If you’re a fan of tactical shooter games, you’ve probably heard of Ready or Not, the co-op first-person shooter developed by Void Interactive. The game has been in early access for a while now, and it has already garnered a lot of positive reviews on Steam. With its realistic gameplay and tactical challenges, Ready or Not has been compared to classic games like SWAT 4 and has been hailed as a spiritual successor to Rainbow Six Siege. But is it worth playing? In this review, we’ll take a deep dive into the game to help you decide.
Table of Contents
Overview: What Is Ready Or Not?
Ready or Not is a tactical shooter game that puts you in the shoes of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officer in a fictional city called Los Sueños in the United States. Your mission is to respond to terrorist and hostage situations, either with the help of four friends or AI-controlled bots. The game features several locations within the city, including gas stations, hotels, and houses.
Game Modes In Ready Or Not
Ready or Not offers five game modes that provide unique challenges for players.
1. Barricaded Suspects (Normal)
This is the default game mode that offers the most realistic SWAT tactical experience. You need to enter a building, arrest or neutralize the suspects, secure hostages, and find persons or illegal items of interest. The game mode requires good coordination and teamwork, and it penalizes players for not following rules of engagement and using excessive force.
2. Raid (Hard)
Similar to Barricaded Suspects, Raid requires you to neutralize suspects and secure hostages, but the rules of engagement don’t apply here. Suspects are more aggressive and less likely to comply with commands, making it a more challenging game mode.
3. Bomb Threat (Very Hard)
In this game mode, you have limited time to defuse a bomb while also rescuing civilians and neutralizing hostiles. The time component increases the difficulty of this mode significantly.
4. Active Shooter (Hard)
This game mode features a single hostile roaming around the level, killing every civilian spotted. It requires speed and coordination to neutralize the enemy quickly.
5. Hostage Rescue (Insane)
In Hostage Rescue, enemies have gathered hostages, and they will shoot them as soon as you make a wrong move. This is the most challenging game mode in Ready or Not.
All these game modes can be played with bots, random teammates, or a coordinated group of friends. Each option provides a completely different experience.
Gameplay In Ready Or Not
Ready or Not’s gameplay is slow-paced and tense, with an emphasis on strategic planning and teamwork. The game’s atmosphere is enhanced by the realistic contextual wounding system, where getting shot in the leg affects your movement, and getting hit in the arm affects your aiming. The absence of a sprinting option adds to the tension, making every move count. Gunfights are quick and intense, with dubstep music playing in the background to highlight the game’s tone and pace.
Movement Through Missions
Ready or Not’s missions require careful planning and execution. You need to report everything back to HQ, including dead bodies, injured hostiles or hostages, and deceased friendlies. You also need to secure evidence found throughout the level and/or dropped by enemies. Rushing through the game is not an option, as enemies may set up booby traps or wait for you with a shotgun on the other side of a door. Breaching rooms successfully requires coordination with your team and checking the other side with a mirror gun before breaching.
Single-Player In Ready Or Not
Single-player mode is enjoyable, with players deploying with four bots divided into a blue team and a red team. You can give orders to both, making it intuitive, especially if you’re familiar with SWAT 4. The friendly AI can be clunky and glitchy at times, but it doesn’t take away from the gaming experience.
Playing With Other Players In Ready Or Not
Playing with a coordinated group of friends is the best way to experience the game. Breaching from multiple points or coordinating a flanking maneuver are where the game shines. Playing with random teammates is not recommended, as it is often frustrating due to teamkilling, players without microphones, and trolling.
Armory And Equipment In Ready Or Not
Ready or Not provides players with a vast armory of lethal and non-lethal weapons, including assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, and launchers. The equipment choices range from headgear to tactical gear to throwables. All weapons are fully customizable, with different attachments available for primary and secondary weapons. The game also offers tools based on playstyle, such as a Riot Shield, Mirrorgun, breaching shotgun, NVGs, and more. The sound design for the weaponry and equipment is excellent, with guns being loud, and the explosions are impressive.
Level Design And Graphics In Ready Or Not
The game’s level design is excellent, with 11 maps available to players. The graphics are stunning for a game from a small studio, and the night scenes are particularly impressive, with high contrast that adds to the game’s intensity.
Performance Review Of Ready Or Not
The game performed well on DirectX 11, with medium to high graphics hitting between 70-85 FPS. Frame drops were noticeable during intense action, and DirectX 12 resulted in lower frames and constant frame drops.
Final Verdict
Ready or Not is an excellent game for fans of tactical shooter games. It offers a realistic SWAT tactical experience, with several game modes that provide unique challenges. The slow-paced gameplay, emphasis on strategic planning and teamwork, and realistic contextual wounding system make it stand out from other tactical shooter games. The game’s vast armory and equipment, level design, and graphics are impressive, and the sound design for the weaponry and equipment is excellent.
However, the poor AI for enemies and civilians and the lack of a tutorial may deter some players. Playing with random teammates can also be frustrating due to teamkilling and trolling. Nonetheless, Ready or Not is a game with a bright future, and we highly recommend it, even in its Early Access state.
With its realistic gameplay and tactical challenges, Ready or Not stands out from other tactical shooter games and offers a unique experience that fans of the genre will enjoy.
