Concord review: PS5 shooter has potential, but it’s lost in space for now

Concord MSRP $40.00 Score Details Pros

Great hero designs
Fun once you find a groove
Unique strategies
Strong progression hooks

Cons

Dry world-building
Character balance issues
Confusing crew system

I thought the life of a Freegunner would be more exciting.

The hired guns of Concord, PlayStation 5’s new 5v5 shooter, are certainly a colorful bunch of misfits that look like they get up to some galactic hijinks. Miles of written lore even allude to the potential dangers they face while traversing the deep reaches of space. Every planet, and even the routes connecting them, are filled with the kind of high-stakes treachery that only the boldest mercenaries would take on. So why am I spending so much time controlling zones in musty warehouses like I’ve done in countless other games?

Concord isn’t a poor multiplayer offering by any means. It has fun hero-shooter bones, an eclectic cast of characters with distinct strategies, and rich world-building that’s set to dribble out consistently over time. It’s just that Firewalk Studios’ debut lacks original ideas that elevate that promising foundation. The result is a perfectly fine, though imbalanced, live service shooter that doesn’t feel long for this universe.

Building a galaxy

Concord is a fairly boilerplate hero shooter filled with familiar modes that pit squads of five against one another. What makes it unique, though, is Firewalk Studios’ approach to narrative. Most multiplayer games simply toss players into battles with the slightest bit of set dressing, sometimes in the form of content found entirely outside of the game. Concord looks to change that trend by loading up on lore logs and cinematic scenes that roll out once a week. It’s an admirable approach, though one that will need to prove itself.

At launch, we only get a brief introduction to that strategy with a few cutscenes that introduce its Freegunners. The tone draws clear inspiration from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy with sardonic quips and