The best way to think of Ready or Not is that this is probably what SWAT 5 would have been like! With a heavy emphasis on realism and clear nods to the SWAT and the early Rainbow Six games, it is easy to see why people are going nuts for this game. As I write this the game is still in early access. This means by the time you read this more features will have probably been added and bugs fixed so keep that in mind.
How to Download Ready or Not
You can download the game from Steam. Click on the Download button at the end of the review.
The Game Review
There is just something so badass about a SWAT team. Ready or Not is trying to give us a glimpse of what it is like to be on a dangerous and thrilling mission as part of a SWAT team. There is no getting shot 20 times and hiding for cover to recover here! You will die in just a few shots in this game and that is part of what makes each match so exciting.
At the moment there are a handful of game modes and maps for you to enjoy. A single-player campaign is coming, but at the moment it is just a series of missions. Clearly, Ready or Not is a game that is best played with others. However, you can play this on your own and dish out commands to your AI controlled squadmates.
This game is just so addictive! The gameplay here is a lot of fun and sees you having to do stuff like breaching a room, taking down bad guys, saving hostages, defusing bombs, and other cool stuff like that. The game has a random nature to it too, so the bad guys, weapons they have, hostage, and bomb placement will be different each time you play it.
What I like about Ready or Not is the way you have to think before you act. Planning what you will do before you do it is nearly as exciting as actually doing it! Standing outside and trying to decide if you should sneak in or blast open the door and go in that way can be nerve-wracking.
You can plan all you want and when it all goes off without a hitch, you feel like a tactical mastermind! Things can go wrong and this is when you have to act on the fly. You still have to think, even when the bullets are flying! It is cool how you are better rewarded for taking someone down alive than just straight up killing them.
The controls of Ready or Not are great and feel very satisfying. Even in this early access build, there are plenty of weapons, items, and gear you can use. What is really neat is that this game is not super complicated to play. Granted you have to think more than you do in COD for example, but the core mechanics are very easy to pick up and learn.
I have played the game with some random people, but the real fun here is playing and communicating with people you know. I really cannot stress enough how tense this game can be. Sure, I was laughing it up and having a fun time sometimes, but other times, you are all silent, scared to breathe before you bust into a room!
There have been a few bugs that I have encountered. I tried to get a guy to stop and they ran off at a speed so fast I am pretty sure they were The Flash! The visuals are a mixed bag right now too. The environments are great and look real, but the character models have this weird shine/glare to them that is hard to explain, but it looks kind of odd.
If you liked the SWAT series or the early Rainbow Six games, you will like this. Ready or Not is a game that is deep, makes you think, realistic, but not at the expense of the fun. I would advise that you try and get a friend or two to get the game as well as it really is more fun when played with someone you know.