Blacklight: Retribution

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 353 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 241 out of 353
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 353
  3. Negative: 57 out of 353

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  1. vahn
    Mar 11, 2013
    5
    This game has some good qualities...but a lot of bad ones at the same time. I'm not really good at shooters so I might be failing at pointing some things or be a little unfair due to my inexperience. However, as far as I can say, it's not a bad game: it plays for the most part as a sort of "call of duty" arena shooter in which you fight enemy teams (dont think there's a free for all, and IThis game has some good qualities...but a lot of bad ones at the same time. I'm not really good at shooters so I might be failing at pointing some things or be a little unfair due to my inexperience. However, as far as I can say, it's not a bad game: it plays for the most part as a sort of "call of duty" arena shooter in which you fight enemy teams (dont think there's a free for all, and I haven't found many other games other than Team Deathmatch), and it plays somehow like a Call of duty...but with better graphics. Actually, the controls also are rather weird: it plays like a fast pace arena shooter...but the aiming is slow and more than once I couldn't kill my enemies because I was slow during my aiming. In the end, I shot at point blank and made more progress. The HRV system, which is basically a legalized wallhack, while it may sound interesting it's...rather out of place, mainly because there's no satisfaction or "learning" while doing arenas: one of the best things in arena shooters was the ability of knowning your surroundings, as well as knowing where your enemies could be by predicting their movement. In here, with the HRV, nobody can hide and nobody can really predict anything, since they're going to be spotted. I have for last another flaw that it's 50% true and false: this game is a pay to win...but also not. It's possible to win games without buying guns or anything and if you try hard enough you can actually improve a lot... but the problem is that it will take you a lot of time to get your kills on your standard weapons simply because most of your enemies will have better guns that, literally, kills you in one hit, while you might take more than few shots (I shot my opponent, which was right in front of me, and took me half of my cartridge to take it down, while I saw enemy players one shotting me from afar...with assault rifles!). On the other hand, better weapons are easily bought and unlocked with money and that alone kills the purpose of "try to be good": just give them money, and victory is assured...and I mean a "LOT" of money. I know it's a f2p and I know they have to gain money somehow...but a single weapon can cost over 5 euros/dollars to unlock "permanently" (or over 5000 points, if you have the patience) and that alone it's very unfair...but expected. However, why should I buy weapons for 20 or more bucks when, for the same price and a little more, we can get better fps with everything "free"? The game gives you the possibility to try weapons with points for a varied amount of time...but I still don't see the point if you can easily buy a full retail game for the same price (not the newest, but there are cheap fps games that are worthy). All in all...it's a very decent game, but suffers from the "pay to win" formula and even if players will dedicate time in order to unlock their best weapons, money will grant easy mode by the very start. Not a terrible game, but not a great one either. Give it a try if you're curious.… Expand
  2. Brosman
    Apr 27, 2013
    5
    Fun, but horribly average.

    The good:
    Fast paced action, Tons of customization, Controls Well
    The bad:
    Pay to Win, expensive, Bad Community

    Id say if you wanna play it go for it since it is free, but be prepared to die a lot unless you want to put a lot of money into the game.
  3. Ansatsu83
    Jul 11, 2012
    5
    Its not that its a bad game its that it has a more-or-less lack of content, very few weapons are worth getting, one or two are overpowered, as is typically the case with free to play shooters. The lack of maps/game modes/weapon variations that are viable means the game gets boring quickly. The flamethrower can somehow burn through a completely sealed armored suit and allow another playerIts not that its a bad game its that it has a more-or-less lack of content, very few weapons are worth getting, one or two are overpowered, as is typically the case with free to play shooters. The lack of maps/game modes/weapon variations that are viable means the game gets boring quickly. The flamethrower can somehow burn through a completely sealed armored suit and allow another player to take control of it, from the enemy team, not sure how this makes any form of sense, what-so-ever.

