Concord Review

Concord emerges as a fresh take on the team-based first-person shooter genre in a galaxy brimming with adventure, danger, and untold stories. Developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony, Concord invites players to assemble their crew of Freegunner space outlaws and dive into thrilling 5v5 PvP battles that span the far reaches of the cosmos. With its emphasis on diverse character abilities, team strategy, and ongoing narrative development, Concord is positioned to carve out its space in the crowded FPS landscape.

At the heart of Concord is the Northstar, a ship crewed by a motley group of outlaws and adventurers, each with unique skills and backstories. These Freegunners, as they’re known, aren’t just generic characters; they’re fully fleshed-out personas with abilities that cater to a wide array of playstyles. Whether you prefer to wield mystical powers, dominate with sharpshooting skills, or support your team with healing abilities, Concord gives you the tools to craft your perfect squad and master the battlefield.

But Concord isn’t just about shooting and winning; it’s about personal and collective growth. As you engage in battles across the galaxy, you’ll unlock new customization options, delve deeper into the lore of the Concord Galaxy, and even alter your characters with powerful Combat Trait modifiers. The game offers a continuous progression system that rewards skill, exploration, experimentation, and a deep understanding of your chosen Freegunners.

What sets Concord apart is its commitment to ongoing content and narrative expansion. With regular updates introducing new characters, modes, maps, and weekly cinematic vignettes that flesh out the story of the Northstar crew, the game promises to evolve and grow, keeping players engaged long after launch. Cross-play support between PS5 and PC ensures you can team up with friends and take on the galaxy together no matter where you play.

This review will dive into the core elements that make Concord a standout title. From its diverse roster of Freegunners and deep customization options to its variety of PvP modes and rich narrative content, we’ll explore how this game combines the excitement of competitive multiplayer with the depth of an evolving universe.

Setting and Story

Concord is set in a sprawling galaxy where the laws of the land are often written by those with the fastest draw or the most powerful crew. At the center of this universe is the Northstar, a ship that serves as both home and headquarters for a diverse group of Freegunners—space outlaws, adventurers, and guns-for-hire who operate on the fringes of the law. The galaxy of Concord is a place of endless possibilities, teeming with conflict, alliances, and the promise of wealth for those daring enough to seize it.

Concord’s narrative backdrop is one of survival and ambition. The Northstar crew is united by their need to carve out a place for themselves in a galaxy where power dynamics are constantly shifting. Each Freegunner has reasons for joining the crew, whether driven by revenge, the pursuit of wealth, or a desire for freedom. As players assemble their roster of Freegunners, they’ll uncover the backstories and motivations that fuel these characters, making each choice significant.

The galaxy of Concord is divided into various star systems, each with unique environments and challenges. From lawless frontier worlds to densely populated space stations, the game’s maps are designed to reflect the diverse settings of this expansive universe. These locations are not just backdrops for battles but are intricately tied to the ongoing story of the Northstar crew. As players compete in different PvP modes, they’ll encounter environments that tell their own stories—abandoned outposts hinting at past conflicts, bustling markets where secrets are traded, and ancient ruins that hold the remnants of forgotten civilizations.

The story of Concord unfolds in real time, with new chapters and character developments introduced regularly through cinematic vignettes. These weekly updates provide players with fresh content, expanding on the relationships between the Freegunners and revealing new twists in the overarching narrative. This evolving story ensures that the game remains dynamic and engaging, giving players a reason to return each week to see what’s next for the crew of the Northstar.

In addition to the main narrative, Concord features faction-based lore that adds depth to the world. Various factions vie for control of resources and influence in the galaxy, and players’ actions can impact these power struggles. Aligning with certain factions or completing specific objectives can unlock unique rewards, further tying the gameplay to the story. This integration of lore and gameplay enhances the immersion, making every match feel like a meaningful part of the galaxy’s ongoing saga.

The Freegunners themselves are the heart of the story. Each character is more than just a set of abilities—individuals with distinct personalities, histories, and goals. As players spend more time with their chosen Freegunners, they’ll unlock background lore that provides deeper insight into who these characters are and what drives them. This narrative depth adds a personal connection to the gameplay, making victories feel more rewarding and defeats more impactful.

