During the Galaxies Gaming Showcase, independent studio emptyvessel has unveiled the first gameplay footage of its debut title, DEFECT.
The team, founded by two former id Software developers, provided an impressive demonstration of this immersive squad-based cyberpunk-themed first-person shooter game. According to emptyvessel, DEFECT is set in a futuristic, divided city where players battle it out in a world ruled by an enigmatic AI known as 'THE SYSTEM', while ruthless gangs and rogue law enforcement vie for supremacy. Players will choose from a selection of dangerous factions, including THE SYSTEM's own policing force, rogue police elements, and gangs vying for power. They will compete to achieve objectives such as smuggling guns, assassinating or kidnapping targets (including players), or arresting suspects.
Every mission in DEFECT is said to be different, whether you’re acting as the law, the lawless, or somewhere in between. Your choices determine how you play the game with friends in single-player, PvP, or co-op multiplayer modes. Squads of four players compete to complete multiple open-ended objectives and acquire valuable items and enhancements that can turn the tide of battle. The inevitable chaos means that no firefight ever ends the same way twice.
The game doesn't feature automatically regenerating health, unlike most recent shooters, so players must find health stations to heal themselves if they’re going to stay in the fight. These health stations generally have three charges. As seen in the trailer, DEFECT features extensive environmental destructibility, including multiple layers of destruction on each wall and item, and features such as dynamic dust that fills the room the more you destroy. This can be used strategically to reduce visibility in a space if you have equipment such as tactical goggles or to escape a dangerous situation quickly. Environmental interaction also includes players being able to flip tables and similar stuff to create cover and/or block paths.
emptyvessel founder and game director Emanuel Palalic said in a statement:
Our entire emptyvessel team is incredibly excited to show off this first look at gameplay in DEFECT as we’ve poured a ton of passion and time into crafting the game’s tone, atmosphere, and underlying systems. DEFECT is a HUD-less immersive shooter where any wall can be destroyed, gadgets and tools completely redefine how you approach combat, and every weapon or ammo type affects the world, interactables, and enemies in unique ways. The world is filled with emergent moments and dynamic branching narratives that react to player actions in real time.
Earlier this year, we covered the news that emptyvessel had raised $11 million in Series A funding from NCSOFT, 1AM Gaming, and Black Phoenix Games, to finish the game and add single player mode and console launches. However, it seems like DEFECT is currently only available for wishlisting on PC stores, like Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. Those store pages actually provide interesting information, including the game's system requirements (which we added below) and the confirmation that it will come with a level editor and LAN multiplayer co-op/PvP support. DEFECT does not have a release window yet.
Minimum:
OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2060 6GB equivalent or better
DirectX: Version 12
Additional Notes: SSD recommended
Recommended:
OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K @ 3.60GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB equivalent or better
DirectX: Version 12
Additional Notes: SSD recommended
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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