This Is No Ordinary First-Person Shooter
‘Cam Disconnected’ – a prompt that I quickly became sick of seeing after trying out Bodycam for the first time this week. This first-person shooter is, by far, the most ultra-realistic title within the genre that you’ll find on the market right now. But while Bodycam excels at being realistic, it fails at being what I believe is the most important aspect of a video game: fun.
Before I explain my reasoning for this, there are a couple of things to note. Bodycam is currently in Early Access and is being developed entirely by two passionate French developers, Luca and Leo, who are just 17 and 20 years old. It might be easy for me to sit here and pick apart a video game, but accomplishing such an impressive feat at such a young age deserves some praise.
While games like Call of Duty focus on content and innovation, Bodycam’s primary selling point is its ultra-realistic graphics. A strange fixation that may draw you in at first, but ultimately lacks the substance of engaging gameplay.
Unfortunately, Bodycam’s visuals were not enough to keep me entertained for long. The game felt more like a tech demo than a fully-fledged video game experience, lacking in content and immersive gameplay.
More Of A Tech Demo, Less Of A Video Game
When I first booted up Bodycam, I was greeted with some obnoxiously loud dubstep music and a rather basic UI that left me feeling a bit lost. The lack of HUD, customization, and even the ability to select a game mode made for a confusing experience.
The movement mechanics in Bodycam felt unnatural, and the lack of feedback in combat made it difficult to feel immersed in the game. Overall, Bodycam felt more like a work-in-progress with potential rather than a polished gaming experience.
While the developers have emphasized realism in Bodycam, the lack of essential features like a HUD and proper weapon selection hinder the overall gameplay experience. This, coupled with awkward mechanics, makes Bodycam more of a tech demo than a fully-fledged video game.