Aftercharge is an innovative 3v3 First Person Arena Battle game. Its theme is robots and electricity with a twist of dystopian flavour to it. The core concept is simple yet original. Where most modern shooters fit neatly into either class-based arena combat (think Blizzard’s Overwatch) or the current craze of Battle Royale Games (PUBG and Fortnite) Chainsawesome Games, the company behind Knight Squad, decided to go in a different direction pitting an invisible team against and an invincible one.
While at first this concept seems at odds with itself it actually works surprisingly well. Emphasis is thrown onto teamwork and tactics. Sure, you may be one of the four different invincible defenders who cannot be killed, but you can do nothing other than move without energy, which must come from the very extractors the opposite team is trying to destroy. Stay too close and conserve too much energy and one of the sneaky invisible Workonics is likely to take advantage of the opportunity to rob you of your power. This has a great intuitive effect of both keeping the Enforcers on point and thinking conservatively.
As for the attackers you are truly invisible! No sounds, shimmering wavy distortion or other subtle hints. You are made visible only by using an attack, receiving damage or being targeted by an enemy ability, being in very close proximity to an enemy or while you are downed. This makes planning vital. As was stated previously you cannot damage the defenders, only knock them back, so you want to remain hidden as long as possible. The downside to being an attacker is that in order to use any of your abilities you have to be boosted by one of your teammates, which costs them their own health.
The game requires a lot of thinking, but if you get the teamwork right its pure fun! The Canadian indie developer has shied away from the frills and gizmos that accompany most AAA titles nowadays and has gone back to the clean core of gaming – how it feels to play, and that is so refreshing. It’s still a little rough around the edges but that is to be expected for a game that is currently in its early alpha.
For the alpha, interested parties have a chance to be part of via the studio’s Twitter feed, where you can usually find opportunities to test the game Sporting multiple maps and seamless controller support, it should have plenty to offer both PC gamers and console users alike when it launches later this year.
Currently we should see Aftercharge on the PC, Xbox One, and Switch. No mention as yet to if Playstation users will be able to get their hands on it. This is definitely a game to keep your eye on, as it could possibly become one of this year’s sleeper hits.
