We got the chance to dive into the the Project ETHOS playtest this past weekend.
A game described as a “Roguelite Hero Shooter”. As a big roguelite fan and an old Overwatch head. There’s certainly some keywords that would usually make me bristle with excitement. But there’s something in my head that immediately thinks “no thanks”.
Like, do we need yet another stab at the Hero Shooter genre? With Marvel Rivals seemingly on its way to take the spot that Overwatch left when it decided to become Overwatch 2.
Add to it the fact that it’s pushing roguelite elements in an online PvP game. Project ETHOS also looks incredibly generic, like an Ubisoft free-to-play game. But no, this is 31st Union, part of 2K.
Project ETHOS, at first glance, looks generic and a design-by-committee game that doesn’t need to exist. But…..the proof of the pudding is in the taste, so how is it actually?
Getting started
You’re dumped into a hub, known as the “ETHOS” and you’re then chatting with NPCs before being put into your first match. The main mode of Project ETHOS seemed to be “Trials” which was what I’d describe as a PvP and PvE Extraction Battle Royale.
Then there was the Gauntlet mode, which was much more like a traditional 3-round PvP shooter mode.
There was a training mode to get used to the heroes and the game play, but you mostly had Trials or Gauntlet. This is a network test, so full features aren’t expected, and credit to Project ETHOS, the game felt finished in terms of gameplay and the aim of the Trials mode seemed realised.
You’re swiftly into the action, dropping into the map as a trio (only trios available during this test). Each picking a character very much like Apex Legends. You can’t pick your favourite hero if someone else already has.
Gameplay
Ok. So we’ve been told it’s a roguelite hero shooter. But I really feel like that’s by design to hide that fact that Project ETHOS is very much an Apex Legends clone but 3rd person. It couldn’t be more of a battle royale if it tried.
Drop to the map and loot-up. You level up with in-match experience, and you find better gear in chests or off fallen enemies.
None of these upgrades are permanent or usable in another match/run.
The heroes feel decent enough in Project ETHOS, nice range of abilities. Mostly cribbed from other games and series out there. But they work in the context of the game, and upgrade paths during a match can be interesting. There’s a depth to the skill building during a match, which is unique, for sure.
I suppose this is the roguelite element. But it’s more Battle Royale than anything.
You collect cores for just about everything you achieve. Then, you need to extract and take them with you for some more binary, but permanent boons.
Extracting could be exciting if more players had come to stop us, but it was just NPC robots for a couple of minutes. I could see it feeling high-stakes, but didn’t get that during our play time
Something new?
The in-match ability upgrades are cool, and definitely different. But beyond that, I’m just not seeing what it’s doing to give it legs for a long life.
Project ETHOS feels like a cross between Apex Legends, Fortnite and Overwatch. With a little but of Hyperscape thrown-in. I can’t help but feel that this was supposed to be a Battle Royale that had to take a hard pivot because some shareholders thought it was a bad idea.
The vibe of the game itself is pretty hollow. The art style feels incredibly generic. Suffering exactly the same feel as Hyperscape did. Clean and crisp future, bright whites etc. Project ETHOS feels incredibly
The heroes don’t really have any personality. They look very much like they’ve been assets purchased from a store for a game engine, and then tweaked colours. It would be forgivable if the world felt a bit more unique, but it just doesn’t
Eyes forward
Project ETHOS played absolutely fine and there’s one or two nice ideas in there. But I can’t say that I’m excited, to be honest.
I’d can’t see how I’d want to play regularly to do dailies or weekly challenges for XP/Cores. The abilities are fine, and I’m sure some team synergies could be built out for a new meta etc.
There’s just nothing to be hyped about and that’s a shame. If it felt like it was going to be rich with character and tone, or if it accepted that it’s mostly a Battle Royale (complete with their version of a reboot van), I’d be more on-board.
I hope the developers take it away and tweak it, give the world some depth and unique feel. Because if they don’t it’s just another free-to-play online shooter that will get lost in the crowd.
If you want to see for yourself, we did a livestream and you can see the VOD here.