    The SMG is the only weapon to ever use, any other weapon just fails in comparison. I did the closed beta for this game and continue to play today, its not bad, like I said, but it is discredited for the reasons above. On top of this the games new content comes at a very slow pace. There is also a lack of permanently purchasing weapons for in game currency.

    One pet peeve I have with free to play shooters is that they are hosted in america or canada, typically, for NA servers and they are overrun with players who speak Portuguese and Spanish, thus killing the teamplay elements, I did knock off one point for this, lack of teamplay, issue the developers caused by not segregating the players from south/central america from the USA/Canada servers. Yes I realize it costs money but you are a massive corporation with a lot of money and since perfect world entertainment owns the game there is no excuse for this since they are a multi-million dollar company.

    ===========
    Side Note
    ===========

    This is a peeve of mine that did NOT go into rating the review...

    It is overrun with people who cant aim and the devs do not want to segregate the playerbase from the "good players" to the "bad players" which is something that is killing the competitive portion of shooters.

    To sum everything up it is a moderately entertaining shooter but does not deserve over 6 out of 10 due to obvious management, content, and balance issues in a game that really requires it. On another side note, the critic who rated it at a 90% and said its better than cod was right about it being better than cod, but was wrong to give it a 90%.    … Expand
  4. Ordish
    Nov 6, 2012
    7
    Very nice action shooter. Responsive controls and the guns all feel completely different. None of the CoD shooting all the way across the world with a sub-machine gun for an instant kill. All the popular game modes from many different games are included. Great fun and free.
  5. Roger1718
    Aug 13, 2017
    7
    I would rate this game with a 10/10, but unfortunately despite it being free and having awesome mechanincs and a great gameplay experience it is a "pay to win game", which ultimately undermines the overall experience. If you want to have any sort of loadout upgrade, you will have to pay as it takes an eternity to gain any sort of points during gameplay in order to customize without takingI would rate this game with a 10/10, but unfortunately despite it being free and having awesome mechanincs and a great gameplay experience it is a "pay to win game", which ultimately undermines the overall experience. If you want to have any sort of loadout upgrade, you will have to pay as it takes an eternity to gain any sort of points during gameplay in order to customize without taking out your credit card. Nonetheless, if you are willing to spend a few bucks in order to not get owned and be on par with the rest of the online community of this game, then this is the best choice out there.… Expand
  6. DarthRevan
    Apr 21, 2013
    7
    At first, Blacklight: Retribution looks like a unique shooter with a wide variety of customization and mechanics. For the most part, this is true. But once you get into the meat of the game, you'll find that it's just another cookie cutter modern shooter and there is very few that is unique about this game. Beginning with the pros of the game, for one it is beautiful. The graphics of thisAt first, Blacklight: Retribution looks like a unique shooter with a wide variety of customization and mechanics. For the most part, this is true. But once you get into the meat of the game, you'll find that it's just another cookie cutter modern shooter and there is very few that is unique about this game. Beginning with the pros of the game, for one it is beautiful. The graphics of this game are even better than Battlefield 3. The futuristic style of things really adds a nice touch. The maps are also great and textured well, so you wont be disappointed here. Another pro is the customization. This game allows you to customize many different elements of a weapon to fit your liking. For instance, you could sacrifice damage for lower recoil, have a gun with explosive ammo that shoots really fast, etc. It's terribly customizable, but a con of the game goes hand and hand with the game is the free-to-play model. There are two types of currency in this game, GP and Zen. GP is a currency that can be earned through doing matches. Zen is (as with all free-to-play games) the game's pay-real-money-for-this currency. Most items will allow you to use both GP and Zen on it, and that's great. The problem is that the GP is earned really slow. If you wanted to purchase a permanent form of an item, it would take a multitude of games, which is unfortunate. For the most part, you'll be found renting items for anywhere between 1-30 days (except items seem to require at least a 7-day rental, I hope this is fixed). If they were to increase the amount of GP earned per game, it would make the game a lot better, because you would unlock more parts for your guns faster and would stop having to use the default AR over and over.

