I would have never thought that I’d see a game that perfectly captures the spirit of the cult classic Cannon Fodder. The only thing that could have made it better is the destructible environment.
Okay. I'm too lazy to write a detailed review so I'll just make it simple: tons of freedom, awesome gameplay, and a really good co-op mode makes the game more than just another top-down shooter.
Fun game. Very large maps, giant battles. Barely any noticable flaws except the horrible AI drivers. Captures the essence of Battlefield in a top down way.
Running with Rifles is some sort of battlefield chaos generator: often ferociously funny but sometimes also excruciatingly frustrating. An uncut diamond that, albeit in need of some polishing, is a very interesting new take on war/action gameplay.
Running with Rifles is a nice surprise, a game that finds the right balance for its gameplay and delivers a reasonable challenge that encourages you to improve.
This game is brilliant. It's the best game I've seen to date to really create the experience of being in the middle of an epic battle. Your task as a single grunt is to figure out a way to turn the tide of battle in the middle of the raging chaos. You can accomplish this by leading squads along the main flanks, deploying cover and machine guns strategically, or stealthily assaulting side bases to create diversions or capture a new zone.
The shooting and cover mechanics are solid, and the AI is very impressive. I never felt like it was cheating or that failure wasn't my fault. The game is very challenging at first, which also makes it extremely rewarding when you're finally able to break a vicious stalemate with a well-executed plan that catches the enemy off-guard.
Running with Rifles rewards patient and thoughtful play. Battles can sometimes take hours of back-and-forth, so don't expect a conventional shooter. Once you get into it though, the gameplay becomes some of the most fun and addicting I've ever seen.
As of this review, the game is still in beta, but plays like a finished product right now. Framerate was great even on my crappy old laptop. There were no significant bugs to speak of. The one down side right now is that reading the online manual is pretty much required to understand all the mechanics of the game. I'm sure the devs have plans for a proper tutorial for the final release, though.
The two man dev team is also extremely responsive on Steam and their own forums. If you have a problem or suggestion, they typically respond within 24 hours. It's really wonderful to see a small, responsive team create such an innovative and fun game.
This game has been out in beta for a while now but it's getting closer to the 1.0. I gave this game a 10 and I really mean it. I was dreaming for a battlefield-series game with a top-down view since a while. And this dream came true with this game. I don't need a monster PC to run this gem and it still looks pleasant to my eyes. Actually I really love the graphic style. The weapons are fairly realistic and the terrain system is great (height, cover system, etc). The AI is smarter than most AAA titles out there, which surprised me tbh. The multiplayer is very entertaining, even though the servers aren't very populated yet. I highly recommend this title to every battlefield/arma/CoD-fans out there if you want a fresh and clean alternative with a lot of potential. The price is very fair (8 bucks) as well.
Running with rifles review
Graphics
RWR does certainly have its own graphical design, it uses 3D visuals and looks acceptable. I don’t have any complaints but it quite could possibly be better. I have not run into any graphical glitches either.
8/10
Audio
The sound is pretty decent and could use improvement. A lot of the guns sound the same and the music is not very enjoyable. Thankfully the music only plays on the main screen, and is not present during battle.
6/10
Controls
The controls can be a bit clunky at times but are pretty standard. WASD to move and mouse to aim and shoot. My main complaint though is that, your characters aim does not follow your mouse, and that there is not really any diagonal movement.
6/10
Story/Campaign
RWR is not a very story driven game, but it does feature a campaign mode. The campaign mode is basically a set of several missions that you can rank up within. Overall there seems to be no story in the campaign. But, the campaign is a fun way of doing missions.
7/10
Gameplay
The gameplay is what makes RWR worth buying, the funnest parts of the match are when you and like 20-30 others try to force your way into a base of enemies that are in even bigger numbers. It's essentially a massive war simulator, with you as just another soldier (until you become higher ranked and are able to lead a squad of up to 10 others).
9.5/10
Content
The game has a small amount of guns to start with, and can look deceiving. Over time though you can find enemy weapons and unlock them in your armory as well as finding special weapons that are not available in any armory. Besides guns there is also different types of explosives and secondary weapons. You can also find and buy different types of armor.
8/10
Replayability
This game is very replayable like any sandbox game. But it does get a little boring over a long period of time like most games.
7/10
Overall Score
73.5/100
If Battlefield had a baby with Alien Swarm - this would be it.
It's good. Think of what Battlefield would be like if viewed top-down. That's basically what it is.
You get to command a squad (which gets bigger as you level-up) to wipe out the enemy and conquer areas of the map. Once conquered you get access to all their vehicles and weapons - and new spawn points. The armory allows you to outfit your character exactly how you like to play. The vehicles are quite cool as well and the AI is not stupid.
There seems to be a lot to learn - which must be done via trial and error since the tutorial is pretty weak. Saying that, I think I picked up most of the basics fairly quickly. Once I had sorted out the controls (crouch and prone are for some weird reason not set as toggle keys by default) I got on quite well and won a few matches/missions.
The multiplayer is fun. You can play the campaign together co-op or against others and it has a variety of different game modes and it also includes dedicated server support.
Jimbo Rating: 7/10
The video game industry needs innovation. From personal experience, this is definitely innovative. The gameplay feels smooth and the AI are not **** (They are not perfect but, better than most modern shooters that we see). It's not your average top-down "hero" game; "one shot, one kill" on pretty much all weapons. Gore settings is really how much blood you want, no blood, ****, saving private ryan, and then shogun II.
The main reason you would want to buy this game is because you want something new from the same thing that the "top dogs" of the gaming industry keep on pumping out. It gives you a different perspective and a different experience. Also, it's somewhat of an open world so, you can play the way you want. You could go guns blazing to the front lines or you could go commando around enemy lines to take out their comms truck and effectively taking out their means of giving their troops support.
The game right now has three factions, green, gray, and brown; green representing America, Grey is Germany, and brown is Russia. I personally hope for more than that, if not them, the community as this game has an option just before you start a game to activate mods for your custom battle. This should increase it's value already.
But, every game has a downside. Your own troops tend to be very passive with the vehicles they possess and the game still has a few maps or any kind of content for that matter. Keep in mind that it was in beta when this review was written so, currently I hopefully have just a glimpse of the game that you people of the future are playing.
The AI still needs a little tweaking, there is little options on what you can do in-game, and the campaign is just another battle. But, the game has huge potential! That is why I'm giving this game a 7 out of 10. It's a great game in desperate need of new content for greater playability.
SummaryRUNNING WITH RIFLES is a top-down tactical shooter with open-world RPG elements. In RWR, you join the ranks of an army as a common soldier, just like the thousands around you. To your superiors, you're nothing but cannon fodder... The open world approach lets you define your own path and story in the campaign. Push back the enemy with yo...