When Rogue Point first dropped on PC back in Feb, it was clear from its reception that it had launched a smidge too early. It has been just over four months since then, and the latest update, detailed below, is the more recent attempt to adjust the game’s trajectory.
The team at Crowbar Collective has long been on my radar as they’re responsible for Black Mesa, the Valve-approved Half-Life remake that impressed with its quality and its reverence for the source material. Badum tss.
The studio’s new game, Rogue Point, is a tactical shooter and not a sci-fi epic. That said, it is somewhat inspired by another sacred Valve game: Counter-Strike. Having played plenty of CS and CS2 (and sucked thoroughly at both), and after enjoying several other tactical shooters over the years, I was really looking forward to this one.
So what is Rogue Point?
A tactical first-person shooter at its core, Rogue Point is also a co-op game with a strong emphasis on teamwork. As someone who played the old Rainbow Six games, I can really sense their influence here – the Terrorist Hunt DNA is strong with this one.
Teams of up to four players can dive into multi-part campaigns that span tactical battles that take place across various procedurally-arranged locations. Get in, complete the objective, and then get the hell out before you bite a bullet.
There’s a planning phase at the beginning of each mission, which allows you to spend your cash on upgrades and new gear for the next run. You also get to mark objectives on the map and discuss tactics for the run ahead, which is really useful now because, as part of the latest update, you can now access this map mid-mission.
Of course, if you’re a grumpy old curmudgeon like me, Rogue Point also allows you to go it alone. While it does work fine as a solo experience, you’re going to miss the benefit of having a designated teammate at your back while you’re decoding a laptop, for example. Bring friends, if you can.
Recent Updates and the Roadmap Ahead
Rogue Point recently received a big fat content update, adding, among other things, controller support.
The bigger deal for me was the addition of a proper progression loop, which adds more substance to the overall experience and gives your efforts that more rewarding, roguelitey feel. You know the one I’m talking about!
You earn RP points by finishing missions and hitting other in-game milestones, and you know what points mean? That’s right, Dear Reader, that means prizes! In this case, prizes in the form of permanent upgrades for your operator.
Things in-game have been expanded too, with nearly two dozen new skills to master. Healing headshots for-the-win. That said, I can’t claim to have seen them all, but I appreciated the added variety that they bring to the party, even if they do drag the gunplay further into arcade territory.
Despite the new additions, the focus is still very much on combat. Rogue Point is a game of skirmishes and flashbangs, of cover fire and careful headshots. The combat is intense, and yes, it does have tactical undercurrents, but like the Payday games, which I’ve played a lot, as soon as things kick off, most tactics just get thrown out the window.
There’s still plenty left to tick off the Early Access Roadmap below, but it’s good to see Crowbar Collective turn a corner with Rogue Point and get the game in a better place. There’s still work to do, because I want to see more maps and new points of interest. On top of that, with more skills and weapons, we’ll get more gameplay variety, too. I’m enjoying its blend of tactical action, and I will definitely return for a deeper dive once the game is content complete.
Rogue Point is out now on PC (Win), and I played via access kindly provided by the game’s publisher Team17 and their PR squad.