    To discuss the combat, I have to say it's hardly different from Call of Duty or Battlefield 3. It's based on twitch-reaction accuracy which is really, really annoying. This is something that not everybody can do, and it takes awhile (if possible at all) to train your hands. I am one of these people. Whoever can jerk their mouse the fastest will win the gunfight. It's sad too, because the same thing applies to any modern shooter. And that's basically what the combat is, and the combat is what a first-person shooter is about. Now there are a unique caliber of guns, ranging from assault rifles to sub-machine guns, but in all honesty most assault rifles and higher-caliber guns are just too recoil-heavy to use. This game teaches you what real recoil is. In conclusion, it's a free game, and it's a great casual game. It offers stunning graphics along with a high-amount of customization. However the combat is way too fast paced and the free-to-play model kind of ruins the casual part of it. If this game was pay-once, things would be a lot better, as you'd unlock everything in game either by leveling up or just using GP. However this is not the case, and there is no use hanging on that point.    … Expand
  7. IsaacSlade
    Sep 4, 2012
    5
    Okay, adding something to my last review. I just found out that guns you buy with GP are one day rentals. For that, I'm dropping my previous rating from a seven to a five. Graphics are okay, gameplay is that of any FPS, customization is fun just so long as you figure out how to not let weapons expire after a day, and it's lacking maps.
  8. Jswizzy84
    Jan 1, 2013
    7
    Low skill ceiling and low skill floor. If they increased the time to kill and took away the built in wall hacks this game could easily be a 9/10 but instead it's just a f2p annoyance. Do yourself a favor and skip this. Play NS2 or Hawken instead. If you like COD maybe this game is for you otherwise just skip it.
  9. Archontos
    Jul 3, 2012
    6
    For me few things make this game average:
    1. Everyone has ability to see through walls. That's a standard option, everybody has "googles" allowing to see other players (enemies and allies) through walls. That is sick, reducing usefulness of any tactical gameplay to zero.
    2. Dumb-looking, pseudo-modern design of many parts of equipment (especially player's models). 3. Barely moderate    For me few things make this game average:
    1. Everyone has ability to see through walls. That's a standard option, everybody has "googles" allowing to see other players (enemies and allies) through walls. That is sick, reducing usefulness of any tactical gameplay to zero.
    2. Dumb-looking, pseudo-modern design of many parts of equipment (especially player's models).
    3. Barely moderate satisfaction from the basic activity in the game: SHOOTING. Can't name this feeling, but shooting in CS or any Unreal is much more satisfying and in these games I feel I have MUCH more control over the actions of my character.

