Should You Play The New Spectre Divide

I bought the new Spectrum Divide game with the expectation of it being a team-based competitiveness shooter game that you would most probably call the combination of Valorant and CSGO based on what you've seen in the trailer, but I was proved wrong the moment I started playing the game, and to be honest, I was completely overwhelmed.

Review Summary

It was said that this game is the revolutionary game and was the change we really needed; let's confirm how true that is.

Developer: Mountaintop Studios
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Genre: Action
Game Publisher: Mountaintop Studios

Artstyle/Design

This is the part of the game that stood out for me. It's very rare for you to see a First Person Shooter game make use of cell shading, and some may say it looks distracting. The shadowing and details of the game look very clean and bright, so you won't be overwhelmed. The only downside to this is that the visuals, sometimes the orange outline to identify your enemies, are too faint, making it difficult to properly identify your enemies.

Duality

Spectre Divide is a 3v3 tactical shooter that makes use of a mechanic called "Duality," where you control two characters in matches. Technically, these characters are just you, split into two bodies. To properly solidify that these are your two bodies, you're actually able to customize both yourself and your spectrum in the menu. PS: The spectre is the second body that you have control over while playing the game. It serves the same purpose as a teammate, only that you are mostly in control of it.

It's a very interesting system in the same genre of Valorant or Overwatch where you can traditionally have these side characters with set abilities that you recognize instead you have yourself in a split body that you are able to really make your own.

Customisation

Spectrum Divide not only encourages you to be creative with your character customization but also your gameplay too.

Functions of Spectres

You are equipped with a puck that allows you to relocate your spectre to another position and then swap to that body, so this can be used to get up to higher points quickly, reposition through the gate, or even live to see another day.

Your spectre can also alert you to any enemies approaching that specific body. If I left my spectre on point B and I have been guarding point A, I'd be alerted if any enemies were nearing point B based on where my spectre is. This allows your spectrum to be more of a useful tool in matches.

If your spectre dies, it doesn't affect your main body. You could still complete the game with your main body. The spectrum kind of gives you a second chance if you are smart with placement.

When I ran through my first few rounds of a match, I was surprised that learning to manage a second body is not as difficult or daunting as I expected during the tutorial. It takes a solid minute to figure out how to position yourself in spectre and how to best utilize your two bodies in a fight, but the learning curve was actually incredibly shallow. I got about four hours of gameplay in, and during that time I did learn a few tricks to really boost my spectre mechanics, but learning the basics in getting the reflexes down for managing your spectre was pretty quick.

Abilities

While spectres themselves don't have any unique abilities, you are given options with different sets of tech with sponsors. Sponsors provide you and your team with equipment that benefits your team with different abilities and gear. Think of your sponsors as different classes in NFPS.

There are currently 8 different types of sponsors available with different kits that vary from assault-based abilities to healing support abilities. Each set of sponsors is created with duality in mind so you can further utilize your sponsor while activating your abilities. 
For instance, while using the pinnacle sponsor, using the adrenalink stem would heal the body I was currently in, but if I swapped to my spectrum, I'd be able to gain enhanced movement and vision for the duration of the stem.

Gameplay

The actual matches themselves are pretty self-explanatory; you're tasked with either defending or assaulting different bomb sites, and the first eight wins take the victory. There's a buy period in the first few minutes of each round where you determine what weapons and abilities you want to equip; unlike in Valorant or CSGO, when you buy weapons, you don't just buy individual weapons for each character. The weapon comes in sets of two that split between you and your spectre.

If either you or your spectre dies but one of you survives the round, you are able to simply buy back the single weapon you are missing in the kit for a discounted price. On that note, the weapons in spectrum division aren't particularly unique. They're weapons I've seen before in most FPS rosters with your typical burst rifles, SMGs, assault rifles, and super-powered operator sniper rifles, but it's the way the weapons work that was the more creative angle.

Usually in tactical shooters, your aim becomes less accurate as you move, and you're encouraged to walk slowly or even crouch when pulling the trigger. It's quite the opposite in spectre divide; as long as you are ADsing, you're able to shoot on the move with cross-hair accuracy. You can still hip-fire, but the best way to ensure your accuracy is maximized by adsing most of the time.

Considering that the developer of Mountaintop Studios is composed of developers from Valorant, Apex Legends, Destiny, and other FPS projects, these elements all make sense for spectral divide space mechanics. A lot of casual shooters feel isolated from the fact that you are not able to move at your maximum speed and accurately shoot in tactical shooters.

Pros
• It's unique
• It has very good cell shading graphics.
• Intro to Duality
Cons
• Problems identifying your enemies.
• Lack of accuracy in shooting.
• Not able to move at max speed.

The game deserves a solid 8.5/10.