Overall, Concord’s setting and story create a rich tapestry that elevates the standard team-based shooter into something more—a living, breathing universe where every battle, every choice, and every character matters. The game’s commitment to ongoing narrative development ensures the story constantly evolves, keeping players invested in the world and the fates of the Freegunners they command.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Concord is a team-based first-person shooter that blends dynamic combat with deep strategic elements, offering players various ways to engage in intense 5v5 PvP battles. The game’s core mechanics are designed to be accessible to newcomers while providing enough depth and complexity to satisfy veteran players. At the heart of the gameplay are the Freegunners—unique characters with distinct abilities and playstyles that form the backbone of your team.

Character Abilities and Team Dynamics:

Each Freegunner in Concord is designed with a specific role in mind, from frontline attackers and stealthy assassins to supportive healers and tactical disruptors. At launch, the game features a roster of 16 Freegunners, each bringing their unique skills, weapons, and personalities to the battlefield. This variety allows players to create squads that complement their preferred playstyle or adapt to the needs of the match.

The gameplay mechanics emphasize team coordination, as the success of your squad depends on how well you can synergize the abilities of your chosen Freegunners. For example, a powerful mystic might use area-of-effect spells to control the battlefield, while a skilled gunslinger takes out high-value targets from a distance. Meanwhile, a healer can keep the team in the fight, and a tanky enforcer can absorb damage and protect more vulnerable teammates. Balancing these roles within your team is crucial, and players must constantly adapt their strategies based on the evolving dynamics of the match.

Crew Builder and Customization:

Concord’s Crew Builder is a critical feature that allows players to handpick their team of Freegunners before each match. This system lets you experiment with different combinations of characters, enabling you to tailor your squad to the specific demands of the game mode or map. The flexibility of the Crew Builder encourages experimentation and strategic planning, as players can mix and match Freegunners to find the perfect balance for their playstyle.

As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock various customization options for your Freegunners. These include cosmetic items, such as skins and outfits, and gameplay-altering modifiers known as Combat Traits. Combat Traits add another layer of depth to the gameplay, allowing you to tweak your characters’ abilities to suit your strategies better. Whether enhancing your mystic’s spell range or boosting your gunslinger’s reload speed, these modifiers give you the tools to fine-tune your approach and gain an edge in battle.

PvP Modes and Objectives:

Concord offers a variety of PvP modes, each designed to test different aspects of your team’s coordination and combat skills. The game features six distinct modes at launch, ranging from objective-based matches to more traditional respawn modes. These modes cater to different playstyles and levels of challenge, ensuring something for everyone.

Objective-based modes might require your team to capture and hold strategic points, escort a payload across the map, or complete tasks while fending off the opposing team. These modes emphasize teamwork and communication, as players must coordinate their actions to achieve victory. On the other hand, respawn-based modes focus on pure combat, where the goal is to outgun and outmaneuver the enemy team in fast-paced, high-stakes battles.

Each mode is further enhanced by the game’s 12 maps, designed to offer various tactical opportunities and challenges. The maps are set across different environments in the Concord galaxy, from urban landscapes and industrial facilities to alien terrains and space stations. Each map offers its unique layout, with chokepoints, vantage points, and environmental hazards that can be used to your advantage or exploited by the enemy.

Progression and Personalization:

In addition to the immediate rewards of winning matches, Concord features a robust progression system that encourages long-term engagement. As you play, you’ll earn experience points and unlock new content, including additional Combat Traits, cosmetic items, and background lore for your Freegunners. The game’s Galactic Guide serves as a knowledge repository, offering insights into the Concord galaxy’s characters, worlds, and factions.

The ability to unlock and customize Freegunner Variants adds even more depth to the gameplay. These Variants are alternative versions of the base characters, each with unique Combat Trait modifiers that alter their abilities meaningfully. Mastering these Variants allows you to further personalize your playstyle and experiment with different approaches to the game’s various challenges.

Overall, Concord’s gameplay mechanics combine fast-paced action with deep strategic elements, creating a dynamic and engaging experience. The diverse roster of Freegunners, flexible Crew Builder system, and varied PvP modes ensure that no two matches are the same, keeping players invested and eager to explore all the game offers.