    Nevertheless Blacklight: Retribution is not bad game, slightly above the average I would say. If you like network shooters - try it, all in all it's free.    … Expand
  10. Garland
    Jun 9, 2013
    5
    it was decent for a F2P game until one of the resent updates. buying guns and equipment for a single day useage was a much simpler thing for an occasional player. now minimal is 7 days and alot of items you cant get permadently anymore....its just a huge hassle now. the zombie mode was half-assed but it WAS an even game. and what kind of military...Rents out there guns to there soliders
  11. Scarrnix
    May 22, 2012
    7
    The free to play model makes it really easy to get into, but compared to other modern FPS games it is not as fun to play. It has a lot f variation with all of the attachments, but each attachment only changes minor aspects of the gun to the point that they are almost not helpful. I'm not saying they should make attachments overpower your gun, but I wish they would increase some stats moreThe free to play model makes it really easy to get into, but compared to other modern FPS games it is not as fun to play. It has a lot f variation with all of the attachments, but each attachment only changes minor aspects of the gun to the point that they are almost not helpful. I'm not saying they should make attachments overpower your gun, but I wish they would increase some stats more and decrease others more to balance it. This way the variation could really determine play styles where as right now there is not as much variation as I had hoped for.… Expand
  12. MrZ
    Dec 1, 2013
    6
    Although I do not have too much time on this game, it definitely deserves credit, but also needs work. It takes some getting used to but once you get into it, it's hard to get out of. The only problem, is that I personally feel that it is a little too "pay to win." If you play for free, whenever you purchase a gun, you do not get to keep it forever. In the end, most of the time thoseAlthough I do not have too much time on this game, it definitely deserves credit, but also needs work. It takes some getting used to but once you get into it, it's hard to get out of. The only problem, is that I personally feel that it is a little too "pay to win." If you play for free, whenever you purchase a gun, you do not get to keep it forever. In the end, most of the time those that pay for gear and other things will take the top spot in a game.… Expand
  13. nerdboy64
    Jul 6, 2012
    7
    First of all, the actual shooting in Blacklight: Retribution is absolutely average. It's the same low-recoil, hit-scan style we're used to seeing in CoD and similar titles. This doesn't make it bad, but it's not all that great either. It's just average. And true, there is a device that could be called a "wallhack," in the form of the HRV. But since everyone has it, I really don't see whatFirst of all, the actual shooting in Blacklight: Retribution is absolutely average. It's the same low-recoil, hit-scan style we're used to seeing in CoD and similar titles. This doesn't make it bad, but it's not all that great either. It's just average. And true, there is a device that could be called a "wallhack," in the form of the HRV. But since everyone has it, I really don't see what the problem is. If anything, it's a positive addition because it makes camping impossible and eliminates the need to walk around the map aimlessly looking for an enemy.

    The real meat of the game is in its customization system. This is the first FPS where you can actually build your guns from parts, to have a weapon tailored exactly to your play style. Despite the large number of parts, it seems they've actually got the balance right as well. There are still a few problems with certain parts, but the vast majority are almost perfect sidegrades.

    The graphics are also pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but at least it's not another brown-and-grey shooter. The futuristic aesthetic also helps, as it reminds me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a game which I absolutely loved. Now, graphics and aesthetics is a touchy subject as most of it comes down to personal preference. I like the way it looks, but you might not. Either way, nobody can argue that the graphics are so bad it hurts your ability to play the game.

    But here's where the games starts to have problems. Blacklight: Retribution has a serious case of what I like to call "CoD Syndrome." CoD Syndrome involves having a level-based unlock system which forces you to play the game not for fun, but rather to get something you want. Not only that, but after you unlock something with levels you also have to buy it with in-game currency, called GP. Now, this has nothing to do with the business model. I just hate the idea of having to run on a treadmill for something which should be down to personal preference. For example, if I subjectively prefer a shotgun over a light pistol, I have to wait until level 20. But if I want a heavy pistol instead, I only need to get to level 2 or 3 (I forget which). This is like an ice cream shop letting you buy mint chip, but making you run on a treadmill for 10 minutes if you want cookie dough. What's more, you still have to pay for your ice cream whichever one you pick. Now, some people may think differently about this problem, but honestly it was this that got the game a 7 instead of an 8, 9, or 10.

