Spectre Divide review: Double the stakes

Spectre Divide is the latest addition to the long list of FPS titles. First Person Shooter (FPS) is an overcrowded genre that rarely sees any major innovation. Spectre Divide is here to change that, with a unique take and a mechanic that will require you to use one hundred percent of your brain, figuratively of course. Spectre Divide is a game where the number "two" is magical. You have two bodies, two loadouts, and two of each utility. Three teammates is the oddball here but I will let that slide.

As an avid FPS gamer, I half expected the game to be just another generic title and I am glad that Mountaintop Studios has wholly proved me wrong. The sheer amount of outplay potential that Spectre Divide promises is more than enough to appeal to FPS fanatics and brain-game enthusiasts.

Titles in this genre rely significantly on aim and strategization. There's communication to look at as well. Combine all of these and you have the perfect mix for a standard FPS game. I've seen this in almost all shooter titles I have played. That said, what happens when you double the stakes in every stage of that? Spectre Divide is the answer to that, and I will explain why in this review.

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Spectre Divide is not just another FPS out there

I walked into Spectre Divide with no real expectations. Just thirty minutes into the game, I was already leaning towards the screen with my keyboard tilted. It took me a while to understand and grasp the mechanics, but it was a truly wonderful neuron-activating experience from there on.

The concept of duality

Your dual bodies will always be at your base by default (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

Spectre Divide's USP is its duality mechanic. You have two bodies, one is your active body and one is your spectre. You can place it anywhere on your half during the prep phase by throwing a puck, and it will act as a recon while inactive. That's pretty simple so far, but here's where it gets interesting.

You can swap between your active and dual bodies with the press of a button. Essentially, you can control two whole areas with the duality concept. This opens up a wide range of playing styles. You can have single-site crossfire holds with your spectre, or have it watch for flanks during an attack. Better yet, you can even have control of both sites and swap if the enemy hits a different site.

This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, players in the pro scene or those who are considerably high-ranked in games like Siege or Valorant will have no problem adjusting to this. On the other, for the casual and new player base, duality will simply be a second life.

I would not be surprised if new players have the second body in spawn for the majority of the round till their active body has been killed. While this is obviously one way to use it, it's a wasted opportunity for the insane plays that can happen with proper duality usage. Sure, new players can learn and hopefully will get the knack for it with time, but that's only if they stick around long enough.

The learning curve is high with this one, and Spectre Divide might not be the best game for those looking to have a casual experience and chill out for a while.

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Sponsors

Morrgen is the sponsor with smoke and molly abilities (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

This is another core aspect of Spectre Divide and it pairs up beautifully with the duality system. Sponsors are basically the game's way of letting you choose your own utilities. Each sponsor has their own unique set of utilities, and it essentially dictates your "build" and play style. Morrgen, for example, gives you access to smokes and mollies.

Other sponsors offer utilities that are based on recon, shields, healing buffs, and a lot more. The best part is, that sponsors can be completely unrestricted. This means all of your teammates can have the exact same sponsors if needed.

Spectre Divide has a modular approach to the entire game, and you can customize every single aspect of your gameplay. In that sense, you may also say that there is a certain level of sandbox features in Spectre Divide.

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Gunplay

Gunfights in the game (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

For the most part, gunplay is decent. Not too good, not too bad. I liked the sounds and how the guns felt overall. No overdramatic effects, just the nominal bit with satisfying sound. When I play a game and use a gun, a major part of my performance depends on how the gun sounds and feels. If I am not satisfied by it, no amount of deathmatch or practice will let me get kills.

It's a placebo for the most part, but I had no such issues with guns in Spectre Divide. Throughout my many matches, I found myself using the sniper the most. I loved the gun. The feel, the shape, the sound, the scope, and its reticle - all of it fits in just perfectly.

Sniper when scoped in (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

That said, two aspects need special attention here - the spray pattern and ADS (aim down sight) usage. Spectre Divide has a very consistent spray pattern. Counter-Strike veterans should be able to pick it up easily. Movement error is of course there, but the overall accuracy is on the better side.

This is only enhanced by the ADS mechanic, something that this game heavily focuses on. It is similar to Valorant in that aspect, however, the firing rate or movement speed does not take a massive hit and you can pretty much retain the original fire rate. In most scenarios, ADS has actually proven to be more helpful for me.

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Gameplay

Gameplay is overall slow (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

Spectre Divide follows the standard FPS flow. You have a prep phase to buy loadouts, armor, and utilities. You can also place your spectres wherever you like in your own half. There are two loadouts - one for your active body and one for your duality. The guns come in unique pairs to make sure they are not overpowered. After all of this, the game round begins.

One of my major complaints with Spectre Divide is the game's pace. Being a 3v3 game, the maps are huge, which you would see in 5v5 titles. To that effect, the overall pace and gameplay is slow. If the enemy is not hitting your site, rotating and reaching the other side is a pain.

If you are a flanker like me, it's going to be even more annoying. Movement speed in general is slow, and sprinting feels like you're carrying a heavy load on your back. A big map with slow-paced characters is not the nicest thing, I must add. The core concept of the game revolves around the duality concept so much, that prevalent strategies seem to have been forgotten about.

Flanking in Spectre Divide (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

Overall, the movement is so clunky that it does not feel rewarding even if you manage to get a few kills on the flanks. This is also a problem with retaking because it might take a bit of time to reach the site.

If you like to mute their mics and solo-play the game with zero comms, this might not be the best game for you. Spectre Divide needs you to be extremely coordinated if you want to come out victorious. You will not be able to ping locations on the map, so knowing an accurate callout and communicating it to your teammate becomes essential. This might be a way to force carefully coordinated plays and take some of the solo hero-play potential away. Given the clunky mechanics, solo play was not something I enjoyed, to begin with.

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Graphics and performance

The gameplay is smooth even with many elements on the screen (Image via Mountaintop Studios)

Spectre Divide features a vibrant world with a 2.5D-ish animation. This style is a hit or a miss, and I liked it for the most part. It is not exactly cartoonish but has that futuristic vibe while still feeling very much like a game.

That said, you might have a tough time differentiating enemies from teammates. Player models are mostly the same and you may just empty an entire magazine at your teammate in the heat of the moment. Luckily, there is no teamkill involved in Spectre Divide. Not with bullets, at least. If you want to burn your teammate with a molly, that is always an option.

The game performs super smoothly, and I have faced no hitches on my system with a 12th generation i5 processor and 3060Ti graphics card. No extended loading times or extravagant animations - just what is needed. It's simple and minimalistic for the most part, with 128-tick servers which just makes the game much more satisfying overall.

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In conclusion

Spectre Divide offers a unique and refreshing take on the FPS genre, with its innovative duality mechanic and customizable gameplay. While the learning curve might be steep for some, the sheer potential for outplays and strategic depth makes it a compelling choice for FPS enthusiasts.

On the other hand, the slow pace and clunky movement can hinder the overall experience, especially for those seeking a more fast-paced shooter. Despite these drawbacks, Spectre Divide's innovative approach and potential for future improvements make it a promising title in the crowded FPS landscape.

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Spectre Divide

Spectre Divide scorecard (Image via Mountaintop Studios || Sportskeeda)

Reviewed on: PC (code provided by Mountaintop Studios)

Platform(s): PC (via Steam)

Developer(s): Mountaintop Studios

Publisher(s): Mountaintop Studios

Release date: September 3, 2024