Halo 3 and Portal are two of my favorite first-person games, making the concept behind Splitgate something of a no-brainer for me to enjoy. And while I do enjoy the core combat, the additional modes and features in the sequel do more harm than good to this rich fusion of styles. Splitgate 2 is a fast-paced FPS that utilizes portals to enrich its PvP matches. Flanking an opponent through a portal only to escape by linking up another portal around across a pit is one of the unique scenarios you can experience within Splitgate, and the sequel keeps that same formula, though to a lesser extant. Splitgate 2 introduces much larger maps and class abilities, which add depth to the existing portal formula while diluting its simple charm in other ways.
First, it’s worth going over how Splitgate 2 has evolved (or devolved depending on preferences) its PvP portal formula. The simple arcade-style arena matches of the original have been overhauled with character classes. Teamwork and strategy take precedence here over quick reflexes. There’s still some compact arena matches outside the new battle royale mode, but you can tell the emphasis on wide expansive maps was prioritized.
In particular, the strategic use of portals has been relegated to the backburner from the first game, at least a bit. Because maps tend toward the larger more open style, there’s less intricate hallways and walls to stick portals to and more running around in the open. Splitgate 2 introduces a new slide to its movement helping accommodate the emphasis on large maps. To the game’s credit, running and sliding feels super smooth and crisp. The movement in general is about as tight and responsive as the first game. Guns feel just as satisfying to shoot while looking and sounding better than they did before thanks to the upgrade in engine tech. And I didn’t notice too many frame drops or glitches during my matches, which is rather impressive considering it just launched. The netcode is pretty solid so far too; I haven’t been getting randomly booted from matches or disconnected outside of the times my internet went to crap.
“Running and sliding feels super smooth and crisp.”
Still, even if the game technically controls better than the first, I prefer the aesthetics of Splitgate 1 over the sequel. Along with the the less intricate level design, the arena maps in Splitgate 2 just feel like cut portions of the game’s large maps. There’s a good mix of indoor and outdoor areas, but they feel more sterile this time around, almost like they were cut from an ultra-colorful 3D printer, which is a bit of a shift from the cool Halo-inspired locations of the first game. The total lack of music during matches also contributes to that feeling of sterility. I didn’t feel bothered by a lack of match music in Halo, but again, those games have striking environmental design that makes up for it. Splitgate 2 could use some contextual musical stingers within key events – anything to add some ambience and excitement to the matches.
Helping to make up for the underwhelming maps is a remastered version of the fan favorite Stadium from the original game and the return of The Lab, which has been the flexible map creator since the first Splitgate. So even if you’re not having fun with the ‘official’ maps, there’s probably something zany and fun to find within the user-generated maps. I haven’t delved too deep into The Lab myself, but it’s very apparent that it’s not a drastic overhaul from the first game’s map creator. There’s a few new biomes and a snap-to-surface feature, but not many major additions yet. Still, the updated Unreal Engine 5 graphics enable users to create some beautiful maps, and the tools from the original are all here to allow for some crazy and fun creations.
One of the most notable things about The Lab is the ability to create custom modes and deeply customized match types. Players have made everything from collectathons to portal races and the possibilities will only increase as Splitgate 2 gets updated over the years. That brings me to the modes within Splitgate 2, well, aside from user-generated ones anyway. Arena Quickplay is your standard map sized team mode, while Onslaught introduces larger maps accommodating 24 players. Takedown is one of the more interesting modes returning from the first game. It’s a twist on traditional deathmatch that speeds up or slows down team respawns depending on the frequency of team kills and deaths. Speaking of Deathmatch, variations of that classic mode return. It’s worth noting that many of the game’s modes are locked until you reach 50k experience, which takes about an hour or so of online matches depending on skill level.
