No matter how you slice it, the incorporation of AI controlled bots will never compete with the thrill of battling a living, breathing opponent. Even at their best, most developers are going to struggle with the time and assets needed to properly mimic the human brain’s method of problem solving and the ability to properly change tactics without feeling outright heavy handed. With this being said, games that rely on a full lobby like Titanfall or the Early Access title Switchblade require a decent sized player base to succeed. Sadly, as of this writing, the latter title is a bit on the weak end of the spectrum.

If you haven’t heard of Switchblade, it’s a vehicular based MOBA brought to us by Lucid Games Limited, in which two teams of five will guide small bots across a battlefield, working their way to the enemy base; the first to successfully destroy the opponent’s base walks away the victor. This isn’t a stroll through the park, as each team has static turrets in place that cannot be destroyed, only stunned, as well as the enemy team to keep the AI controlled robots from reaching their destination. The bases cannot be damaged by the players until the mobs take down the shield, requiring you to essentially babysit the lemming like robots as they work their way from point A to B and so forth.

In its current state, Switchblade only has one map and two modes: quickplay PvP and PvE for those who wish to get their feet wet. Initially, I went with the PvE mode to get a feel for the game, but due to the low player base (The PlayStation LFG group has a meager 27 members as writing this), I have yet to run into another player, leaving both modes to be filled completely with bots. Since the game relies heavily on teamwork, this is a bit of a problem, as my AI controlled teammates were apt to simply make a bee line for the final objective, leaving our mobs to fend for themselves if I did not constantly watch them. Adding insult to injury, the enemy team worked in a more effective manner, often grouping up, leaving me feeling as if I was the last man standing at all times.

The vehicular options offer a bit of something in terms variety; however, the changes between each vehicle are fairly minor. Each of the fully upgradable car/tank combos offer varied stats in terms of speed, damage, and armor, but all feel too similar in comparison to really make any single option stand out among the pack. Each vehicle is equipped with a primary fire option, as well as an unlockable secondary weapon and special attacks. The biggest missing link in terms of vehicular options is a boost ability (I may have not progressed far enough to unlock this, but I feel like it should be a standard). This makes traversal a bit of a chore, especially after a death occurs, due to the extremely slow driving speed of each car. I found the best course of action was to take both a smaller, quicker option in addition to a larger, more damage oriented option, as the game allows you to swap between two vehicles on the fly.

The game is presented in a well-designed package, with aesthetically pleasing visuals and catchy music to set the tone for battle. The single map is polished, with heavily detailed textures, leaving small bits of grass or snow flying off of the tires as you drive across the various terrains. The controls are precise and work well during the fast paced firefights, allowing you to easily follow an enemy in the event they try to escape or regroup.

Even in its Early Access state, what’s here is well polished, although I have experienced a number of freezing issues; primarily on the screen at the onset of the game where you are rewarded for daily logins with in-game currency. Even after uninstalling and starting from scratch, this has been a lingering issue since we received the game. This has proven to be an intermittent issue during gameplay as well, often kicking me back to the PS home screen during battle.

While the game is still far from a fine tuned package, Switchblade is something I will keep on my radar, holding out hope that the full release will bring in a larger player base and resolve some of the performance issues that currently plague the early release. In its current state, this is something worth giving a look, but I would recommend talking some friends into picking it up as well to ensure you’re not left in the dust with the mediocre AI.

 

Switchblade is being developed and published by Lucid Games Ltd and their associated publishing division. It was released on Steam Early Access and PS4 on August 28th, 2018 for $19.99. The game was provided to us for preview on PS4. For more on Switchblade, visit its official site.