    Now, this being a free-to-play game, the way the company makes money is by allowing you to buy the gun parts with real money. Because (almost) everything is sidegrade, there's no buying power. You're not getting better things; you're getting the same things faster by bypassing both the GP cost and the required level. Additionally, the part renting system makes it so you can try things for either one or seven days before you buy them. However, in order to really judge an F2P system, I have to compare it to what the game would be like if it were full price. If it was full price, would they still have the level-based unlocks? Or would everything be available from level 1? If the former, then I would most certainly rather keep it free. If the latter, then I would rather pay for it. That's right folks, call me crazy but I would pay $60 just so I don't have to run on a treadmill for my cookie dough ice cream.    … Expand
  14. TheICBPenguin
    Aug 16, 2012
    6
    Its a pretty fun shooter and not pay to win at all but everything is too damn expensive. I would give it an 8 but it let down by its terrible freemium model. Everything is way to expensive. A single small part (that doesn't change your guns stats by that much) is 3.50. I've bought entire games for less than that!
  15. VSinGamer
    Dec 26, 2012
    5
    Blacklight Retribution is a free pay-to-win game if you can get the irony. Personally I have no problem playing one so long as the leveling mechanics for those who don't want to pay can still keep up. This is where BR fails because frankly the amount of GP needed to unlock a weapon permanently is quite high and requires a lot of grind, even more so than it should in my opinion. The goodBlacklight Retribution is a free pay-to-win game if you can get the irony. Personally I have no problem playing one so long as the leveling mechanics for those who don't want to pay can still keep up. This is where BR fails because frankly the amount of GP needed to unlock a weapon permanently is quite high and requires a lot of grind, even more so than it should in my opinion. The good of this game is few, but important. Frankly the shooting mechanics are good for a free game. Accuracy isn't all that important in the overall gameplay, however this isn't necessarily a bad thing as this can occasionally be said about other more notable FPSs. The different modes are normal for FPSs but what really got my attention was the mech fighting present in this game and was rightfully so, a refreshing change. While a bit OP they were not entirely unbeatable and with solid teamwork can be taken down. Some of the many problems with it come in pure mechanics because of how poorly the game is set up. The menu is an atrocity and difficult to navigate, the servers don't seem to have a very organized manner to them, and just the needed amount to grind in order to unlock one weapon part seems to much of a chore to actually play through it. The servers also have a couple problems in that they seem to shut down frequently, or that may just have been a freak accident on my part. In summation, the game may not live up to hype other FPSs have made nor does it have any balance between those who pay and those who don't, but it is a rather fun game to play and the shooting mechanics are there for the most part. To me the wall shooting had never affected my gameplay until I start camping(my bad) so it didn't personally affect my scoring of the game. I wouldn't recommend this game when other free FPS games do so much more, but should it get a potential remake somewhere down the road where at least the grinding of this game is brought way down, I would still give it a chance, so a name not to forget.… Expand
  16. indigni
    Mar 18, 2013
    5
    Perhaps one of the most frustrating twitch FPS shooters out there. I don't know how anyone can play this game without getting motion sick. "Fast paced action" translates to "run around each other in circles so that your enemy can't keep you on their screen before you can't keep them on your screen." This game is a carpal tunnel trap in which most gun combat takes place within melee rangePerhaps one of the most frustrating twitch FPS shooters out there. I don't know how anyone can play this game without getting motion sick. "Fast paced action" translates to "run around each other in circles so that your enemy can't keep you on their screen before you can't keep them on your screen." This game is a carpal tunnel trap in which most gun combat takes place within melee range because it's the most effective way to not get shot by your opponent, and players run around on foot at 60 miles per hour.

    The gameplay aside, the unlockables in the game are a joke. Expect to sink 200+ hours using the default loadout before you can permanently unlock a set of even the bottomest of tier equipment and gun mods. After 86 hours of gameplay, I have only been able to afford 1 gun stock, 1 gun muzzle, and a deployable turret--that's at experience level "27."    … Expand
  17. sandpants
    Jun 23, 2013
    6
    Before you scroll down and see loads of 0s and start thinking this game is crap here is a truly CRITICAL review and not some whiny crying.

    1)There is no pay 2 win in this game. The people who spout this spent about 1 hour in game getting raped by people who know how this game works. Experience you. Almost all necessary and currently most common builds and items can be bought    Before you scroll down and see loads of 0s and start thinking this game is crap here is a truly CRITICAL review and not some whiny crying.

