Splitgate proves that an idea doesn’t need to be unique to be good. An unabashedly obvious combination of Halo’s multiplayer modes and Portal’s, well, portals, 1047 Games’ arena shooter will receive no prizes for originality. The similarities are so identical that it doesn’t even bother altering the names of classic game modes such as SWAT and Oddball, while its omnipresent announcer pulls a beat-for-beat impression of Halo’s own multiplayer commentator. It’s shameless, but as I started leaping between portals and giddily popping off satisfying headshots, I found it increasingly easy to forget its flagrant aping of Bungie and 343 Industries’ series.
Splitgate Preview: Is it worth playing?
Let’s not mince words; Splitgate is terrific fun because Halo is terrific fun. In terms of gunplay, there isn’t much here that can’t already be found in the Halo series. The time-to-kill isn’t as swift in the likes of CoD and Battlefield, headshots reign supreme, and medium-range weapons like the Battle Rifle are a recipe for success. The default player characters are chunky sci-fi soldiers similar to the Spartans, albeit with a few more off-the-wall additions such as pirate zombies and a dinosaur. Racking up kills will see you rewarded with punny killstreak names such as ‘Killeidoscope.’ Even the audible beeps that count down each second until you respawn are the same.
However, Splitgate’s ingenious introduction of portals makes it a different beast. Two portals can be fired a la Valve’s series, with players able to see what’s on the other side of their own portal, though they lack that visual information for portals placed by other players. This means that if you step through a teammate or enemy’s portal, you won’t have a clear idea of where you’ll end up. Portals can only be placed on specific walls, requiring an extra layer of map knowledge. Veteran players will know exactly where to place their portals during tense firefights, which can either lead to some deeply satisfying or frustrating shootouts, depending on which side you’re on.
#Splitgate big brain plays. pic.twitter.com/maektyRGjT
— Paul Tamburro (@PaulTamburro) August 22, 2021
Casual and ranked modes are available, with the former providing Splitgate’s take on fan-favorite Halo match types such as the aforementioned SWAT and Oddball, along with Team Shotty Snipers (shotguns and snipers), King of the Hill, Domination, and more. Most matches are 4v4, though Takedown is a fun 3v3 mode in which rounds are won by ensuring all three of the enemy team are dead at the same time.
Unfortunately, its ranked modes are hit-and-miss. 4v4 is bizarrely limited to King of the Hill and Domination, ensuring I’ll never dive in after my placement matches due to my strong disdain for both, while 2v2 takes place in smaller arenas that can swiftly become an absolute mess of portals. However, after watching livestreams of some of the game’s top ELO players, it’s clear that an extortionate number of portals are present in Splitgate’s highest ranks, with these matches descending into a motion sickness-inducing barrage of leaping across maps. If Splitgate has its sights set on becoming an esport, it’s arguably too difficult to watch for the casual viewer.
But while it may be visually overwhelming for viewers, playing it is some of the most fun I’ve had in an FPS in a long time. Criticisms of its similarities to Halo are well-founded, and its original idea to the formula is still just shoving Portal into the mix. However, when the combination of these two games works so well, it’s difficult to argue against it.
Splitgate is currently in open beta. GameRevolution played 10 hours of its casual and ranked modes on PC.
