Back in the day, when flight simulators were commonplace, and BioWare was considered untouchable (so you know it was long ago), the tactical shooter genre consisted of two heavy hitters: Rainbow Six and SWAT. Both titles focused on unflinching realism – shooters where a few bullets could be the end of you, what a twist. Caution and careful planning were also common, but something about SWAT just resonated more with me. Having to secure hostages and suspects without going gung-ho, clearing urban hallways one by one, carefully leveraging positioning and squadmates as much as guns, if not more so. It was challenging but enthralling.
Though Rainbow Six would see further sequels and eventually crossover into the competitive shooter realm with Siege, SWAT essentially died out with a few terrible spin-offs that couldn’t come close to the original. That’s probably why Ready or Not, Void Interactive’s squad-based tactical shooter, is so fascinating to me. Having launched for PC in December 2023, it’s finally bringing its brand of brutal urban warfare to Xbox Series X/S and PS5. It’s a seamless transition, and though many of the bugs and underlying issues remain, this is some of the most gripping first-person shooter action out there.
"Though ordering my squad to breach through a door strangely didn’t work during training, I had little issue in the actual missions. These commands are mapped to R1 on PS5 while equipment is on L1; however, you also have context-sensitive commands for your squad, which can alleviate much of the micromanagement."
The missions unfold in Los Suenos, California, based on Los Angeles, to the extent that it even captures the shimmering city lights off in the distance. There are several modes to choose from, but Commander is the core single-player campaign. As David Beaumont, aka Judge, you lead D Platoon, LSPD’s tactical unit, on harrowing missions throughout the city. Story-telling is fairly indirect, much of it relegated to walls of text on your chest tablet. It didn’t really grab me, but sooner or later, some distinct threads between certain missions emerged, exposing the…not so nice side of the city beneath the bright lights.
Even during the first mission – an armed robbery and hostage situation in a gas station – the sheer brutality of Ready or Not is on full display. The frantic 911 call from a mother about the assailants. A dead veteran and his dog.
It only gets more dismal from there as you venture deeper into the underbelly of Los Suenos. The attention to detail in these environments – rundown apartments filled with graffiti, junk and assorted paraphernalia; houses with boarded-up windows, haphazardly connected (and that’s before getting to the roughly dug tunnels) – is something to behold, especially in the dead of night. However, there’s also plenty of uncomfortable subject matter.
As D Platoon’s commander, your job is to “bring order to the chaos” – which involves arresting or “neutralizing” any contacts. How you’ll approach these objects depends on the amount of lethality involved, but you must ensure the survival of all civilians, lest your mission score plummet to zero. Several levels have different entry points, and in single-player, you can command your squadmates to open doors, sweep an area, fall in or restrain suspects.
Though ordering my squad to breach through a door strangely didn’t work during training, I had little issue in the actual missions. These commands are mapped to R1 on PS5 while equipment is on L1; however, you also have context-sensitive commands for your squad, which can alleviate much of the micromanagement. Little touches like lowering your weapon for increased movement speed were also nice, but I’m not completely sure what benefits canted sights offer.
"In terms of firearms, you have a pretty extensive arsenal consisting of assault rifles, SMGs, shotguns and handguns. Weapons can have an assortment of attachments, though some didn’t seem to offer too much performance difference (aside from which scope you prefer and whether you need a flashlight toggle)."
Ordering compliance among targets is recommended, but sometimes, they’ll start firing as soon as they see you, killing any civilians caught in the middle. Things get even trickier when hostiles can take civilians hostage and outright kill them if you’re too close (even if it’s accidental, I swear). In one harrowing mission, a target started spraying through the door after being made aware of our presence. Naturally, you could shoot back but that could mean inadvertently hitting any hostages.
Identifying targets is also paramount – you never know who could quickly surrender or run at you with a knife (even downed hostiles could still be a threat). A civilian could even pull out a phone, which may be mistaken for a weapon, so practising trigger discipline is also important. Combined with random enemy (and trap) placements, each mission offers decent replay value. The initial operations can feel somewhat easy, but later missions require clearing multiple floors, breaching and clearing several rooms, with the hostiles themselves becoming much more dangerous as well.
The controls are pretty intuitive in this regard, and having the option to free lean is great (though learning that I need to do this to deal with hostiles who may hide under beds was somewhat terrifying). Perhaps the only downside is that many objectives play out similarly – restraining suspects, commanding hostiles to stand down, etc. – resulting in some repetition.
In terms of firearms, you have a pretty extensive arsenal consisting of assault rifles, SMGs, shotguns and handguns. Weapons can have an assortment of attachments, though some didn’t seem to offer too much performance difference (aside from which scope you prefer and whether you need a flashlight toggle). Equipping a suppressor always felt like the right play, and I didn’t see any evidence to the contrary, even damage-wise. Nevertheless, the weapons are distinct from each other overall and backed by excellent sound design.
"While you could engage in Quick Play, tackling each mission individually without managing your squad, or enable Ironman Mode and try to complete the campaign deathless, co-op is probably where it’s at."
Along with determining your weapons and armor, you need to assign equipment. Sometimes, you’ll require anti-flash goggles when infiltrating areas, but other times, dealing with ricin gas means equipping a gas mask. Nighttime levels and even dark, dank hallways necessitate NVDs, and if you really want the best score, non-lethal ammunition like beanbags could be ideal. Just try not to aim for the head.
If all this wasn’t enough, you also need to manage the squad’s stress levels in Commander mode, not unlike Darkest Dungeon. They won’t fall into madness and start stealing or team-killing, but high stress means they’ll eventually resign from the team. Considering experience unlocks traits that could benefit the whole squad, it’s a good idea to keep everyone mentally stable. Of course, you’ll want to bring on and cycle other squadmates, if only to give the others some rest (and not being a man or two down when it counts the most).
Overall, Commander mode is pretty enjoyable, even on Standard difficulty, which offers some leeway for making mistakes. My only real gripes are some awkwardness when ordering compliance or trying to get suspects to turn around to zip-tie them. Some clipping issues also occasionally occur, and while my AI teammates are generally reliable, they would occasionally block my path. At least they’re not shooting me in the back.
While you could engage in Quick Play, tackling each mission individually without managing your squad, or enable Ironman Mode and try to complete the campaign deathless, co-op is probably where it’s at. There’s just something about five real players hanging out in the station, grabbing some coffee (which provides buffs) and then bumbling their way through hostile tactical situations.
"Ready or Not isn’t an experience for every first-person shooter fan out there. You’re not going to be ripping and tearing through hordes of criminals while soaking up damage and revving up the Shield Saw."
The pacing is much faster, as is the chaos; tactfully opening a door, only to see a suspect spraying against my squadmates (and subsequently gunning them down), is only one such hilarious moment that occurred. There is unfortunate potential for team-killing with friendly fire and triggering door traps – such is the nature of games like this – but otherwise, even with high ping, I didn’t face any issues.
Ready or Not isn’t an experience for every first-person shooter fan out there. You’re not going to be ripping and tearing through hordes of criminals while soaking up damage and revving up the Shield Saw. However, it is a very good homage to a bygone franchise and perhaps the strongest showing from a SWAT-inspired game to date.
This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
Brutal settings and mission objectives that feel incredibly realistic. Strong environment design with great attention to detail. Realistic tactics, which feel intuitive to use on controller. Excellent audio design that helps every weapon feel distinct.
Gameplay loop can get somewhat repetitive. Outside of perfect scores, the campaign doesn't offer much replay value. Iffy squadmate AI at times. Attachments don't feel like they make too much difference to performance. You'll have to dig through walls of text for narrative threads.