    1)There is no pay 2 win in this game. The people who spout this spent about 1 hour in game getting raped by people who know how this game works. Experience you. Almost all necessary and currently most common builds and items can be bought permanently/rented with ingame currency. To perm stuff it will take you a good amount of time, but rents are 3 days for most items, and missions give you 7day stuff as well which are easy to do. That is enough for you to earn some GP to begin perming items. It is also widely considered that starter gear is VERY solid.

    ZEN (real currency) items include: Weapon/Armor camos, weapon tags (majority of which are won from LVL up packs, free), Heroes (essentially gear presets) which offer particular stat boost based on role and allow maximum item slots which are still available for free, some perm ammo types (can be rented with ingame currency), and unlock high level items earlier (you don't need to level up). They even ported nodes (perks) from ZEN to full GP. As far as RAW power REAL money DOESN'T hand it to you. .

    2)YES this game DOES have "Wallhack". It has NO RADAR. HRV lasts for 4 SECONDS MAX. You CANNOT SHOOT when you use it. You CANNOT SPRINT (currently) when you use it. You CANNOT USE it IF its not fully recharged. It recharges in ~7 Seconds if you use it completely (depends on gear and total capacity). There ARE items that block it (blackouts, EMPs, shock nades, HRV cloak).

    3) Game pace is really fast. Slower than before, and yet still very fast to new players. You will regularly get the impression you were one shot. YOU WEREN'T. This is how fast this game is and it used to be faster.

    4) The pace is set by weapons and weapons can kill you in 3-4 shots for most common used ones. This includes starter gear.

    5) There AREN'T that many glitches. If you see anyone saying, ask them about it. They will mention 2 maximum. There aren't that many bugs either.

    6) The game mechanics DO feel clunky and artificial/fake. At times the game feels random. There are lag issues. There are issues with some melee weapons. There are issues with bumping into people and item/player collision. Sometimes it feels like enemies run through you. There are issues with sticking (not getting stuck) to walls of maps.

    7) Sniping in this game is HARD as hell. Whoever says otherwise is clueless and played this game for an hour. This is a critical fact. No jokes. It is that time in the industry when it's almost compulsory to mention details like this.

    8) You do not need to have high KDR to be first in this game. Points matter more. Points can be got through doing objectives, assisting, destroying deployables, healing/repairing/refilling ammo. This translates to EXP.

    9)Game currency is based on time played in a match. You will rarely get less than 100-130 per match. If you are really good you will get about 160-180 for 3rd, 2nd and 1st places. Which can be gotten by having the most points, not the most kills. To put it into perspective, most old Receivers (weapon bases) cost ~6k. Add in mission which give you 2k weekly (very easy), and another one which gives you 1000 daily (harder).

    10) There ARE robots. They CAN one hit you. They can be 2 shotted with rockets. Remember, against mechs, ROCKETS are BEST.

    I gave this game a 6. It used to be about 8. The server issues are worsening. The game pace is becoming slower. There is more disbalance in gear/items. This game was advertised at having high customization it has that, but its useless. Because most items are useless, so various builds/combos become obsolete. Doesn't help that the developer is releasing items which overlap/outdo previous gear. Not a lot of effort goes into balancing. Not a lot of interaction from the developer either.