Multiplayer and Replayability

Concord is built from the ground up to be a multiplayer experience that thrives on teamwork, strategy, and community engagement. The game’s design ensures that players have plenty of reasons to keep coming back, whether to refine their skills, experiment with new strategies, or enjoy dynamic interactions with other players. Combining diverse game modes, regular content updates, and deep customization options makes Concord a game with significant replayability and long-term appeal.

Team-Based Multiplayer:

Concord is a team-based shooter that emphasizes collaboration and strategy. The 5v5 format ensures that every player contributes to the team’s success. The variety of Freegunners and their unique abilities encourage players to communicate and coordinate with their teammates, creating a multiplayer experience that is both competitive and cooperative.

The game’s cross-play functionality between PS5 and PC broadens the player base, ensuring you can team up with friends or face off against opponents regardless of platform. This seamless integration enhances the multiplayer experience, fostering a more extensive and diverse community of players. The cross-platform matchmaking system is designed to pair you with players of similar skill levels, ensuring fair and balanced matches that are both challenging and enjoyable.

Variety of Game Modes:

One of the key factors contributing to Concord’s replayability is its wide range of game modes. With six distinct PvP modes available at launch, the game offers something for every type of player. Whether you prefer the strategic depth of objective-based modes or the fast-paced action of respawn-based battles, Concord has you covered.

The variety of game modes ensures that each match feels fresh and engaging. For example, you might spend one session coordinating with your team to control critical points on a map, while the next game could involve a high-stakes escort mission where you must protect a valuable payload. This diversity of gameplay experiences keeps players invested and eager to explore all the different ways they can engage with the game.

Regular Content Updates:

Concord is designed to be a living game, with regular updates that introduce new content and keep the experience evolving. Firewalk Studios has committed to ongoing support post-launch, with plans to add new Freegunners, maps, game modes, and even additional story content through weekly cinematic vignettes. These updates ensure that the game continues to grow and change, offering new challenges and opportunities for players to explore.

Introducing new Freegunners and their Combat Traits allows players to continually refine and adapt their strategies, ensuring the game remains dynamic and engaging. Similarly, adding new maps and modes provides fresh environments and objectives to master, keeping the gameplay experience varied and exciting.

Community Engagement and Competitive Play:

Concord is designed to foster a strong community of players, with features that encourage casual and competitive play. The game’s progression system, which includes unlocking cosmetic items, Combat Traits, and Freegunner Variants, provides players with goals to work towards, individually and as part of a team. Leaderboards, seasonal rankings, and other competitive elements add an extra layer of motivation for players to hone their skills and climb the ranks.

The game’s focus on team dynamics and strategic play makes it well-suited for organized competitive play. Whether through official tournaments, community-led events, or casual clan-based matches, Concord provides the tools and environment for players to engage in meaningful, competitive experiences. The game’s balance between accessible gameplay and deep strategic elements ensures that it appeals to a broad audience, from casual players to hardcore competitors.

Replayability Through Customization and Progression:

The depth of customization options in Concord further enhances its replayability. The ability to tailor your Freegunners with unique Combat Traits and cosmetic items means that each match can be approached differently, depending on your chosen build and strategy. As you unlock more content and learn the intricacies of each character, the game encourages you to experiment with new combinations and tactics.

The progression system rewards long-term engagement, with new content and challenges continually being introduced. The Galactic Guide offers a deep dive into the lore of the Concord galaxy, providing context and background for the characters, factions, and worlds you encounter. This ongoing narrative development adds another layer of depth to the gameplay, making each session feel part of a more extensive journey.

Concord offers a rich, engaging, competitive, and community-driven multiplayer experience. The game’s various modes, regular content updates, and deep customization options give players plenty of reasons to return repeatedly. Whether you’re looking to master your favourite Freegunners, compete in ranked matches, or enjoy the evolving story of the Northstar crew, Concord delivers a multiplayer experience with lasting appeal.

Graphics and Sound

Concord is not just a game of strategy and team dynamics; it’s also a visual and auditory spectacle that brings the Concord galaxy to life with stunning detail and immersive soundscapes. Firewalk Studios has crafted a vibrant and richly detailed world, with each element contributing to the game’s overall experience. From the diverse environments of the maps to the distinct visual identities of the Freegunners, Concord stands out as a visually impressive title that leverages the power of next-gen consoles and PCs.

