Guns Of Icarus Alliance Ps4

Heavily focused on teamwork, Guns of Icarus Alliance is equal parts exciting airship battles and confusing busywork. A fiddly communication system that is clearly designed with a keyboard in mind and an inconsistent voice communications channel means that, rather than deft airship battles, confusion tends to rule the skies. Now it’s made its way onto PS4, featuring the player-vs-player combat of Guns of Icarus Online, along with a player-versus-environment co-operative mode where six factions battle it out for dominance on an ever changing battle map.You can play as three broad class types, each with their own set of skills and expertise that improve as you level up.

Get A Free PC Game For Steam Right Now. Make sure to grab your free copy of Guns of Icarus Alliance. It's yours to keep and play forever. Jul 27, 2018 8:52am.

You can take on the role of Pilot, Gunner or Engineer, the latter of which offers the least path of resistance for getting to grips with the basics of the game.To begin there are a couple of tutorial missions that take you through the various components of your airship: the balloon, engines, hull and guns. The first tutorial has you running around the ship repairing and putting out fires to understand the role of the Engineer, the second one teaches you the differing gun and ammo types and when best to use them, and the final one takes you through the basics of flying your aircraft. After these are finished you are free to jump into either a PvE or PvP match.Teamwork makes the dreamwork in Guns of Icarus Alliance. Without a crew, each with their own specific tasks, your life span in the skies will be limited. Crews are made up of four players, if there aren’t enough live players around, the AI will backfill. There is also PC cross play so the likelihood will be that your team is made up of veteran PC players and PS4 newbies, so be prepared to be screamed at through the voice and chat channels from impatient and intolerant players not willing to take the time to explain what the game utterly fails to do.Persistence wins out though; if you are in for the long haul and can soldier your way through the first five or six matches, things do start to become clearer.

Engineers are literally the life blood of the crew, and choosing that class first will have you running around the ship repairing and putting out fires. Ship knowledge is a must, and in the early days this is compounded by a vast array of different hull configurations that can be chosen. Gun emplacement, helm location as well as engines, hull and balloon placements differ vastly across the different ship loadouts so it is worthwhile spending a few precious minutes at the beginning of each map orientating yourself. Much of your work, however, will be reduced if the helm is in the hands of a skilful pilot, and an accurate and knowledgeable gunner mans the arsenal, as enemy ships are out-manoeuvred and brought down quickly.After each match you are rewarded with XP and gold coins which can be spent on the battle map. This is a strategic world map which shows the areas of defence and attack for your particular faction. Your actions in matches can impact this battle map as can spending your coins on increasing fortification or war effort, by doing so you will get a temporary boost to certain abilities that can turn the tide of matches played by yourself and your fellow faction members.

This ‘total war’ idea, adds an element of you playing a small part in a much larger conflict, something that is further built upon with the faction leaderboards. Performing consistently and well will raise your standing in your faction, so that at some point you may even become one of the leaders of that faction, with all the plaudits that may bring. This internal meta game is quite compelling and is an interesting way of obtaining buy in on the actions you perform within the game.Guns of Icarus Alliance clearly has its roots on PC with an interface that screams of keyboard and mouse inputs, but Muse Games has done some good work in translating that onto a controller.

It is a shame, then, that some of the inputs are buried somewhere in the interface, I still don’t know how to ready up for a match, and using voice communications in game is tied to a button input meaning that once battle becomes really hectic it is easy to forget and you end up making call outs to the ether. A similar layer of obscurity continues with so many notifications of in game objectives and chat communications flying around that I have finished numerous matches not having a clue what just happened, other than we won or lost – the how or why are not clear.

Cross-play also works very well, but I experienced some significant slowdown in some games where there was a lot going on on screen which is obviously disappointing.There is fun to be had, matches are frantic and have a sense of scale to them, the different ship types and loadouts create interesting layers of depth to each match, and the war map helps build a sense that you are part of a much grander scheme. Visually, the Steampunk aesthetic adds an element of coolness to everything. Airships, lets be honest, are marvellous, yet utterly ridiculous things, but seeing an armada of floating ships is quite the sight. There are some early game annoyances with a steep learning curve, compounded by the lack of meaningful explanations for what everything is, which could put some players off.

