The Ready or Not release date will arrive before the end of the year and a new Ready or Not gameplay tutorial video gives us an idea of what we can expect from the spiritual successor to the SWAT games.
Fans of tactical shooters have had a good few choices in recent years. Aside from this year's launch of Nine to Five (which was revealed with a wonderfully odd trailer), we also got the launch of the surprisingly good-looking Aliens: Fireteam. Even the king of tactical shooters Escape from Tarkov recently got another update (and a wipe, natch.)
The one thing that has been missing, however, is gameplay that stays faithful to the classic Sierra SWAT first-person shooters. That's all going to change this month: the Ready or Not release date is expected before the end of the year. Best of all, a new Ready or Not gameplay tutorial gives us an idea of what we can expect.
Ready or Not Gameplay Looks Surprisingly Solid
As highlighted on Reddit, the Ready or Not gameplay trailer shows off pretty much everything that a fan of Sierra's SWAT games would hope for: multiplayer, A.I. players, and customization for yourself and your A.I. players is coming at launch. You'll even be able to head to a firing range to test your loadout.
What about the missions, though? At launch, Ready or Not will have six levels and a total of five missions. Here's the kind of gameplay you can expect:
- Barricaded Suspects (Normal) - Your team's number one priority is rescuing civilians, and detaining suspects. Rules of engagement are strict. Don't kill unless an officer or a civilian is threatened.
- Raid (Hard) -THe suspects are highly dangerous. They will not be so easy to give up, and your ROE [Rules of Engagement] has been loosened as a result. Prepare for long [engagements] and a lot of firefights. Practice well beforehand.
- Active Shooter (Hard) - A gunman roams the halls, hunting down civilians and killing them in an insane frenzy. Take this threat out before too many innocent lives are lost.
- Bomb Threat (Very Hard) - A bomb threat has been called in. Highest priority is disabling the explosives before the time runs out. Second highest priority is rescuing all of the civilians and taking out the suspects. Good luck, you'll need it.
- Hostage Rescue (Insane) - Suspects have taken a room of civilians hostage. It's up to you to locate them quietly, establish a strategy, and [execute] quickly. The lives of innocent people depend on you.
This all sounds very promising, and it only gets better once you see the actual gameplay. Tactical shooting mainstays such as leaning are featured, as are many of the cool gadgets that SWAT teams get to use. And yes, you'll be able to control your A.I. teammates to have simultaneous door breaches.
When is the Ready or Not Release Date?
There's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Ready or Not release date has not yet been locked in. The good news is that the game is going to arrive in the next couple of weeks.
"Hey everyone, we're happy to announce that we have an update for you regarding Ready or Not's availability," read a tweet from the developers (via PCGamesN). "We will be launching on Steam Early Access by the end of this year! Please read our post on Steam for more information."
For now, you can pre-purchase Ready or Not via its official website at the price of $39.99 or your regional equivalent, a 20% discount off of its intended Steam Early Access launch price of $49.99. You can also add Ready or Not to your wishlist on Steam.
Are you looking forward to the Ready or Not release date? Do you think this can live up to Sierra's SWAT games and other co-op tactical shooters? Let us know in the comments below!