That brings me to the progression and customization. Splitgate 2 introduces Factions, which are basically classes that have distinct abilities and roles, a first for the series. There are three Factions. Aeros is a quick-footed portal expert who functions as a jack of all trades. Meridian is the support class who can see through walls using their active ability. And Sabrask fulfills the tanky offensive class that gets up close and personal with a Smart Wall ability to temporarily sheild attacks. You level up each of these Factions independently and unlock various weapons and skins for them through experience gain. Every class has a loadout consisting of a heavy weapon with two attachment slots (which range from scopes to accuracy boosts), a light weapon with one attachment, an equipment slot (think grenades and mines), and two perks. New loadout options get unlocked as you gain experience with the class.
In gameplay terms, the three classes are balanced rather well, accommodating team-based play wonderfully with their distinct active and passive abilities and stats. While I am partial to the Sabrask tank class, I didn’t feel that any of them were particularly overpowered or underwhelming.
“Splitgate 2 introduces Factions, which are basically classes that have distinct abilities and roles, a first for the series.”
Splitgate 2 has the typical battle pass template we’ve seen dozens of times from other live service games. Purchasing a season (or chapter as it’s called here) of the battle pass grants access to a suite of Faction skins, weapon skins, taunts, banners, and you guessed it, actual weapons and equipment. Season 1 features a legendary grade burst rifle for your Aeros character, and all for the low price of just 500 Splitcoins! That’s $4.99 to you and me. While the usable weapons don’t clog the battle pass compared to similar games, there are a couple featured in each season. You can unlock these weapons, minus the unique skins, through normal progression, but can fast-track them through battle pass.
But let’s talk about the big addition to this game: battle royale. Matches begin by randomly queuing players into 15 four-player teams. That’s right, there’s no team options whatsoever, and even better, the player who decides where to drop the party is chosen by what amounts to a coin toss. I’ve had instances where the leader chose to drop out of bounds, leading to a full squad death. It’s also common to be grouped with new players who ignore the shrinking circle. I can’t blame them though, considering how quick the zones collapse.
Matches typically take around 10 minutes, which is rather short for a battle royale. It just doesn’t lend enough time to get familiar with a hideout and set up strategic perimeters. It’s a shame zones boot you out so soon because the loot distribution is well balanced, with boxes full of weapons and equipment in the heart of bases encouraging perimeter defense around such areas. With matches progressing at such a rapid pace, strategy greatly suffers and things get sloppy quick. You just don’t have enough time to strategize around a base before the zone collapses.
Moving from one zone to another is also something of a pain due to the meta greatly favoring snipers. Since zones are so spread out, snipers have a great long-range advantage. There’s only so much a close-range build can do when they’re forced out of their base and into the open-air environment by the encroaching ring. Abilities help this disadvantage a bit, but not enough. For example, the tanky Sabrask has a deployable shield ability which can stop sniper shots for a limited time. But that actively works against the collapsing circle since you need to be constantly on the move. The way BR mode is paced at the moment heavily favors long-range play, which just isn’t balanced well in terms of the meta.
“The large environments limit how you use portals since there’s less interior space and more open air locations.”
Another disappointment players are likely to have is how the portal system is tweaked in battle royale. Unlike in other modes, you can’t just freely spam portals. Portal use has a limited charge, which can be upgraded as you acquire loot around the map. The large environments limit how you use portals since there’s less interior space and more open air locations, which I noted earlier as not liking as much. Portals are Splitgate’s unique defined feature, so limiting and nerfing their usage dilutes the game’s gimmick. But there are some positives with the new mode. I like how quick respawning is. Teammates are compelled to stick close to each other due to the opportunity to revive fallen comrades, which helps keeps squads more helpful and attentive than they otherwise would be.
I can see Splitgate 2 improving on its launch pain points later down the line. Like the first game, its intriguing portal system adds a ton of strategy and a high skill ceiling, even if portals are slightly less pivotal this time around. The new class system injects fresh team-based synergy to the forefront, and the skills are pretty useful, though there’s so few of them at the moment. My least favorite mode is battle royale, which is a disappointment considering it’s the new big thing about the game. Hopefully, the pacing can be improved with updates down the line because all the ingredients are there to make this a dynamic and fun game. Splitgate 2 comes recommended if you’re into PvP arena shooters or enjoyed the first game, but it doesn’t stand above its competitors in notable ways.
This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
