FragPunk smartly abandons Valorant and CS’s most annoying mechanic

FragPunk is setting itself up for success by scrapping one of Valorant and Counter Strike‘s most divisive mechanics, and making itself more welcoming to Call of Duty and Apex players.

On the face of it, there are plenty of similarities between FragPunk and Riot Games’ Valorant. Both are 5v5 tactical shooters where players have just one life per round and control different heroes with powerful abilities.

But once you get under the hood, the major differences start to reveal themselves. For example, the Shard Card system, which offers game-changing effects between rounds, means that no two matches ever feel the same and adds a degree of chaos to each round.

But the most crucial difference between Bad Guitar’s new shooter and the games that clearly inspired it is the way that it caters to the casual shooter crowd, and that could just be its greatest strength.

FragPunk brings the fun

Bad Guitar Studio

If you’ve ever played Valorant or Counter-Strike, you’ll know that there are heavy penalties for shooting while moving. Whether you’re aiming or spraying from the hip, even a brisk jog is enough to ruin your accuracy and send your bullets hurtling into the closest wall while your target remains unscathed.

This is to encourage more thoughtful gunfights, where you only challenge when you’re comfortable enough to completely stop and line up the shot. It’s satisfying, but it can be punishing and off-putting to new players.

If you’re used to the run-and-gun action of Call of Duty or Apex, suddenly being rooted to the spot if you want any hope of landing a headshot is jarring and, at first at least, boring. Speaking from experience, while I grew to love the slower, more methodical gameplay of Valorant, it took dozens of hours to shake off the bad habits picked up by years of slide cancelling and dolphin diving.

FragPunk, meanwhile, avoids this problem by ditching the movement penalties altogether and prioritizes fun right off the bat. While it still retains the tactical element, and carefully planning your next move is crucial, your gun is just as accurate whether you’re still as a statue or hurtling through the air.

Of course, shooting while running naturally makes shots harder to hit, but it puts fate in players’ hands rather than deliberately throwing you off. If your aim is good enough, no matter how fast you’re traveling, you’ll be just as deadly as ever.

Perfect platform for success

Bad Guitar Studio

All of this makes FragPunk one of the most accessible tactical hero shooters out there. Whether you’re a grisled Counter-Strike veteran or a casual Apex Legend just looking for something new, you’ll have no issues picking up and playing.

In a market as crowded as the free-to-play shooter market, where getting players through the door and keeping them around is everything, this could be FragPunk’s key to long-term success. The majority of casuals will bounce quickly if a shooter isn’t instantly rewarding, and the devs have clearly done everything they can to keep them engaged.

But most impressively, although there’s still some refining to be done in the months to come, the launch experience combines the best of worlds, giving fans from all corners of the FPS space something to latch onto.

Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of depth, as learning each Lancer’s abilities and knowing which are the best Shard Cards for each scenario adds plenty of nuance.

But if you’ve ever wanted to make the switch from a regular FPS but found the shooting too jarring, especially while Call of Duty is in a lull, you may have just found the answer you’re looking for.