New Shooter ‘Fragpunk’ Looks Like a Neon VALORANT

Gaming

June 9, 2024

Grant Taylor-Hill

Fragpunk has just been revealed by the folks at Netease, and at first blush, it looks like VALORANT has had a vibrant coat of neon paint slapped over it. In the first trailer that showcased Fragpunk, we get a glimpse at this hero-based shooter that aims to change the paradigm. Instead of relying on simple abilities, Fragpunk operates with a range of ‘trading cards’, each of which has a unique power, buff, or advantage that can be deployed at the press of a button.

With a range of innovative characters, a series of ballistic weapons, and what looks like one of the most colourful aesthetics ever seen in a shooter, Fragpunk has quite the recipe for success. However, it’s no big secret that the gaming world is getting tired of hero shooters. Is Fragpunk ‘different’ enough to make it in such a competitive market, or will it flop from the moment it’s released in 2025?

Fragpunk Looks Good, But Can It Deliver?

fragpunk

Fragpunk’s first trailer showcases a high-octane, energetic shooter that’s bursting with colour. It could be mistaken for VALORANT at first glance, but some of the mechanics woven into the game’s fabric help to set it apart from the obvious competition. For instance, the ‘card-based’ attacks and abilities range from the mundane to the inane. For example, players can summon the embodiment of Death, give their enemies massive heads, or spawn a dense patch of grass that they can use as spontaneous cover.

Mixed up with these card-based abilities is a range of traditional weapons like pistols, rifles, and submachine guns, and the maps look as varied as the abilities players can deploy. We didn’t get too much of a good look at the characters in the trailer (which you can see below), but a few fan-favourite designs have already surfaced.

Here’s the trailer for Fragpunk:

It’s dubbed a ‘rule-changing’ hero shooter for multiple reasons. First, the abilities that you can use in the game can – in the most drastic of circumstances – change the literal structure of the map around you. Second, in a world saturated with hero shooters, Fragpunk aims to alter the expectations of the genre by pushing the envelope a little more aggressively and more innovatively.

It hasn’t been confirmed if Fragpunk will be a free-to-play shooter, but it certainly works as one on the surface. If it does turn out to be a free game, it’ll easily compete with the likes of VALORANT and Overwatch 2 – but if it has a price tag, it’ll find it much harder to succeed in this modern market.

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