2024 is a somewhat atypical year in the video game industry. There’s a strange calm in the air in which companies seem to be waiting for a change. Nintendo is rushing the final moments of the Nintendo Switch generation before making the leap to its successor, while Xbox's exclusive games continue to suffer setbacks and delays that alter the roadmap of its release schedule. The third of the big companies, PlayStation, is going through a year with an alarming lack of titles of its own, although there’ll be reason for PS5 owners to celebrate for the rest of the year.

Concord is the first litmus test for the Japanese firm. Firewalk Studios is going for its first major title since being acquired by PlayStation, using one of the star genres of recent years: "Hero shooter ". It’s a dynamic that pits two teams against each other through different game modes with a varied cast of characters, each with their own skills and particularities in combat that offer fundamental elements to achieve the best possible strategy and emerge victorious from the battle. **An Overwatch or Paladins style game that’s looking to build on the community and offer an experience that spans the entire generation.

The best way to become a hero

Concord is launching a game set in a sci-fi universe in space, although the storyline is the least important part of the title. Hero shooters are known for creating an interesting universe in which the characters are the central element. Their motives and aspirations hardly matter, as their combat abilities are what make them a valid choice for the player to select. Firewalk Studios starts off with sixteen different characters, something that’s expected to expand with updates after the game's release.

One of the great peculiarities of Concord is that it invites you to get to know the characteristics of the characters as you play with them, as it doesn't have a panel that divides them by classes so that you know which one to choose from the very first moment. As such, the process of trying them all and discovering what they have to offer in order to know which one best suits your gameplay is crucial. In the hero shooter genre, it’s almost essential to know all the characters that make up the cast and be able to use them at any given moment, as games are very changeable and may require the use of a particular hero to swing the contest in your team's favor if used in the right way.

Concord's characters are the so-called "Freegunners", a mix of mercenaries, rebels, and bounty hunters with a licence to wreak havoc and destruction across the Galactic Way. Their roles, after all, are those of every hero shooter ever released. There are attack characters, defense characters, and some support characters to make up the triad that’s so common in this type of videogame. The goal is for a symbiosis between the classes and skills of the characters that make up the battlefield to form through team cooperation so they emerge victorious in the fray. Firewalk hasn't revolutionized the genre either, and the inspirations are more than clear. So, anyone who’s tried a game of this style will be able to quickly and easily identify its features.

Variety is the key to success

For this reason, although the premise of Concord on a gameplay level is very similar to what has been seen in the genre to date, the team responsible for its development has made an effort to give it its personal touch so that it can stand out for other different aspects. With this, the storyline will have more weight than in other titles of the same level through very elaborate cinematic scenes that show some interesting moments of the characters and the world that surrounds them. The idea is to draw the player closer, not only with the playable part of the game, but also with the story that’s told in the background.

The other major aspect that invites you to believe in Concord is its game modes. Firewalk Studios has confirmed six different modes, including the most classic of the genre, but also others that don’t allow the player to respawn once they’ve fallen in combat. The idea is to have versatility and attract players who expect fast-paced experiences typical of the genre and, at the same time, others who are looking for slower, more strategic games where every action is important. It’s a game that’s defined as a mix between Overwatch and Valorant, two of the flagship multiplayer games in recent years.

Concord is born with the idea of being a video game that can offer support over the next few years to players of PS5 and PC, the platforms on which it’ll be available at launch. PlayStation's intention is for it to be a game that can be enjoyed for at least the present generation. Its first goal is to win the battle against the biggest rivals in the genre, a battle that’s already underway.