So many choices made during implementation AgreementReportedly in development for at least six years, the game seemed enigmatic. Sony and Firewalk first revealed the game in early 2023 in the form of a retro-futuristic, synth-drenched trailer that conveyed almost nothing about the game beyond its sense of style. At the time, we learned that Agreement was supposed to be a “new first-person shooter with PvP multiplayer” when it releases in 2024, but no unique selling features were promised.
A whole year later, Agreement reappeared. The slick cinematic introduced the alien weirdos, goofy robots, and hardened mercenaries from the sci-fi world of Firewalk. It looked pretty entertaining, if vaguely familiar. We also got our first look at Agreementgameplay that shortly afterward conveyed some combination of Destiny’s Crucible, the witty oddballs of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the hero-focused mechanics of Overwatch. Those are three beloved features (or they was once), again Agreement was initially met with a shrug.
During the two weekends of beta testing and the launch in delayed August, players did not show up Agreement. The game’s reception made headlines due to its low player count — the PC version had around 700 players at a time, according to SteamDBnail in the coffin for the game. No one seemed interested in watching others play Agreement or just with a petite number of Twitch streamers who stick to the game the day after the premiere.
In theory, Agreement should appeal to audiences who wanted something original (read: not a sequel) and didn’t want the aggressive, battle pass-driven monetization tactics common in many newfangled multiplayer games. Firewalk met expectations on some level — the game works well enough — but AgreementThe core ideas simply did not align with the way people actually play video games like Agreement.
The most compelling feature of the Firewalk formula is the hero switching mechanic. AgreementPlayers are encouraged to swap characters, known as Freegunners, when they spawn. This grants the entire team a range of perks. Choosing a character like sniper Vale, for example, will empower every other team with a longer range of weapons. Then, choosing a character like fungal weirdo Lark will augment everyone’s reload speed. These crew perks stack, making your team more effective throughout the match.
Thus, character switching is encouraged, which is also evident in the fact that some Freegunners have deployable tech: Lark can drop buffing Spore Seeds, Duchess can build walls, and Daw can place healer pads. These deployables persist (provided the enemy team hasn’t destroyed them) even when you switch characters. A sharp team can quickly amass a long list of buffs and gear up their team by tactically selecting and switching characters, which leads to some intriguing dynamics.
But this animated is subtle and a bit lifeless, just like the rest Agreement. Worse, this system seemed to go against how many people play character-centric games, where they focus on a main character or a petite group of characters and try to improve them. Worst of all, these aren’t explained very well in the game’s flat tutorial.
The game mechanics lacked the personality to make up for these shortcomings. The gunplay feels solid, but there are no flashy finishing moves or finishing moves to build invigorating moments around, and matches can end in unexciting ways. Rarely in the time I’ve played the game over the past two weeks have I experienced the thrill of winning a close-range fight. Many of the games were crushing. Most of those matches didn’t make me want to queue up for another round. AgreementThe game’s progression system gave me a ton of alternate outfit colors and gadgets to customize my character with, earning XP, but few of these cosmetic items I found intriguing enough to unlock.
Part of my apathy towards the game comes from its characters, most of whom are fairly flat. Many of them don’t strongly convey their powers or roles beyond their silhouettes or the weapons they’re holding. I often found myself looking through character loadouts and heroes’ abilities, confused by their inconsistent combinations of weapons and abilities. I never really felt drawn to any of them. AgreementFreegunners: some have lifeless, unappealing designs, some have turned me off with their monotonous, slimy attitudes, and some just don’t seem very intriguing to play. They also have bad, forgettable names (Daw, Lennox, 1-OFF, Vale, etc.) that give no clues as to their roles or abilities.
Firewalk’s artists have certainly put a lot of effort and money into creating the world and characters. Agreement intriguing. The alien planets look lovely. The menus and UI elements are sharply designed. The studio has also released a number of animated shorts about the characters, and the game has weekly cutscenes that expand the story of the misfit Freegunners. There is also a huge amount of written lore woven into the game; if you want to take the time to soak it all up, there is an interactive map of text entries that explains the planets, technology, shipping routes, and fuel sources Agreementuniverse. I never found any of this unnecessary story particularly engaging, even though there was so much of it. Sony and Firewalk seemed to be betting that people would come in and care about the characters and the story, and even the game itself.
Lore, Characters and Gameplay Agreement failed to resonate with the general public. It’s gloomy that an attempt at something original simply doesn’t work, and its critics pounce on it when people’s livelihoods are at stake. But after playing Agreement from beta to its current state, I understand the collective shrug for the game. It didn’t do enough intriguing things to pull me away from Warnings 2a game that I play almost every day and that doesn’t stand out from typical multiplayer games like Evaluation, Counterattack 2, Apex Legendsand a dozen others. AgreementThe competition has the advantage of being free-to-play, something Firewalk didn’t have. But the game’s rivals have also distinguished themselves for a number of other reasons: likeable heroes based on familiar heroic archetypes, mature and distinct gameplay modes, and shooting and character balance honed through years of playtesting and feedback.
Agreement couldn’t compete. It just didn’t have the charisma or uniqueness of many games that came before it. It didn’t have enough of a distinct personality, and it’s amazing to think that Former PlayStation boss Jim Ryan once boasted, that it would be a “solid addition to the PlayStation Studios portfolio.” I’m not sure what he saw in the game that convinced Sony it could break through, or what mismanagement took place behind the scenes that led to the ultimately unsuccessful product.
You can see that a lot of passion and effort was put into it. Agreement in order to create something modern. And let’s hope that Firewalk and Sony find a way to bring the game out of its early grave. At least, AgreementThe company’s better ideas could inspire other game producers to implement some of its innovations — and serve as a lesson for other developers not to repeat the miscalculations that Sony and Firewalk made here.