Graphics:

Visually, Concord is a feast for the eyes. The game’s art direction embraces a bold, colourful aesthetic that differentiates it from the muted tones often seen in other first-person shooters. Each map is designed with a unique visual identity, reflecting the diverse environments across the Concord galaxy. Whether you’re battling in the neon-lit streets of a bustling spaceport, navigating the dense foliage of an alien jungle, or fighting your way through the corridors of a high-tech facility, each location is brought to life with meticulous attention to detail.

The game’s lighting and particle effects are particularly noteworthy, adding depth and realism to the environment. Dynamic lighting reacts to the action on screen, with shadows shifting as you move through the environment and explosions casting brilliant flashes of light across the battlefield. These effects enhance the game’s visual appeal and contribute to the immersion, making each match feel like a living, breathing experience.

Character models are equally impressive, with each Freegunner boasting a distinct design that reflects their personality and abilities. The attention to detail in the characters’ clothing, weapons, and animations helps to establish a strong sense of identity for each Freegunner, making them feel like unique individuals within the game’s universe. The visual effects associated with each character’s abilities are also well-executed, with spells, gunfire, and other powers rendered in a way that is both visually striking and easy to understand in the heat of battle.

The game runs smoothly across both PS5 and high-end PCs, with optimized performance ensuring the action remains fluid and responsive even during the most intense firefights. High frame rates, quick load times, and crisp resolutions all contribute to the game’s overall polish, making Concord a technically impressive title that takes full advantage of modern gaming hardware.

Sound:

The sound design in Concord is another area where the game truly shines, enhancing the immersive experience with a rich auditory landscape. The game’s soundtrack is a dynamic mix of epic orchestral themes, futuristic beats, and ambient sounds that change depending on the environment and the intensity of the action. The music swells during critical moments, adding emotional weight to the battles and helping to build tension as the stakes rise.

Each Freegunner has unique sound effects associated with their abilities, making it easy to identify what’s happening on the battlefield even when the action gets chaotic. The sound of a mystic’s spell crackling through the air, the roar of a gunslinger’s rifle, or the hum of a healer’s energy field are distinct and help convey each ability’s impact. This clarity in sound design ensures that players can quickly react to what’s happening around them, even amid a fast-paced match.

The game also uses spatial audio well, with sounds accurately reflecting their position in the environment. This feature is handy for situational awareness, as you can hear enemies approaching from behind, detect the location of objectives, or listen for cues that indicate an ally’s ability is ready to use. The use of 3D audio adds a layer of depth to the gameplay, making the environment feel more interactive and alive.

Voice acting is another standout feature, with each Freegunner brought to life by talented actors who infuse their characters with personality and emotion. The dialogue between characters, both in and out of combat, helps to establish the relationships within the Northstar crew and adds context to the ongoing narrative. Whether a quip is exchanged during a firefight or a more serious discussion during a cinematic vignette, the voice work enhances the overall storytelling and adds to the game’s immersion.

Visual and Audio Effects:

Concord’s visual and audio effects are seamlessly integrated into the gameplay, enhancing the impact of every action. Thunderous booms and showers of debris accompany explosions, while energy shields flicker and crackle as they absorb damage. The game’s effects are designed to be visually spectacular and functionally clear, ensuring that players can enjoy the spectacle without losing track of the gameplay.

Visual feedback, such as hit markers, damage indicators, and ability cooldowns, is intuitive and helps players stay informed without cluttering the screen. This balance between aesthetics and functionality is critical to Concord’s design, allowing the game to look and sound impressive while remaining easy to play and understand.

Final Thoughts

Concord is a visually and aurally stunning game that leverages the power of next-gen consoles and PCs to create an immersive and engaging experience. The game’s vibrant art direction, dynamic lighting, and detailed character models make it a standout title in terms of graphics. At the same time, the rich sound design and impactful audio effects add depth to the gameplay.

Whether you’re exploring the diverse environments of the Concord galaxy, mastering the abilities of your favourite Freegunners, or immersing yourself in the ongoing story of the Northstar crew, Concord offers a polished and compelling experience that is as pleasing to the senses as it is to play. The combination of stunning visuals and immersive soundscapes ensures that Concord is not just a game but an experience that players will want to return to time and time again.

We prepared this review with a digital copy of Concord for the PS5 version provided by Sony.