New World Interactive’s tactical FPS, Insurgency: Sandstorm, is a title that has surprised me in the best way possible. Now, I’ll admit, that upon playing my first couple of games I was less than enthused with the game’s looks and terrible AI enemies, and my views still stand on both counts. But, my attention and need for a good shooter were grabbed by Insurgency’s fantastic grasp on weapon and sound design, gameplay mechanics, and its ability to comfortably straddle the fine line between being a realistic or arcade shooter. And it’s those latter three elements that make this title one of the most immersive games to enter the FPS genre recently — which surprised me more than a misthrown frag grenade.I don’t enjoy leading any article on a negative note when it comes to games, seeing as large groups of people work extremely hard to bring their vision to our screens. In Insurgency: Sandstorm’s case, though, I’m going to make an exception because its biggest flaw is the first thing you see — and noticing it, accepting it, and moving on to the best stuff is one hundred percent worth your time, assuming you enjoy tactical shooters, of course. Visually, Insurgency: Sandstorm feels unpolished from the moment you load into the game, with character models and map textures that look dated compared to other offerings in the FPS genre. However, inspecting the weapons undoubtedly shows where the team wanted to focus their attention the most, offering up a huge roster of weaponry and a ludicrous number of attachments that look superb. The same can be said about the special effects once you’re in and playing: grenades and explosions display some of the most realised impacts I’ve seen to date, bullets hit objects with visual force, and coming under fire actually feels deadly. My first mistake when booting up Insurgency: Sandstorm was dropping straight into the eight-player co-op versus AI enemies. It doesn’t flaunt the game’s bodacious features the way they deserve to be treated, thanks to the atrociously useless AI combatants. The muppets will generally stand still, offering you easy pickings — much like a game of hook-a-duck (you can’t lose, and you’re under no pressure to take your time when targeting them). I found out a little later that this is rectified when entering the hardcore version of the co-op, where the AI remind you that they run off of computer algorithms and tear through your pride with the not-so-sweet peppering of buckshot. The PvP that Insurgency offers you, though, is refreshing, brutal, and perfectly optimised for what New World Interactive has set out to achieve.The player-versus-player portion of Insurgency: Sandstorm is the crème de la crème of immersive first-person shooters, pitting ten Insurgent players against ten Security players in various objective game modes. It’s within these modes that you realise just how fine a line New World Interactive has trodden when balancing the game. Bullet damage is instant death when it hits you square in the head (naturally), but your body can withstand a couple more depending on whether you’re wearing a little body armour or not, and the calibre of weapon that’s filling you with holes. It’s not as aggressive as a realistic shooter, but also doesn’t quite tip into the arcade category either. For instance, a grenade rolling into the room that you’re currently occupying is your one-way ticket to a flag-draped casket, and a round from a bolt action sniper rifle will most certainly drop you. Arcade elements do come into play when it comes to respawning, meaning you’re not going to spend an eternity waiting for the match to finish so you can collect your XP. It’s the deadly mix of bullet damage and special effects that gives Insurgency: Sandstorm the edge when it comes to immersive warfare simulation. Matches feel tense throughout, and the knowledge of a quick death keep your pace slow and steady, checking corners and listening for the faintest sound of movement. My moment of true appreciation came from one match where I was providing sniper cover for my team from a rooftop, just to the side of one firefight. I had my headphones on, locating my targets by listening for their gunfire — the sound localisation is a work of art — and dropping them with a quiet whip-noise from my suppressed rifle. I could hear the movements of soldiers in the street below me, and was scanning for my next victim when the wall I was using started taking hit after hit from bullets, and my ears were filled with whips and cracks as the rounds passed by me and came to a stop in a wall. It was intense… I died, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t an exhilarating experience.Most of your survival and damage factors all play into your class setup, which you can change within matches upon dying. This allows you to adapt to the gameplay occurring at the time — that scoped sniper rifle (and ultimately, you) is going to be pretty useless when the battle has moved inside a building… this isn’t Call of Duty, so switching to a close-quarters orientated firearm is going to be the better option. What is like that aforementioned other title, though, is the point system when creating your loadout. You have 15 points to spend on kit, with higher calibre weapons, attachments, sidearms, equipment, explosives, and the like. Each item varies in point price, so you’ve got to be frugal when choosing the best gear to use for any given situation. Fortunately, there are eight classes to choose from which specialise in differing playstyles, from Marksman to Demolitions, and each allowing for multiple loadouts. Never judge a book by its cover seems to be an appropriate way to sum up Insurgency: Sandstorm. Upon first glance, you’re met with visuals that fail to do New World Interactive’s first-person shooter any favours. Drop-in for a game or two, though, and the lacklustre styling is completely overshadowed by a solid co-op tactical FPS that is dripping in immersive experiences. If you’re looking for a game that balances between realistic and arcade-like gameplay, without dipping too deep into either, then this is certainly worth your time.A review copy of Insurgency: Sandstorm was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this article, and played on Xbox Series X.
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