ONRAID

2D shooters can be as exciting as 3D ones, at least in certain aspects. Granted, nothing is going to beat giants like Battlefield or Call of Duty nowadays, but that’s not the point anyway. Fun is the factor that matters the most, and one way to achieve that is through refined gameplay mechanics. Multiple game modes help as well, especially if they feature some new ideas.

ONRAID is a 2D action game in which you have to fight other players for supremacy in a variety of modes, as well as do your best to unlock more characters with special abilities. The whole thing takes place on platformer-like maps, and there are usually multiple objectives to tackle. Using different characters allows you to try out new abilities, which keeps the action feeling fresh.

Since the game follows a free-to-play model, the heroes are not all available in the beginning, so you have to work in order to unlock them. It’s also possible to pay for them, but with enough effort you can get everything you want without paying a dime. Granted, you’ll deal with them as enemies, which can be a bit annoying, especially when you first start playing.

The gameplay is fairly fast-paced, but it’s also slow in many aspects. It takes quite a few shots to kill enemies, regardless of what weapons you use. Coupled with the fact that it’s fairly easy to run away and avoid enemy fire, the actual shooting can be a bit frustrating sometimes. It depends on the game mode, however, since although it makes sense to run in a CTF round, it’s in your best interest to score frags in a deathmatch mode.

As far as the technical aspect is concerned, the game is not a looker, but it’s not ugly either. The 2D levels are quite nice, even if they get a bit repetitive after a while, given the lack of memorable landscapes or anything of the sort. On the other hand, the animations are fluid and enjoyable, and so are the special effects added on top. Lastly, the sound department does not excel either, but it’s less important in the case at hand.

In the end, ONRAID is definitely on the right track, but at the moment it feels old and faded already, even if it just hit the market. Hence, it needs more new ideas and a bit of creativity in terms of gameplay in order to keep the players engaged.