As a seasoned gamer with over three decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that Project Ethos has piqued my interest. It’s a unique blend of elements from various games that I enjoy, but it lacks a definitive identity that sets it apart from the crowd.
In more straightforward terms: With recent expensive live-service games receiving lukewarm responses from gamers, many fans of this genre – including myself – are questioning which game studio will release a new live-service shooter in an industry that already has too many. After the significant flop of Concord, who would have the courage to step forward and try to convince players about their latest live-service project?
Surprisingly, it turns out that 2K Games is the one who unveiled their latest game only last week. Named Project Ethos, 2K’s free-to-play title was created by 31st Union and they characterize it as a “third-person roguelike hero-shooter.” If you’re curious about what this means, don’t worry, many others are too. However, after experiencing Project Ethos at its preview event and understanding its gameplay, I can give a clear explanation of the game’s (somewhat complex) concept.
31st Union openly acknowledges that explaining the idea behind their game, Project Ethos, succinctly can be challenging. They recently made this statement in a press release: “The most effective method to understand Project Ethos is through experiencing it firsthand – by playing it.
Project Ethos is a third-person action game where you play as a hero in a rescue mission. It has a bit of the feel of a roguelike game, particularly in its “special mode” called Trials, which pits teams of three against each other for a 20-minute battle. When you join, you might start right in the middle of the fight, so it’s possible to be ambushed by a stronger enemy team with superior gear shortly after. Each character has unique weapons, so collecting loot mainly involves finding health items, ammo, useful gadgets, and protective shields.
In this game, you’ll find multiple PvE events set against the clock, similar to those found in Destiny 2. Successfully completing these events provides players with valuable rewards like Trials Cores, which serve as the primary currency. Keep an eye out for rival teams who might join the same event, but usually, there’s enough time to gather sufficient loot before encountering your first group of enemies.
As I progress in this game, I keep participating in events and clashing with other teams, all aimed at accumulating Trials Cores. Just like Apex Legends, when I get injured, I’m not immediately eliminated; instead, I’m downed and can be revived by my teammates. However, if they don’t manage to revive me quickly enough or the enemy continues attacking, I might bleed out. In such a case, my team needs to find and activate a Respawn Beacon to resurrect me back into the fray.
Throughout the game, players can make their way to the clearly identified extraction spot whenever they choose. The sooner you arrive there, the higher the chance of a safe exit. Interestingly, the Trials Cores you’ve gathered during the match come with an additional rule: If your team is defeated before successfully extracting, you lose all the collected Cores. The longer you survive, the more Cores you can gather, but the later you leave for extraction, the greater the chance of encountering numerous enemy teams fighting there. Collect enough Cores, and you’ll notice a temporary bounty has been set on your head, making it easier for other players to track you down (which might be a good time to rush towards the extraction point).
After you’ve effectively retrieved the Trials Cores, you can interact with vendor NPCs located in the lobby to trade these cores for Augments. Augments are potent, permanent upgrades that enable players to customize each game hero according to their preferred gaming approach. Although I didn’t manage to unlock numerous augments during my playtime of Project Ethos, I found them intriguing and distinctive. Augments can transform a close-quarters fighter into one with ranged capabilities, offer a healer additional defensive abilities, and much more.
2K introduced a competitive tournament mode during Project Ethos, titled Gauntlet Mode. In this mode, multiple teams engage in battles against each other in a succession of rounds. Each team’s heroes can be temporarily enhanced between matches, and the objective is to emerge victorious in every round until only one squad remains standing. Should a player’s character fall in battle, they cannot be revived by their comrades, but will respawn at the start of the subsequent round. The first team to secure three wins takes the title. Gauntlet doesn’t involve Player vs Environment (PvE) or Trials Cores collection, but winners are rewarded with medals. Essentially, Gauntlet serves as the game’s ranked mode. We didn’t get a comprehensive look at Gauntlet Mode compared to Trials Mode, so certain aspects of it remain undisclosed.
In this game, every character has access to two types of weapons (one light, one heavy), along with two distinct abilities that set them apart from others. Additionally, each hero boasts unique Evolve options, similar to the Legend Upgrades found in Apex Legends. During gameplay, as you defeat opponents and gather Evolution Nodes, your character’s armor strength improves, and you’re given the opportunity to select one of three randomly chosen Evolutions (with a variety for each character). Unlike Augments, these Evolutions only last for the duration of the match, but they can be quite potent, offering noticeable enhancements compared to Apex’s Legend Upgrades. The random nature of the available Evolutions ensures a dynamic experience and discourages players from relying too heavily on a single Evolution, compelling them to experiment with different ability boosts.
Among all aspects of Project Ethos that I’ve encountered so far, the characters themselves intrigue and disappoint me at the same time. While I can admit that once I grasp the mechanics of the game, these heroes become quite entertaining to control, initially, their designs seem reminiscent of popular titles like Fortnite, which isn’t really my cup of tea aesthetically.
