Today is February 15th, which means that HAWKED is finally out in its full release. I had the pleasure of playing HAWKED’s release build early, as the devs were kind enough to have me on one of their preview events. Here’s what I experienced and what I think of the game.
What’s New in 1.0?
With the release of 1.0 came a big update and a roadmap signifying what’s to come in future updates.
For those unaware of what HAWKED is, let me give you a quick rundown to catch you up. HAWKED is a free-to-play extraction shooter that’s all about delving into minion-infested temples and acquiring long-lost artifacts. You play as a renegade, a mercenary contractor hired to retrieve said artifacts from their cold unappealing pedestals.
One thing that I particularly liked about the game is its comic book-inspired aesthetic, something which had great care put into it, as the devs pointed out. This inspiration extends to the game’s seasonal releases as well, which are called “issues,” rather than seasons.
How Does it Feel to Play the Game?
The game is pretty fun, to be honest. It’s not the best game I’ve ever played, but it’s far from the worst either. The relic mechanics are pretty cool in my opinion. Rather than simply acquiring a relic and that being the end of the story, you get to keep that relic and use it in your subsequent missions.
One thing that particularly griped me about HAWKED is its movement system. It feels more constrained than it should be. During the playtest, I discovered that bunny-hopping doesn’t waste stamina, so, naturally, I exploited it to get around the map more efficiently.
The combat is likewise pretty weird in some regards. While participating in the playtest, some weapons blatantly outperformed other weapons. And it wasn’t a situation of “Oh, maybe those weapons are meant to be used in a certain way?” No, they were outright worse than their counterparts.
I also didn’t like how you had to hold down the interact button to pick up and interact with items. This is more of a personal issue though, as I’m coming from Apex Legends, which I’m more familiar with.
Should You Try It Out Now Or Wait a Couple of Months?
All in all, HAWKED is a pretty fun game. However, I don’t think it’s good enough to get you hooked on it for a long period of time. It still needs some refinement before it can become one of those games that you struggle to put down.
But hey, don’t listen to me. Go out there and try it yourself. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the game in the comments below.
