ShootMania Storm presents itself as a simple, even minimalist FPS, which rides on a very simple handling and game modes that have made the reputation of these first-person action games through the ages. Eyeing more on the side of competitive FPS like Unreal tournament or Quake, ShootMania Storm nevertheless offers its own identity, with a reworked dimension in terms of gameplay. Using the traditional keyboard/mouse duo, ShootMania Storm will not strain your memory; because apart from the zqsd movement keys, you will use the left click of the mouse to shoot and the right click for almost everything else. Indeed, a click makes you jump while holding the button gives you a speed boost reminiscent of Tribes Ascend's JetPack. This same key will also allow you to use secondary weapon modes. This refined gameplay, we find it absolutely everywhere! For example, kills don't count in the game and what determines your score is how many times you manage to hit your opponent, with points being awarded for each hit, with the ability to do combos. Thus, a hit is worth 1 point but if you hit your opponent twice in a row, your second hit will give you 2 points. If you make three hits in a row, the first will be worth 1 point, the second 2 and the third 3… And so on. A mechanism that therefore rewards precision and parsimony in shooting, since there is no question here of watering your target by betting on the number of shots to do the job for you.
An ingenious weapon system
Moreover, the weapons forbid you this type of game, since the ammunition is granted in proportion to the time. Thus, with the basic blaster, you are entitled to 4 shots in 4 seconds; a nifty mechanic that allows you to fire your shots in bursts. Running out of ammunition is therefore not a problem in itself, because it is by using your shots sparingly that you will achieve something. The mechanics are the same for the other weapons, and besides, another innovation of the gameplay, you will not be able to choose your weapons, the latter being attributed according to the surfaces you will walk on. For example outdoors, you will be entitled to the Blaster, in covered places (tunnels or other), you will have a grenade launcher, much more devastating, but with slow projectiles, and which takes its time to reload its ammunition.
The mechanics are the same for the other weapons, and besides, another innovation of the gameplay, you will not be able to choose your weapons, the latter being attributed according to the surfaces you will walk on.
Following the same pattern, gray metal platforms will allow you to use the sniper rifle largely inspired by Quake's Railgun. This is where the playing surface system becomes awesome, preventing snipers from camping anywhere, and therefore requiring dynamic use of the weapon. Indeed, there is no question of camping on a completely open platform, and it is therefore advisable to arrive at full speed in the area, adjust and fire your Railgun shot before leaving as quickly as possible. The coating system is not limited to weapons since your movements will also be conditioned by the terrain. On dirt, your speed will be low, but if you use the marked paths, then you can reach speeds worthy of Need For Speed. A speed that will be used to activate jumpers and other springboards in order to reach the smallest corners of the map. If this mechanism made of shackles is repulsive at first, it ultimately proves to be formidable in its efficiency, allowing extremely dynamic and rhythmic gameplay. As ammunition often runs out, only your ability to move can save your life.
E-sports or Casual: choose!
On the menu of game modes, three are cut for the competition, putting the skill of the players to the test. The "Jous"t mode offers 1 vs 1 clashes organized by groups, in which players must go from one point to another to reload their weapon, the first to 7 points with a 2-point lead wins the round. The "Elite" mode is more inventive by offering a 1 vs 3 format in which an attacker equipped with the Railgun and powerful armor must score against three defenders. Then the "Heroes" mode, which on a 5 vs 5 basis uses the same concept of "Capture The Point". Beyond these competitive modes, the average player will be delighted to see that Nadeo has thought of him with a host of fun modes. The "Royal" mode is one of these, offering a full-fledged battle royale, in which participants are forced by a tornado to reach the center of the map, the last survivor winning the game. A "Time Attack" mode is also present for speed freaks and is similar to a speed race across the map, surely reminiscent of Trackmania. If the standard modes don't suit you, you can also take a look at the community servers which offer many challenging modes like JailBreak, which transforms ShootMania Storm into a giant dodgeball.
The Nadeo community being very large, the number of mods should also grow very quickly, especially when we know that the studio has integrated the creation tools directly into the game. We can thus record our own replays, without going through software. third of the Fraps type. A very complete map editor is obviously included, and by pushing a little further, you can edit the rules of the game in order to create your own mods that you can submit and share with the community. So obviously not everything is rosy and ShootMania Storm also has its faults, and at the top of the list we must place the infamous ManiaPlanet interface which has really been botched. Between launcher, community hub and game catalog, Ubisoft's interface really does not convince and we remember why Steam took 10 years to become the platform it is. For the game itself, if the graphics are not great, they remain quite drinkable, and in the context of an e-sport game, the desire to make the title accessible to as many people as possible is understandable, the configuration required attests to this. The price to pay will therefore be the lack of modeling for the weapons or the player you play, but these flaws remain relatively minor. Some bugs are also to be noted when looking well, but the realization remains generally of good quality.