    But this is a VERY solid F2P game. The best aside from, say, Planetside 2.    … Expand
  18. yuleon
    Jul 16, 2012
    6
    When I bought the hero, I was disappointed in this game. DO NOT buy anything in it for real money!!!, except for camo and tag, otherwise you will be frustrated and disappointed as well as I do.
  19. bzlom
    Oct 10, 2012
    7
    To all the whiny gamers that say this game is pay 2 win - i say learn to play. You can own anyone with the default equipment that the game gives you. Every weapon and attachment has it's advantages and disadvantages (and there are a LOT of attachments). There is no ultimate weapon. If you are constantly loosing - it means you are a beginner at the game. There is also the hack issue - butTo all the whiny gamers that say this game is pay 2 win - i say learn to play. You can own anyone with the default equipment that the game gives you. Every weapon and attachment has it's advantages and disadvantages (and there are a LOT of attachments). There is no ultimate weapon. If you are constantly loosing - it means you are a beginner at the game. There is also the hack issue - but compared to other F2P games here are a small number of hackers. You don't have to pay a cent - almost everything is attainable by playing the game. And about the grinding - this is a less grindy game than Battlefiled4Free, or Warface or AVA. A helpful forum community - can answer questions in a friendly manner. The game just has to have more maps.… Expand
  20. kevgim92
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    Fun game, the only thing I can find wrong with the game is the people who can spend a lot of money on the game and buy better weapons and have stronger, more accurate, etc. guns.
  21. dc010
    Jul 7, 2013
    7
    It's a bit difficult to get things in the game, but for me that makes it worth it that much more. The fact that majority of what you can pay real money for is temporary makes it worth it to work hard and buy the in game cash permanent items. At first I hated the "Visor" that allows you to see where everyone is, but then I realized that you don't have a radar and you can't fire while usingIt's a bit difficult to get things in the game, but for me that makes it worth it that much more. The fact that majority of what you can pay real money for is temporary makes it worth it to work hard and buy the in game cash permanent items. At first I hated the "Visor" that allows you to see where everyone is, but then I realized that you don't have a radar and you can't fire while using the visor. That makes it a very useful tool and since everyone has one you end up seeing each other coming and are forced to make quick decisions. If you don't have the time to dedicate to 40+ matches to get the points to buy a few things, I think you should refrain from reviewing. Many of the negative reviews on here are from people who likely picked the first server they saw with payers way above their level and didn't give it enough time to EARN their equipment. Once u get around 200 matches, more or less if you win/lose, you can really start to put your player together and put the customization system to use.

    Outside of the poor/confusing menu design the game is a lot of fun to play once u get into the match. Sadly because of the customization being a core feature and the menus being so bad, with somewhat generic gameplay I have to give it a 7.    … Expand
  22. beasterbuny
    Nov 26, 2013
    5
    Game is free, but i chose to pay $15 to buy some gear. Great game as far as game play goes, but anything you buy with GP is only temporary. in order to buy something permanently you must pay. I think this needs to be reworked, so that GP can purchase permanent gear. Rather than Free to play, its Forced to Pay
  23. HNPictures
    Dec 26, 2013
    7
    This is free-to-play game is not for once a buy to win in many cases. Everything can be done via the In Game Currency. The idea of Combat Points brings the player to have more strive towards actually getting into the battle. My only couple of vices with it are the device that lets the player see through walls and the taunts. There is an achievement that gives the player a reward forThis is free-to-play game is not for once a buy to win in many cases. Everything can be done via the In Game Currency. The idea of Combat Points brings the player to have more strive towards actually getting into the battle. My only couple of vices with it are the device that lets the player see through walls and the taunts. There is an achievement that gives the player a reward for trolling other players.… Expand
  24. hifumi
    Aug 15, 2012
    8
    Even though I may be tempted to give this game a 10 just to counterbalance all the haters who senselessly vote 0 points, I'll try and be as neutral and objective as possible.

    Basically, Blacklight: Retribution is your common modern day shooter: Aim down sights, autorifles, all that. What makes this one unique is the "HRV", a kind of limited-use wallhack that lets you see everyone on the    Even though I may be tempted to give this game a 10 just to counterbalance all the haters who senselessly vote 0 points, I'll try and be as neutral and objective as possible.

