Ready or Not Review: Marching Towards Greatness

Ready or Not is the latest tactical shooter hoping to fill that SWAT-shaped hole in our hearts. Developed by Void Interactive, this first person shooter aims to simulate the intense pressure faced by real special weapons and tactics teams. After a lengthy early access period, Ready or Not finally launched in full this year.

The goal here is to provide a gritty, realistic take on managing a SWAT operation. We’re talking breaching hostile territory, rescuing hostages, disarming bombs – you know, just another day on the job. To accomplish your mission objectives, you take command of a squad of AI teammates, plotting coordinated assaults through environments straight out of an action movie.

Of course, Ready or Not also wants to capture the danger and chaos that comes with the role. Expect close quarter firefights against deadly foes, where a single misstep could get your whole squad killed. From hospitals and meth labs to college campuses, each meticulously designed map presents unique tactical challenges to overcome.

While Still In early access, Ready or Not built a community hype around its intense action and complex, lifelike gameplay. Now with its full launch, it’s time to gear up and find out if this tactical shooter can live up to the mission.

Executing Tactical Gameplay

At its core, Ready or Not has you leading a 4 person SWAT team through intense scenarios. Across 18 handcrafted missions, you take point planning and executing operations to take down terrorists, rescue hostages, and more. Certain elements like enemy placement mix things up procedurally to keep replayability high.

When suiting up your squad, you have granular control over loadouts from weapons to attachments to armor. Guns feel punchy and lethal thanks to detailed modeling and feedback. You really need to consider fire rate, ammo type, accessories and more if you want to stand a chance.

During missions, you have plenty of approaches available. Carefully breach doors with shotguns or ram them down more forcefully. Use stealthier gadgets like camera poles to slip under doors unnoticed. Less lethal weapons like bean bag guns help take down suspects without unnecessary bloodshed. And attachments like laser sights or grips further diversify your tactical options.

Things get way more interesting when you hit the maps with actual humans rather than AI bots. Coordinating assaults with friends over voice chat leads to genius and chaotic moments in equal measure. The friendly AI still has some kinks like weird path finding and inconsistent behavior. They get stuck too often to fully rely on solo.

As you progress, you’ll unlock new gear back at the police station hub. You can also manage your squad’s morale, keeping them mentally fit or calling in a therapist after one too many motel meth lab raids. It’s an intriguing idea but not too important when you can instantly recruit replacement officers.

Gritty Realism with Some Rough Edges

Ready or Not pulls no punches when bringing the sights and sounds of SWAT operations to life. The disturbing violence and tense atmospheres impress in their realism, but not every aspect of presentation fully delivers.

The environments themselves showcase an eye for detail, from filthy drug dens to hospitals turned war zones. Character models like terrified civilians also enhance the sense of real stakes. But issues like muddy textures and dated graphics undermine the experience at times. Questionable scenario choices like shootouts at a school also feel tonally insensitive.

On the audio front, booming gunfire and echoing footsteps ratchet up immersion. The interface fails to match this polish though, with confusing menus and lacking loadout displays. Several lingering early access bugs can also rear their heads, like AI teammates getting stuck on walls mid-mission.

Overall the gritty realism shows tremendous promise in matching the developer’s authentic vision. But the rough edges on display hold back Ready or Not from fully sticking the landing. Some elements land wide of the mark or still need technical tune-ups to smooth the player experience. Still, the strong atmosphere and lifelike chaos should hook fans of hardcore shooters.

Who Should Enlist?

With its complex systems and hardcore action, Ready or Not will naturally appeal most to fans of tactical shooters in the vein of SWAT 4 or Rainbow Six. If you crave coordinating breach and clear maneuvers with a squad, this should scratch that itch nicely. As a more methodical counterpoint to twitchy shooters, having patience and a tactical mindset is key.

Playing co-op with friends is also when Ready or Not truly shines thanks to the interplay and camaraderie. Solo players may struggle, so having a regular crew to squad up with gives a major edge. Being comfortable with dark themes and disturbing violence depicted realistically is also advised given the gritty atmosphere and presentation.

In its current state, overlooking some technical flaws and roughness around the edges helps as well until patches smooth things out. If you played during early access, many lingering issues remain at launch. But for players who don’t expect AAA polish and enjoy tactically clearing rooms with communication and skill, Ready or Not should deliver plenty of tense, lifelike thrills. Veterans of the genre will likely find the most satisfying experience, but breach-and-clear fans yearning for a SWAT successor should enlist as well. Just make sure you’ve got backup, recruit!

Mission Debrief

Now that the smoke has cleared, it’s time to assess whether Ready or Not successfully completes its objectives. In bringing authentic, intense SWAT team experiences to players, Void Interactive can definitely count this first mission as a success. The thoughtful gunplay mechanics and wealth of tactical options make planning and conducting raids immensely satisfying with a coordinated squad. Even with some glaring flaws, Ready or Not sets a strong foundation for this developer to build upon.

The areas of presentation and AI logic do need work, however, before this spiritual successor can breach into excellence. The visuals fail to impress at times, while questionable scenario choices undermine the intended gravitas. Both friendly and enemy behaviors also lack consistency, which damages solo play especially. These missteps and technical issues feel at odds with theGAME stunning achievements in lifelike atmosphere and smooth core combat.

As it stands, Ready or Not is best treating as an inaugural mission instead of a final product. There’s tremendous promise in the tense SWAT fantasy it sells, but mainly for players who join fully prepared for the jank with friends in tow. If you’ve yearned for a worthy follow-up to SWAT 4’s smart, slower pace, be ready to overlook some rookie mistakes. Consider Ready or Not a first step on a longer roadmap filled with potential yet. With more post-launch support, what’s already superb gunplay and coop coordination could be joined by presentation and features worthy of the title. For now, it gets the job done while leaving some lingering objectives for improvement next time.

Final Thoughts: A Promising Debut

When it comes down to it, Ready or Not both shines brightly in parts and shows its roughness in others. At its best, the complex tactical gameplay promotes smart coordination, with tons of tools for creative problem solving across meticulously designed SWAT scenarios. The lifelike atmosphere also impresses, making you feel the danger of each tense confrontation. Squads who maintain calm under fire will find the methodical room clearing immensely rewarding.

But several shortcomings hold the experience back from truly excelling. The friendly and enemy AI still acts questionably at times, either by getting stuck in the environment or acting oblivious to threats in plain sight. Trying to play solo also exposes how much better the game becomes with actual communication and camaraderie. On the presentation side, flat textures and dated graphics undermine the realism instead of enhancing it. And featuring a school shooting scenario feels wholly insensitive and unnecessary.

In the end, Ready or Not shows flashes of brilliance that hint at its potential. If you plan to play cooperatively and have an ironclad squad who enjoys tactical shooters, then absolutely gear up for this one. But those seeking a polished single player experience may want to wait for patches and improvements down the line before enlisting. As a debut, Void Interactive’s vision shows promise. But it’s not quite ready to fully breach into greatness just yet either.