I cannot, in good faith, give this game any positive review with the way how this game is made. And with all the ways this game has been updated (have taken a look at its history), it is crazy how little care they have for balancing a game like this.

Regular gameplay, and games without an Antagonist in the match, it's fun af. I cannot lie about that much at least. Diverse characters, variety of missions to play, and if you have friends to play it makes this a very enjoyable game. But the moment an Antagonist (The PvP aspect that is purely random if someone just queues in as that role), all enjoyment is thrown out the window as just the presence of one makes the game unbearable.

How so? Well lets see. If they are a PvE player that's just there for Antagonist standing, most you get is less rewards overall in your rewards as there is less to kill troop wise. Maybe sometimes the mission completion speed balances that out at times but nonetheless.

If they're a PvP player that's actually trying hard af to kill you? Generally this is a player who knows most of the game and knows the best counters for each map at this point. They'll also abuse the living ♥♥♥♥ out of the exploitable melee system as Melee is the Meta with half the characters. Once you get melee'd once, if you have no one around to stun them, you're basically dead as they combo and execute you in 3 seconds flat. Think that's bad? There are some characters with guns that can kill 80% of the characters (most of the accessible ones at the beginning) in 1-2 shots. Harec and Shae being the two most accessible 1-shot kill Raiders who, if they have a map that is wide open, makes it too easy for them to just execute your whole team while you have no cover.

Think you can just kill them out before your lives run out? Nope! Antagonists have INFINITE LIVES where as Raiders have 16 with a full party and less if anyone is missing. Someone rage quits because an Antagonist exists? Well expect a fast lost and next to NOTHING for rewards as you get basically 10% of rewards you normally would get (no matter how far progressed you are in the mission) if you lose!

So you may think "Okay, then just disable the mode."... Surprise! There is nothing to disable to mode. If someone decides to play PvP, YOU are subjected to whatever ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ they decide to pull if they get added to your lobby! They get THIRTY SECONDS to connect to your match after however long it takes for you to connect as there is hardly ANYONE playing this game to begin with. Even less as more and more people realize how unfun this game is once an Antagonist appears in match and makes your match just un-enjoyable to play.

This game has existed for YEARS, people have asked for a way to TURN OFF the Antagonist encounter for those who just want to fight the AI. Hell, the AI is tougher without the Antagonist, they go full brutal if none exists, but it's a lot more enjoyable that way since at least you know it's a skill issue on your part, and not a SKILL GAP between you and a META ♥♥♥♥♥ who has most of the endgame stuff.

What about matchmaking? Non-existent. Due to the lack of players, you either get 3 AI that are absolute garbage and will be next to no help (them dying doesn't impact the mission thankfully)... or you get 3 people who are just grinding the game casually, only try-harding the moment a Antagonist shows up since it means far less rewards if they lose too. This also goes with Antagonists too as those who hit Lv15 can either connect with random low level players... or endgame players. Game is too dead for the Matchmaking to be effective.

What can really fix this game? Make a option to toggle the ability to encounter Antagonists, if there isn't a lobby for Antagonists to find, they fight against AI that can be just as brutal as the AI vs the Raiders. If people who main Antagonists specifically play this game to ruin the playerbase further, ya'll need to find a different outlet.

As for those who just play the game to enjoy it as I am sure there are those too, please acknowledge that if you are going against a 4 man of new players and you have end-game equipment and it's clear they don't know what they are doing, go easy. Don't ♥♥♥♥♥♥ demolish them in minutes since that'll just discourage them from playing any further and basically make a giant wall of anyone ever coming back, thus killing this game off.

It's clear the Devs aren't going to listen to feedback given it has been begged for to have a non-pvp mode. Vets should at least make the game a bit more bearable for new players so the community for this game can actually recover. Lot of people here are not for the PvP. They are not going to know how bad the gap is between new players and vets of the game with the card system and gun builds.

Short of this review, case of good game, severely bad PvP balancing.