    Basically, Blacklight: Retribution is your common modern day shooter: Aim down sights, autorifles, all that. What makes this one unique is the "HRV", a kind of limited-use wallhack that lets you see everyone on the map as a red or orange silhouette, depending on their team. This is Blacklights take on the minimap you might know from CoD, and it has an enormous impact on the game.
    The HRVs use is limited by a timer which slowly recharges. You can't fire while it's active and switching on and off will take a second as well. Used well, the HRV can give you great awareness and with a bit of foresight it can be one of your strongest weapons. The least it can do is reduce downtime, because you won't have to run around the map looking for the enemies in a deathmatch game.
    In objective based modes it can help you find less defended spots and plan out your actions. As I said, it is game changing, and you'll have to keep in mind that your enemy could see you as well... which is not to say you cannot sneak up on them.
    If you don't like the HRV or try to ignore it, you won't like Blacklight. I for one think it's pretty great. It's a matter of taste as well, but it's definitely an original feature that sets this game apart.

    The game's graphics are nothing groundbreaking technically; it's Unreal 3 engine, nuff said.
    Visually, everything is loosely cyberpunk oriented, with designs and locations reminiscent of movies like Ghost in the Shell or Appleseed. Blacklights version of the flashbang is an EMP grenade that will give everyone it hits a virtual bluescreen while the helmets OS has to boot up again, resulting in 2-3 seconds of blindness, which is pretty cool if you ask me. It's little things like these that give the game a soul and personality.
    The whole cyberpunk motive reflects pretty well within the gameplay itself, as taking objectives in certain game modes means "hacking" nodes, and Blacklights variant of TF2s Payload is a map where you have to escort a slow moving spider tank in which one player can sit and use the turret. If you want, you can even pilot your very own robot called a "Hardsuit", which can lay waste to entire squads in seconds, but is also easily countered by a smart player using a rocket launcher.

    There is a metagame that lets you customize your equipment and specialize in HP, speed, low recoil or weapon spread. The amount of customization options can be overwhelming at first, but the default equipment is balanced and completely viable throughout the game.
    You can rent or permanently buy almost everything in the game with the currency you gain by playing, called GP, and while it can take a lot of GP to permanently buy some of the parts, the game is very generous with letting you try out everything. When your character levels up, you get an in-game mail that contains all the items you unlocked as 3 day trials. The cost of renting something for 1 day is about the amount of GP you'll get by playing two matches. What this means is that in Blacklight, unlike games like Tribes Ascend, you'll never spend huge amounts of ingame currency on something and then find out it wasn't what you wanted after all. If you feel like sniping "just today", you can cheaply get a sniper rifle without spending a lot of your GP. As far as F2P goes, this is as fair of a system as I can imagine.
    If you just started playing and feel helpless and weak, let me assure you that this is NOT because all the other players bought their way to victory.

    Okay, so I said that I was going to be objective, which also means talking about the downsides. To be honest, I can't find many flaws with this game. There are some smaller bugs, the biggest one I encountered was when the game decided to spawn both teams right next to each other, which resulted in quite a bloodbath, but that was one out of literally hundreds of games.
    As with every game, some things are up to individual taste. You might not like the HRV, you might not like how the weapons handle. Blacklight doesn't reinvent the wheel either, but the whole HRV thing is something we haven't really seen yet. Ordinarily I'd say 7 out of 10 for a very solid game, but since BLR brings something new to the table as well, that's one more point - 8/10. A very awesome game.    … Collapse

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Best PC Game of 2012
43
#43 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
85
#85 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Sep 16, 2012
    70
    A more-than-capable shooter that is a blast to play. Shame about the pings. [Sept 2012, p.59]
  2. GRYOnline.pl
    Aug 6, 2012
    75
    Retribution is worth your time under one condition –you like online shooters, you don't get carried away with emotions and will treat this game as entertainment and not a fierce match to the death. Game mechanics is perfect, you can easily feel differences between weapons, even after a slight modification. The game uses Unreal Engine 3, is well optimized and looks nice, although the industrial style and sterile locations prevent you from being astonished. I'm not a hardcore shooter fan, so after a while – even with all the weapons and customization – I became bored. Retribution offers nothing new.
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  3. GameStar
    Jul 30, 2012
    78
    Quotation forthcoming.
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