Crossout (PlayStation 4) Review

Fighting on the battlefield is only part of the battle, and Crossout does delve into the parts of warfare not usually explored in action titles, namely the building of the machines themselves, and the economics and market behind funding the parts.

The PvP combat in Crossout is relatively straightforward. You have an objective that you could chase after, which is often to capture the enemy base, or simply, which is more common than not, to destroy the entire enemy team. The reason this is such a common path is because rewards are given based on a point system that heavily weights kills or assists, while objectives are pretty loosely weighted in. Unless having a quest that requires PvP wins, there is little to no reason to go for the win over simply killing the opponents. A heavy flaw in an objective-based game.

If the PvP grows boring, or there is a need to grind for new and better parts, there is PvE content in the form of raids. These raids give some solid rewards both from an XP and monetary standpoint, and the objectives are more varied and important than in PvP. Objectives ranges from collecting materials to escort missions. The player is only given a limited number of free raids per day, but that can easily be extended by going to the market and buying fuel from other players for premium currency earned by selling materials gained in PvP. In other words, no matter which paths are taken, the player market is going to be essential to progress through Crossout and getting a better machine.

The building part is the real meat of the deal, and it is obvious that this is what the entire game was built around. Parts are added to the vehicle by simply putting them on like LEGO, with some parts fitting only on the base, while others can easily be put on everywhere. It is a simple yet very flexible system, allowing for a lot of creativity, and the way the parts work in battle are pretty realistic, which means that clever designing is heavily rewarded.

On console, the building controls feel strange, though. It is too clear that Crossout was not designed mainly with console in mind. To twist things around feels very unnatural, and it takes a while to get used to the camera movement during the building parts. It is nothing too bad, but it is an annoyance.

No single part of Crossout stands strong on its own. The PvP quickly gets repetitive; the building controls feel unnatural; and the PvE demands premium currency to go on, without the use of the player market. Together, though, all of these flawed parts form a really entertaining title. It is still entertaining and hits the exact spot it wants to hit. The parts composing Crossout are nothing ground-breaking, but it is built in a really solid way that enhances every part of it - just like a well-constructed machine.