Enlisted was originally envisioned as a title that would remain free of 8th-generation hardware restrictions. As a result, it is one of the few first-person shooters able to offer full 4k/120 FPS support this early in the 9th generation.
However, In light of the PlayStation 4/Xbox One release of Enlisted, I am concerned the developers will be forced to cut corners when designing future content to avoid overburdening 8th generation consoles, which are already being pushed to their limits to maintain a stable 30fps as is.
In short, Enlisted is well-optimized on 9th-generation consoles, but the 8th-generation ports are unimpressive.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
DarkFlow Studio has taken great care to ensure that every weapon, building, vehicle and uniform is as authentic as possible; when traversing the massive maps, I am often impressed by how detailed seemingly trivial items are.
The developers are proud of their work, and they should be; offering maps of this scale while supporting bullet penetration physics and destructible environments is no easy feat, doing so while ensuring the map performs well and is pleasing to the eye in something else entirely.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
Players can select different soldiers to fill their units; however, that does not include female units at this time. While the developers have said they are coming, they will be limited to factions and units which historically saw female service members, which implies female soldiers will be almost exclusively part of the USSR, which saw over 500,000 women join the Red Army, with many seeing combat, such as the 1077th Anti-Aircraft Regiment and Aviation Group 122.
Enlisted could be the start of an entirely new sub-genre that brings elements of party-based roleplay and squad management into a first-person shooter with the scope of a mil-sim.
Being able to select individual soldiers from your units and customize their loadouts is something we don’t get in the FPS genre; it is something more commonly seen in single-player roleplaying games, and it’s refreshing to experience it in a different genre, especially one as fast-paced and social as an MMOFPS.
Commanding a squad of soldiers allows players to tackle objectives alone or alongside other players in a coordinated assault, the additional bodies on the field ensuring that battles are both engaging and ultimately rewarding.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
Unlike more traditional shooters, camping is actively encouraged; a well-structured defence is finally as important as a strong offence.
In one of my first matches, my team were beaten back to our final objective and looked set to lose the battle; we had fought long and hard to defend each of the previous objectives, utilizing buildings and terrain to slow the enemy’s progress, but it was here at our final line of defence that we fought our hardest.
Players who ran out of ammo fought with their knives.
We picked up weapons from fallen friends and foes alike.
We were almost driven out three times before finally securing the objective.
It was immersive, engaging, rewarding, and, frankly, the best large-scale battle I have participated in.
This uniqueness will ensure Enlisted remains active long into the 9th generation and hopefully beyond.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
Despite launching as a 9th-generation exclusive, Enlisted was released onto 8th-generation consoles in October 2021.
While I am glad that Enlisted now benefits from the skill, camaraderie and experience that 8th-generation console owners can bring, I cannot help but wonder how enjoyable the experience will be for them or others who play alongside them with 8th-generation consoles being limited to 30 fps and 9th generation consoles being capped at 4k/120 fps.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
While less of an issue while Enlisted was a closed beta, where access to the closed beta required the purchase of at least one premium squad, in open beta, there is a clear divide between free and premium squads, and free-2-play players are at a serious starting disadvantage when playing against premium squads.
Is the challenge insurmountable? Of course not; I was able to do very well with basic “free” squads, and my single highest K/D match was achieved mostly with free squads; however, defeating a premium squad with a free2play squad is considerably more difficult than defeating a free-2-play squad with a premium one.
While I would like to say I have faith this will change, based on some of the other titles with similar scope by the same publisher, we are not only likely to see this state of affairs continue but worsen as additional premium units become available for purchase.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
Playing through the six campaigns allows players to feel some tangible progression; unlocking new units, vehicles, and weapons feels great until it doesn’t.
Right now, the progression feels spot-on, but I cannot help but feel that eventually, Enlisted will need to make unlocks harder to attain, as a freemium title depends on long-term commitment and, to be honest, cash shop purchases to ensure its continued survival.
I certainly hope that is not the case, and I would love to see the unlock cadence remain as it is now, but I cannot see it happening in the long term.
A realistic MMOFPS like Enlisted does not have an extensive selection of possible cosmetic items to sell, unlike DarkFlow Studio’s other title on the same engine (CRSED: FOAD), where just about any skin or cosmetic item would “fit” due to the bizarre narrative and setting of the title.
Only so many unit designs are possible in an authentic WW2 setting. Enlisted will have to change sooner or later if it hopes to remain financially viable once every unique WW2 nation/unit combination has been exhausted.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
While players receive a generous amount of multiple in-game currencies (some of which have multiple sub-currencies), players who do not have the excessive time required to unlock the best weapons and units will be tempted to purchase premium squads.
The problem with selling premium squads is they represent dozens of hours of grind for the average player, meaning a player with substantial disposable income will be able to “buy their way to the top”, which is by all reasonable standards the very definition of pay2win.
Though not entirely pay-2-win, Enlisted flirts very close to the line and occasionally steps over it.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
Enlisted is set in World War 2, and like all World War 2 era titles, it attracts a larger than average amount of racists, neo nazis, historical revisionists, and holocaust deniers.
While the community is roughly as toxic as any competitive shooter, the setting certainly worsens matters, especially in light of Enlisted’s free-to-play business model, which provides little barrier to bad actors who wish to spread their hate and bigotry.
Bigots and racists aside, some players make it their sole purpose to team kill, and according to many in the community, nothing is being done about it, with the most famous of these team killers having been reported well over 100 times without action being taken against him.
While I cannot confirm the validity of these numbers, I feel the developers should include a safeguard, with any player having more than five teamkills per day receiving a suspension for 24 hours and repeat offenders facing possible bans.
Everyone can make a mistake in the heat of battle, but 30+ team kills in a single match is no accident, and the developers must react quickly to such cases if they wish to avoid discontentment in the community.
Image credit Enlisted - Published by Gaijin Entertainment and developed by Darkflow Software.
Enlisted is a shooter video game developed by Darkflow Software and published by Gaijin Entertainment, it was released on 2 March 2021 and it is Free-2-Play.
Enlisted is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Enlisted remains in active development, which includes a pretty sizable overhaul of the monetization and progression model, which, if handled correctly, will make Enlisted far less pay-2-win and bring it in line with more widely accepted industry norms.
Neither Darkflow Software nor Gaijin Entertainment has indicated how many people play Enlisted.
However, we know the player base is large enough to support near-instant matchmaking even at off-peak times, so it is doing well; we don’t know how well.
Players who opt to play as any single faction are warned this may result in slower queue times over opting to quick play as any faction; that being said, I have constantly chosen to play as the Allies and have experienced queue times ranging from 15-45 seconds even at off-peak hours (mid-morning in a weekday), so the community is large enough to support players being able to choose which side of the war they fight for.
Enlisted is far from dead, and matches can be found at any time of the day in all but the most remote of regions.
Enlisted supports:
Enlisted offers the following matchmaking options:
The Enlisted in-game store sells:
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Enlisted is rated PEGI 16+ and contains the following:
