Concord Beta Launches To Extremely Mixed Reactions

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Concord's big reveal during May's PlayStation State of Play was not great. For almost five minutes, players were lumbered with a cinematic trailer that could have quite easily been a Guardians of the Galaxy knockoff. Wisecracking aliens, sci-fi scoundrels and a character named Star Child, ominously close to the Guardian's Star Lord, played out, leaving viewers perplexed. The trailer was quickly slammed with dislikes, and we called it the biggest disappointment of the May showcase.

This weekend, the beta opened to all PS Plus members and anybody who pre-ordered the game, and, much like its initial trailer, has been met with a mixed-to-tepid reaction.

Following the beta's launch, players took to Reddit in their droves to show their love or to lambast the game.

A lot of players were quick to share that the game was "lowkey" good, with one player saying the beta had "changed my mind." The character design, sound design, and tactical gameplay all drew plaudits on the web.

While various aspects of the game were praised, seemingly one of the key wins for developers Firewalk Studios appears to be the art direction. One player called it "nuts," while another added that it was "gorgeous." Concord's maps were described as intricate, the animations great, and cutscenes "top-notch", with the game apparently doing enough to stand out against its Guardians of the Galaxy accusations.

Alongside the art direction, the gunplay was heavily praised. One thread said that the "Combat feels good! Better than Overwatch," with others concurring, calling it "smooth", "satisfying" and "phenomenal."

Despite being different genres, Destiny and Halo comparisons were all too common, giving the game a seemingly distinct Bungie feel. YakaAvatar said the game reminds them "of the good parts of Destiny," KaaruVS added that it has "some of those old Halo feels", and Regnur completed the trio by saying it's "pretty much Destiny + Halo combined".

Despite receiving high praise from many, many players, there were just as many who weren't sold on Concord.

"Glaring balance issues" were a core complaint, with one player saying "I don't know how it's this bad," when the game is "this close to launch." Another player stated that it was "kinda a mess," and that things were "drastically different between different same-class characters." A third player felt that "some people SURE AS S**T feel stronger than others."

Concord's movement was also criticized, being called "rough" and "so slow". However, this was a polarizing issue, with others suggesting that "it's fine" and it just "takes a bit of getting used to."

Two other major gripes were raised by players. One was the lack of a "definitive game mode," which left players "super confused on what the game is trying to be." The consensus was that "a hero shooter needs to kind of be balanced around one mode," something Concord doesn't seem to be doing.

Finally, and as is to be expected, the game was critiqued for not being free-to-play at launch. The $40 price point "won't attract players on PC", one player said, with another suggesting it may at least "need to go partially F2P." With Marvel Rivals on the horizon, players are concerned by how many other games there are that "are free and scratch that hero shooter itch."

Are you planning on picking up Concord? Let us know in the thread below.