute quitter penalty. It’s simply not right. Hi-Rez should adopt Blizzard’s approach to leaving by not penalizing other teammates or canceling a match for a player leaving in the opening minutes.
Overall
Overall, I would say Rogue Company is a solid game within its current form. Hi-Rez Studios did their homework on creating a game using snippets from current popular shooters on the market today. Does it differentiate itself from the competition? Not quite. It still offers its own style, but it’s mostly utilizing concepts we have already seen in other shooters. Again, it’s not a bad thing at all, but the game has the potential to be better, including a more stable launch, which includes more maps, more Rogues, customizable options, battle pass, reward system, and new game modes. Rogue Company is a game to watch out for. Another bonus is crossplay, which allows for playing with friends on all platforms, which is always an absolute win.
What are your impressions about the Rogue Company beta? Leave your comments below. For everything else, check out Culture of Gaming for news, opinions, and reviews.
