It seems like Splitgate became a viral gaming sensation overnight. It's become so popular that fans are waiting in Splitgate's online queues for over an hour just to be able to play its Early Access multiplayer matches. Luckily, the game seems to be worth the wait as the mix between old school Halo: Combat Evolved deathmatches and Valve's scientific puzzler Portal has proven to be quite fun. It's currently the viral multiplayer game that's closing out the end of the summer similar to Fall Guys and Among Us last year.
Splitgate seems like it's going to stay in the public eye for quite a while as it isn't even a full release yet and many fans who are waiting patiently to try it out have been sent away due to the long queue times. Once it gets a full release, it'll likely keep its current fans and bring in everyone who wanted to try it out but couldn't commit the time to wait. As it gears up to leave Early Access, some fans have requested the game should include sliding and other more modern shooter mechanics. While that may result in Splitgate continuing to be a fun multiplayer shooter, the game doesn't necessarily need to include such modern mechanics.
Embracing the Era of Shooters Past
In an industry oversaturated with AAA free-to-play shooters, it's a little curious how an indie game with an extremely small team like Splitgate was able to capture the attention of so many fans so quickly. It's only after hearing the elevator pitch of "Halo but with a Portal Gun" and playing a few rounds that the game's popularity really begins to click. It feels like an homage to an older era of shooters like the original Halo trilogy as well as classic arena shooters like Quake and Doom.
While there's plenty of merit to allowing players to get a little more complicated with their abilities such as in games like Titanfall 2 and Call of Duty: Warzone, Splitgate really feels like a blast from the past in terms of each players' options. A lot of the game's charm comes from feeling like a modern take on a seemingly outdated gameplay style. If Splitgate were to add more modern mechanics like sliding, it might take away some of that classic shooter feel that the game emulates so well.
What Sets Splitgate Apart
While Splitgate has a lot going for it that makes it feel like a unique gaming experience, the way that it really captures the essence of older titles is something of a breath of fresh air. Plenty of mainstream shooters play virtually identically and, while there's nothing wrong with that, Splitgate feels so inspired as a result. By adding in more modern mechanics, 1047 Games might risk losing one of the main drawing factors to what makes the game so much fun to play.
Splitgate is definitely a fast-paced shooter, but by increasing the speed to match other modern first-person shooters, it might also begin to slip into the AAA homogeny that sometimes plagues new releases. As it is right now, Splitgate really feels like it's set itself apart from the rest of the FPS crowd and if it begins to look to more modern games for inspiration, it may lose some of its die-hard player base. There's certainly time for major changes to come to Splitgate as it's still in Early Access and has next-gen updates on the way, but hopefully, as the game changes, it doesn't lose what makes it great in the first place: its simplicity as an homage to shooters of consoles past.
Splitgate leaves Early Access in August on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.