Blacklist Brigade

TheAwakening
Sep 27
3 min read

Overview

Blacklist Brigade is a top-down tactical military shooter. You control a mercenary “counter-terrorist” team tasked with eliminating opposing forces and their leaders while completing objectives such as gathering intel, planting bombs, etc. Your performance will earn you lots of dollars you can use to upgrade your arsenal. You also win experience, which lets you upgrade your skills in particular fields, increasing your chances to succeed in difficult missions. Up to four friends, including yourself, can join your team or play and control AI teammates.

Gameplay

You start the game first by choosing a mission, setting the level to happen on a day or night cycle, and deciding how difficult the enemies will be. You can choose a character with their own set of skills you can use in the field. Playing alone and with AI teammates allows you to give them commands if you choose. Finally, you can set your gear with any unlocked weapon you bought and even customize it. You can try them in the lobby or just drop into the mission.

Any mission usually goes as follows: you are dropped in the far edge, or sometimes in a building with enemies nearby, and you must tackle them down while avoiding getting shot as much as possible. This is achieved with good planning and gear, or just lobbing a grenade towards a room without getting spotted. You won’t be able to see enemies that are not in your field of vision or on the same floor. If you get shot, your armor lowers, followed by your health once you lose it, but both can be replenished with armor crates or first aid kits, although you can carry only one kit. Ammo is limited as well; luckily, you can pick any weapon from a fallen enemy, but your secondary and sidearm cannot be replaced.

Objectives are varied, but they are straightforward and lineal. Move to a certain location, then gather intel, plant explosives, rescue hostages, or eliminate VIPs. The map will show you the layout of the level and help you find your next target. Some enemies will drop money you can use later, and you can also pick locks on safes. Locations will include many obstacles, such as automated turrets that will shred your team if you are careless. You can vault through windows or drop to the ground floor inside a building. Once all objectives are done, heading towards the extraction area will finish the mission successfully. Getting the entire team knocked down will end the mission earlier. Based on your performance, you’ll get a boatload of money you can use to upgrade your arsenal. You also get skill points to enhance personal traits such as accuracy and hip fire, damage taken, or the ability to lock picks.

Enemies will respond to any noise you make, and if they manage to spot you, they will open fire or run towards cover. Because you may face several foes at once, it is not wise to just run and gun; there are several ways to tackle them. For some reason aiming is not entirely precise within a distance or terrain, and firing upwards is more difficult than firing from above high ground. Depending on the difficulty you choose, you may have to move inside a level with extreme caution, as any misstep can be deadly with no plan of action. Your progress is rewarded as you unlock more weapons and skills, so future missions won't be as difficult as when you started.

Audio & Graphics

The graphics aren’t cutting edge, as the game is old with Unreal Engine 4, so I found no issue with performance. The only problem I had was with the foliage, so I had to turn it off entirely for a boost. I would have found it amusing that my characters would grunt while getting shot or knocked down, but sadly I found none of that. There is no music while playing either (to help with the focus of a tactical shooter, perhaps). Its UI is also very basic and empty, but for a military shooter, it's okay on its own.