A burst of colorful PvP fun | Beta Review - ColorBANG

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✨Overview

ColorBANG is a 3v3 fast-paced casual top-down shooter and coloring game where players engage in exciting territorial battles involving color. Players win matches through strategic spraying, killing, and use of abilities. The game is currently in a Closed Beta Test phase that runs from November 28 to December 12, 2023, full data will be wiped after the test. The actual release date for the game is still TBA. 📖Premise

There is no narrative or background lore whatsoever but the premise is basically a futuristic world populated by humans and robots, and for some reason everyone is hell bent on spreading their color on everything they see. This sets the stage for the “Turf Wars” going on between team Pink and team Teal. 🎨Graphics and Art Style

ColorBANG features cartoonish character design with exaggerated features, small bodies, and large heads, it uses a bright and vibrant color palette enhancing the overall cheerful and color-based nature of the game. The graphics look good even on the lowest resolution settings, and the vibrant colors are well-integrated into the gameplay. It’s clean looking, and fits well with the casual coloring theme of the ColorBANG. 🎮Gameplay and Combat

The goal of the 3v3 matches is to cover the arena with their team’s color, players get assigned to either team Pink or team Teal. The team that covers most of the field when the time’s up wins. You really have to roam the map and cover area as much as possible. Opposing teams can override each others paint, so it becomes a continuous color tug-of-war for territory until the 150 second timer runs out. Since it's also a top-down auto-shooter, killing enemies are part of the game, and the dead will have to respawn after 5 seconds. However, there is no incentive to get the most frags in the game. There is only a limited amount of ammunition per character, and they have to spread paint across the surface to reload. Even acquiring your character’s special ability random power-ups require spreading paint to charge up. These power-ups range from healing beacons, paint bombs, or a dash ability that replenishes all ammo. Most of the gameplay elements encourage players to spread paint on the map, and I love how kills and deaths don't matter as long as you gain more territory than others. If a team decides to approach it as a team deathmatch game, they'll lose the majority of the time. You can even play as passively, spreading paint on empty or unguarded territory, winning without ever encountering an enemy; or you can assert dominance and push enemies away by directly confronting them or negating what they are spraying on. ColorBANG becomes a balancing act between ammo consumption, aggressiveness, and capturing territory. Honestly, it’s a very fun and refreshing game to play. The mechanics closely resemble the Nintendo Switch game Splatoon’s paint/territory mechanics, but I actually prefer ColorBANG’s more casual, top-down gameplay that is more accessible and easier to grasp. ⏫Progression and Monetization

The game is very small scale for now, with only six characters and a basic progression system involving accumulation of star coins through continuous play. As you play, characters and skins are unlocked. The six characters differ in how they are played. For example, Reno is more of a rapid fire character with a rapid fire weapon, moderate HP, and high spray rate; while Piper is a much more Tanky unit with fewer max ammo, AOE attacks, and slow spray rate. The maps on the other hand automatically rotate every few minutes, with no way to choose what you want to play in. For now, the game is entirely free-to-play, and I haven’t seen any in-game shop or gacha mechanics in place yet. However, it includes traditional live service elements such as quests, login bonuses, and leaderboards. It's possible that more characters and game elements will be added as we move towards the release. 📊Technical Performance

While the visuals are good, performance is a bit of a mixed bag, while there are moments of 60FPS fluidity, I’ve experienced random but massive FPS drops on my Snapdragon 888 device. This is even running on the game’s lowest resolution setting. The game also offers 30 or 60FPS mode.Additionally, I've encountered some network errors (lag) that are likely due to server issues. It’s worth noting that this Review is based on December 2023 Closed Beta Test and does not accurately represent the quality of the finished product. ⚖️Conclusion

ColorBANG brings a burst of vibrant fun to the gaming scene with its unique blend of a 3v3 top-down shooter and engaging in territorial battles filled with color. Seriously, this is another game to watch for those looking for a refreshing and casual experience for the mobile platform. I just hope it heads into the right direction by avoiding unfair pay-to-win pitfalls and embracing a balanced and player-friendly monetization model.

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