First-person shooters are different from the games that I usually go to play. I will be upfront about that. Everybody has their own personal pocket of games or media that they enjoy. While I am not a super fan of them, as I own quite a few in my gaming collection, they are not the games I would say I consider myself an expert in. However, despite this, I keep up with the scene, and Delta Force has admittedly been on my radar for quite a while. A return to the iconic series was very intriguing to me, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the early access launch for months now. so I was excited to try the game. Did I love what I played, or did I come away disappointed? Well, as you will see, it is a bit complicated, but I am leaning more on the cautiously good side of things.
To take a look at the game, Delta Force promises players a single-player campaign, an extraction shooter, 64-player sessions, loads of maps, additional game modes, and more. This made me very excited to see it because it is a game that flexes what it has or plans to have when it launches. Or when you are tapped to give a preview, things are there in some way or even a little, right? I felt those questions genuinely as I went through the game’s Private Beta Period.
Firstly, when I immediately encountered the lack of ANY sort of taste or flavor for the promised single-player, I was immediately disappointed. Sure, even though I know that it is a private beta, things like that typically are not available. But games normally give you something from it to give you a slight taste or have trailers online beyond walking through environments. This meant that for a game with a campaign that is supposedly a big part of the game’s identity and what makes Delta Force what it claims to want to be, it was a no-show. That was a broken promise to me, and as a primarily single-player game player, this is the biggest strike for me. But maybe things get better (on paper) looking forward, right? The game promises players a “new generation of extraction shooters.”
I got excited when reading that on the store page because I like extraction shooters, more extraction games in general (Dark and Darker fans stand up!). They are entertaining and competitive and get my blood going. One thing I really liked and commend the developers on is that the AI is decently good at toeing on excellent even. For flexing purposes, for the beta period, I would’ve been okay with a game where maybe 10-15 players are AI bots. There are more problems at hand, such as a lack of modes and maps, but while those are there, they are easier to fix, in my own opinion, than damaged player trust.
When looking at the gameplay and the in-game experience, I say this is in the best way possible, but the game is similar to Battlefield 2042. In a lot of ways, it is odd. From the spawn menu, it looks like 2042, especially with some UI elements, gun and vehicle control, and even a decent amount of gameplay elements. But, admittedly, it’s not enough to make me say, “I would rather just play 2042.” In fact, I would rather play Delta Force.
The gunplay is much tighter, and the recoil is not extreme or too simulation-like, like in 2042. When controlling vehicles, the controls were tight and fast. I felt like I was driving an ATV in the heat of action. And due to the game’s excellent effects and environment immersion, while driving not just an ATV but any vehicle, I felt at war. Just like in 2042.
When experiencing other factors of the game, such as the audio, the characters, which are a diverse cast of characters with their own abilities, the UI, and the menus, it is all great, high quality, and has an amount of polish and class to it all that you might not expect from Free to Play games all the time, and maybe even big AAA games at times, too. This all might sound like it comes to the game being a better or more amped version of Battlefield 2042, and some might say you would not be wrong. If you were to put both in front of anyone, they would likely say the same for visual and UI design.
But that is not to say that the game is bad or a copycat or anything. In fact, despite what sounds like 100% negatives, there are more equal strengths and weaknesses. If you are a brand-new or returning game in a well-established, hard-to-break genre. There are only so many options you have and can use before the answer is to reinvent that specific wheel to make it special in order to stand out. The game’s gun and vehicle control, the UI and menu elements, and other aspects of the game might be comparable to Battlefield 2042’s, but this is what makes it special to me.
For the price of free, players are promised a COD/BF-type shooter game that seemingly doesn’t have any kind of free-to-play gimmick that those games typically come with (I am not saying that negatively). It’s a free, AAA, FPS-style traditional shooter that aims for the AAA quality clouds and, in more ways than not, that succeeds through imitation and innovation (although that innovation needs to be in players’ hands, not just on a store page).
In conclusion, it is hard to give a true impression of the game. Delta Force as a product offers players a lot of content, but even during an introductory beta period, a lot of this content and material is just not there. It is a game that, at face as of this moment, lacks promised content, and when you see and interact with what you can, it can often be too little. The lack of game modes present, lack of content, and overall content neglect make the game hard to recommend at a base level in some ways because if you as a developer can not deliver simple things, such as what you promised, and even have videos of in any capacity during the games beta period.
I am sure a ton of players would want to get a hand on them like I did, which leaves players not just with a less-than-stellar impression of the game but also damages developer and player trust just a bit because, as I said earlier, there are some promises and features not here in this beta that could have easily been added to show off the game further. These issues stayed at bay for the most part, thankfully, because it was a private beta, and players will soon get to play the open beta. This means it’s a beta build. Things are there to be changed if need be, so add things where need be, fix things, etc. So both players and I do not have to say anything too harsh or feel too bad.
It’s highly likely that the things are at launch in some capacity, if not full capacity, because thankfully, the options are on the menu for the game, and just tell players it isn’t ready yet so players don’t have to fret too much. But on the flip side of the issue, what the game has is really good and has a serious amount of quality and polish to it. The game can be seen as a better, free version of Battlefield 2042 based on how it looks, sounds, plays, and, maybe most importantly, tries to immerse the player in its warlike settings and situations. It plays amazingly well and is very tight, and it felt incredibly satisfying to play using a gun or a vehicle weapon.
Delta Force looks really good, too, with the environment shown in the beta, and the developers have shown off in videos. Lastly, the game has a diverse cast of characters to play with their own strengths and weaknesses. It gives players the freedom to experiment and switch when necessary. Honestly, the game has an even mix of positives and negatives, making me “cautiously optimistic” for this game. On the one hand, we have a game in beta that is not showing off; maybe even 30-40% of the game could be at its fullest potential, with the developers not showing off many of the promises made just yet. On the other hand, we have a very high-quality free-to-play FPS game that feels like a genuine fighter and competitor to COD and Battlefield, and it hits nearly every gameplay beat needed to be competitive and extremely fun. I will be playing Delta Force again during its open beta period to experience the game further, and I will likely play the game into launch, as it’s a game that is that good from what I did play.
Ultimately, though, it remains to be seen if the game will bring in everything it’s said to offer, and that will be the determining factor if I truly become a player or just another passing gamer giving the game its fair, respective shot. If you’re interested in Delta Force and what it has to offer, I certainly recommend checking out the game and trying it out for yourself. However, understand that there is still work to be done, though the existing content is of the highest quality for the most part.
Disclaimer: Team Jade provided Final Weapon with early access to Delta Force for review purposes.
