Friends vs Friends (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): May 30, 2023
- Release Date (EU): May 30, 2023
- Publisher: Raw Fury
- Developer: Brainwash Gang
- Genres: FPS, deck builder
Game Features:
With a multitude of PvP FPS titles, Friends vs Friends (FvF) attempts to stand out from the crowd with a twist to the genre: merging shooter and deck-building mechanics. I’ve had the chance to play the Closed Beta version of the game ahead of its full release, so let’s see how it plays out.
A dose of Happy (Tree) Friends vs Friends
With its anthropomorphic characters, colourful universe and cartoon opening scene, FvF immediately reminded me of the animated web series Happy Tree Friends. It’s not just the looks that are reminiscent but also the gory aspect because despite packing some inviting colour schemes, you’ll be spending your time shooting at each other in FvF.
I found its cel-shaded, cartoon-inspired aesthetics to be quite original for an online shooter title. The soundtrack also adds to the originality, in particular the one in the opening scene is quite catchy.
As an online shooter, Friends vs Friends (FvF) doesn’t rely on a narrative to drive the game forward. There is a short scene-setting ‘plot’ in the opening cinematic song lyrics about how some friends invested into a shady website. But as a fan of narrative-driven games, I wished that some background, even minor, on the characters could have been provided to help relate to the characters a bit more. There’s even a “free roaming” section in the main menu where you can wander around shops to purchase cards, customise your character’s looks or swap characters. This could have been an opportunity for some narrative to be included. However, you likely won’t be going into a PvP game for the plot but rather for the action, so let’s see what FvF has to offer on this front.
Shooter with a deck-building twist
Once you’ve chosen the humanoid gun-wielding animal of your preference, you can start a game of FvF. In the Closed Beta, FvF provided some gameplay modes including 1v1 or 2v2 against other players or the same modes against/with bots. You also have a selection of four maps you can battle in. Once your game mode and maps are chosen, the game is ready to start. I’ve played against bots and another player and the matches played smoothly. PvP in particular was fluid, with no connectivity issues.
When a round starts, you get a few seconds to browse through the cards you’ve been dealt with. Afterwards, you’re free to take any approach you’d like to gun down your opponent. You can go in guns blazing to smoke them out, or sneak around the arena to catch them unawares and get a few extra hits.
The inclusion of cards adds a layer of fun and unpredictability to matches. Cards somewhat turn the game into a round of Mario Kart by providing you with extra skills that can tilt the balance. For example, your opponent can play a card that refuels their life gauge just when you thought they’d bite the dust. Or a card can equip you with a sniper rifle that lets you take a more sneaky approach for long-range headshots. These are only two examples of cards when there are loads more ranging from turrets to bombs. You can activate your cards successively to further strategise such as playing the bullet-time card while you have a sniper rifle to help with your aim.
In this way, matches can take unexpected turns, are kept fresh and fun. As you battle, your character also levels up to increase your power level. You also earn points which you can use to purchase booster packs to add new cards to your deck. If you get a duplicate card, that card levels up and its perks are improved.
Should you be friends?
Before deciding to befriend Friends vs Friends, there are certain aspects of the game to keep in mind. In the Closed Beta, there was no tutorial to ease you into the hybrid gameplay. This can be challenging at first as you are reading through your cards’ effects while also trying not to get shot by an enemy. Over time you can recognise cards by sight but you’ll first need to familiarise yourself with them. Even if at the start of every game you get the chance to read the cards in your hand, you’ll likely need to circle through them during matches and there’s a learning curve to that.
Also regarding tutorials, each character in FvF has a special ability. But these are not introduced properly when you set out to play the game. I had to try out each character separately to find that out. Having a proper introduction would have really helped here.
While the developers promise free post-launch content, the current state of the game is that it features only four maps. This is quite limiting and should be expanded sooner than later to help keep sessions more diverse.
I found the ability to play against bots to be welcome in case you want to test your skills or just prefer it that way. But during my time with the game, some bots can be unresponsive. It happened to me in 2v2 with a bot buddying up with me. After I bit the dust, my bot companion just followed a loop and did not seek out the enemies, and the latter did not seek out my buddy. This led the game to stall indefinitely. Hopefully such bugs can be patched in the near future.
All in all, FvF sessions can indeed be fun, especially as they can run for short bouts and doesn’t necessitate much of a time commitment. In addition, it’s not pay-to-win. The game is affordably priced at 9.99 USD/EUR, with the only real-money purchases being for cosmetic items.
Whether the fun lasts depends on the community around it that will keep PvP sessions alive and diverse. As the game is also slated to launch on consoles, cross-platform play would further flesh out the user base. But FvF will need to diversify its content with more maps, cards and characters to keep sessions from feeling stale. Developer Brainwash Gang does promise such additions, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for Friends vs Friends if you’re looking for a new online shooter as this one has some potential.
Friends vs Friends | Date Announcement Trailer
Verdict
- Fun mix of FPS and deck-building
- Original presentation
- Not pay-to-win
- Reading card descriptions in battle frenzy can be challenging
- Limited maps
- Some bots issues