Regrettably, the skills of the heroes aren’t exceptionally distinctive either. The one who eventually caught my interest was Breeze, a rocketeer with swift movement. However, when I play her, it’s hard to overlook the resemblances she has – both in appearance and ability-wise – with certain Apex Legends characters, specifically Bangalore. In fact, they look so alike that several preview attendees commented on their striking similarity. To make matters worse, Breeze’s abilities are essentially a combination of Bangalore’s Rolling Thunder and Smoke Bomb, as well as Valkyrie’s Missile Swarm and VTOL Jets. Breeze is the most obvious instance, but she’s far from being the only character in the game who bears a striking resemblance to characters already present in Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Valorant.
Despite their similar appearances and seemingly familiar skills, the characters in Project Ethos offer a lot of enjoyable gameplay. It’s evident that the developers weren’t shy about creating potent heroes with impressive powers that are delightful to employ. With clever use of your abilities (and a bit of strategy), you can often outmaneuver opponent teams, even if their shooting skills surpass yours. One of Project Ethos’s standout features is encouraging players to strategize and plan ahead rather than solely relying on aiming skills.
One notable aspect that enhances the game’s appeal is its seamless navigation. Game ‘Project Ethos’ truly excels in maneuvering through the map. Moving around isn’t just an option but a tool for momentum, traversal, and even unique interactions such as sliding onto ziplines, leaping into peculiar purple energy fields that propel players skyward, reminiscent of Apex Legends’ Gravity Cannons. In terms of combat, Project Ethos weapons offer a gratifying feel, with a balanced Time-To-Kill (TTK) that prevents instant death yet keeps you guessing about your adversaries’ resilience when they seem to evade your relentless attacks. The hitboxes are appropriately sized, the maps are intelligently designed albeit not visually stunning, and characters possess engaging abilities, even if they appear somewhat repetitive. While it may be a stretch to label Project Ethos as a roguelike due to the evolution of the term over time, it undeniably offers an entertaining experience. The bounty system poses a significant challenge, making survival despite the looming threat on your back a true testament to skill and tenacity.
In essence, Project Ethos appears to blend the movement mechanics of Apex, the abilities of Overwatch characters, the mid-match events and populated lobbies of Destiny 2, and the gameplay style and art of Fortnite’s Zero Build mode. As for its enjoyability, yes it is enjoyable. However, whether it qualifies as a roguelike is questionable. The term “roguelike” in Project Ethos’ promotion seems more like a marketing buzzword than an accurate representation of the game, as it doesn’t resemble classic games such as The Binding of Isaac, Cult of the Lamb, Hades, and others typically associated with the roguelike genre. Fans of Fortnite and Apex Legends might find it entertaining, but in a sector this congested and competitive, mere enjoyability may not be enough to ensure Project Ethos’ success.
31st Union has yet to disclose a launch date for Project Ethos, but it’s evident that the developers are eagerly seeking player opinions, which I believe is praiseworthy. As one developer put it during previews, “Live service is a dialogue,” and other team members could be seen circulating, asking players about their thoughts on the game. It seems that 2K is tactically exploring responses to Project Ethos instead of assuming immediate affection, and their focus on player feedback is palpable. Even during previews, I spotted a developer jotting down notes as a player offered constructive criticism.
At the current stage, Project Ethos doesn’t stand out as a revolutionary game, but it also avoids being a haphazard collection of elements. Its main drawbacks are its lack of a definable identity and the absence of a unique gameplay mechanic that sets it apart. The storyline of Project Ethos, which players can discover by uncovering in-game lore, centers around AI taking over the world. However, its generic visuals and repetitive hero abilities make it seem quite ordinary, even though its gameplay is enjoyable. After five years of development, 31st Union seems eager to introduce their creation to gamers. Fortunately, the studio didn’t exhibit excessive confidence by launching Project Ethos into the challenging live-service gaming landscape in 2024, disregarding Overwatch 2’s hostile reception and stepping over Concord’s still-warm remains, to claim that Project Ethos is the Next Big Thing.
31st Union’s development team is adopting a more prudent strategy: They’re postponing the implementation of monetization and microtransactions until the game is nearly ready, they’re seeking feedback from players about their preferences, and what might be most noteworthy, they aren’t asking players to blindly trust them with a $40 investment before they can even play the game.
The main challenge for live-service games like Project Ethos, developed by 2K and 31st Union, is that while the number of games being played annually increases, the overall number of gamers isn’t growing as rapidly. Since these types of games demand a considerable time commitment, most players can only regularly play a limited number of titles. To be successful, Project Ethos will have to surmount a substantial hurdle: not just persuading people to give it a try, but captivating them enough to make them consider giving up one of their current favorite games for it. At this stage, I’m skeptical about the game’s ability to achieve that, but with adequate time and effort, it might win over players once it’s released.
Essentially, Project Ethos lacks the visually captivating elements and distinctive features found in games like Splitgate 2, such as its portals. However, what sets it apart is a dedicated team of developers who seem genuinely concerned about player feedback, along with considerable potential. Whether this potential will flourish or wane depends on the game’s creators’ future plans. Additional playtests, a beta phase, and character redesigns could significantly improve the game. If 2K intends to release Project Ethos imminently, my view of it probably won’t alter. But if they allow it more time for development, I believe there’s a chance for its success—as long as the developers use that time to identify and cater to their target audience.
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2024-10-22 23:09