But like with most things, persistence pays off, and as your skills and knowledge grow, so does your enjoyment.

You can never have too much steampunk in your life. The industrial revolution inspired sci-fi aesthetic is always a delight when treated with enough care in fiction and, frankly, the sub-genre’s rarity in big budget gaming (compared to, say, cyberpunk or high fantasy) is a deeply regrettable oversight.It’s one of my favourite worlds to explore in interactive entertainment, and perhaps explains why I’m more of a fan of and than most. Come to think of it, it also goes a long way in explaining why I’m a little bit obsessed with Guns of Icarus Alliance right now, which has more cogs and corsets than you can shake a H.G. Wells novel at.

Lafferty, Michael (July 21, 2003). Downhill domination for pc. From the original on October 6, 2008. Padilla, Raymond (July 30, 2003). IGN Entertainment. Retrieved April 11, 2019.

Developer Muse Games’ commitment to the Steampunk cause is admirable, but Guns of Icarus Alliance merits a look-in beyond its anachronistic depiction of old and new, especially now that it’s just made the jump to PS4 after a six year stint on PC. The game can be best described as a multiplayer first-person action sim, in which crews of four players pilot a giant airship together, taking part in PvP death matches against other teams or enjoying a broad selection of PvE missions and challenges.Similar to, the survival of your crew’s airship depends on everyone working together like a well oiled, uh, ship, with each member performing their own designated roles encouraged by Guns of Icarus’ class system. Pilots are there to helm the wheel and navigate the ship around any obstacles and into effective battle stances, while the gunner class is best suited for manning the on-board artillery and taking down enemies before they take you down first.Meanwhile, the engineer has arguably the most important role of all; keeping the ship alive and - more importantly - not on fire, by running around the deck and buffing, repairing, or extinguishing various components of the aircraft, including the Balloon component keeping you afloat. If that gets destroyed, you’ll find yourself plummeting towards the ground, and no one wants that.Guns of Icarus Alliance exhibits the kind of unique co-op play you don’t get to see in games very often; all four crew members are experiencing different play styles albeit for the common goal of staying afloat and dominating the competition. Every role brings its own gameplay challenges, and there are layers to each.Gunners will have to destroy an enemy ship’s armour with explosive rounds of ammunition before laying down damage with the machine gun, for example, while the engineer has to contend with several different tools at once, constantly switching between them to cater to what repairs are needed at the time. Pilots probably have the least busy role, and the simple act of steering can fall into monotony at times, but there’s a subtle skill to driving that will hopefully appeal to someone on the team.Things are spiced up more so by the fact that dozens of airship types can be unlocked and customised as you progress your character in Guns of Icarus Alliance, which brings a much needed sense of diversity to the battlefield.

The large Galleon warship is one of the most durable vehicles available, for example, but its size and strength comes at a cost to maneuverability for the poor old pilot at its wheel. Meanwhile, the Squid trades in weapon mountings for speed and engine count, making it great for outrunning and weaving amongst other opponents.Though the PvE missions are a respectable way of learning the ropes and testing out your favourite classes and ships, it’s when playing online in a match of up to 32 other players when Guns of Icarus really comes into its own. As your captain is shouting orders from the helm while a barrage of explosives are raining hellfire down upon your engines, you truly get a sense of the scale that Muse Games has spent years polishing and fine-tuning since the game’s original release on PC.Though Guns of Icarus Alliance has only just come to PlayStation 4, don’t expect it to be looking anything close to a current gen title.

As a six year old game, its engine is serviceable at best, designed to run smoothly at all times and accommodate technicalities like longer draw distances, but the graphics are functional, not jaw-dropping.' Guns of Icarus Alliance exhibits the kind of unique co-op play you don’t get to see in games very often.' The better news is that cross-play between PS4 and PC players is fully supported by Muse Games, which will be music to the ears of those who already own the game and have been struggling to find matches on the PC’s dwindling user base.Hopefully Guns of Icarus Alliance can find some new life pumped into its rusty bones now that it’s hit PS4, as there’s real entertainment value lying within that stylistically satisfying steampunk concept. For PS4 players wanting in on some of that Sea of Thieves-esque interdependent co-op action, this is a great choice, and an even better one if you can find a party of three other friends to join your crew.Want more?

Here's our run-down of the you can play right now.