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I've become a full-blown AFPS addict over the past decade, logging thousands of hours in games like Quake Live. I've also dabbled heavily in more modern fare, stuff like Overwatch and Apex Legends. I've enjoyed these newer games well enough but always find myself returning to my beloved boomer shooters where individual skill expression reigns supreme.

The problems of the arena shooter are well-known: they are annoyingly, prohibitively difficult, and require that players invest massive amounts of time to reach baseline levels of competence. They are games that are straitjacketed by their own purity and hardcoreness. They lack wide appeal. But they are arguably the pinnacle of the FPS genre.

On the other side exist comparatively shallow modern FPS games, which provide fun and reward without much commitment. These are games that don’t want for players, but they often attract their huge playerbases by sacrificing depth, interesting mechanics, and in many instances, particularly for the competitive player, fairness and competitive balance.

Given this reality, I’m always on the lookout for that unicorn game, the one that can successfully bridge these worlds, something that is both fun and modern without sacrificing the nuance and challenge that I’ve grown to appreciate, and expect, during my time in Quake.

It is hard for me to see DBTR as anything other than an attempt to be one of these unicorn games. And to be blunt: I do not think that DBTR succeeds in doing this. But I think it eventually might, given more time.

DBTR, in my opinion, is more demo than game at this point. I’d say that the game is around 5, maybe 10, percent complete. Despite this, what does exist is quite good, and the tempo of the combat feels fast and fluid, despite removing standard strafe jumping mechanics. However, in my view, the biggest argument for supporting the game is the studio itself.

For whatever reason, the GD studio is unusually responsive to player feedback, and they regularly incorporate community suggestions into game patches. This means that players can play a noticeable role in shaping the game. This is obviously a double-edged sword, as it only works well if discerning devs can sort good ideas from bad. It also depends for its effectiveness on a community that comes up with useful ideas and gives constructive feedback. But it does present a cool opportunity to contribute to a game in development. As a player, your feedback will be seen, considered, and potentially even implemented by the developers if you are active in the game's communication channels (discord, reddit, etc.), and I think that alone is worth the price of admission, if you are an FPS fan.

There are only two groups of players I would urge to avoid this game. First, if you are looking for a game that is fully formed—not just in its gameplay loop but in terms of its larger conception—I would give this game a pass. This game is clearly still trying to find its exact identity.

I would also avoid this game if you are a hardcore, competitive AFPS player who simply wants another q3 rehash or, on the other end, count yourself among the most casual, aim-assisted weekend warriors. Members of the first group will find DBTR, at least in current form, too easy and the movement too neutered to be interesting. Members of the second group will find the game too challenging. But I think those in the middle 95% (or outliers in the tails, who have open minds) will find it worthwhile.

this is a good game