Project Xandata is a first-person shooter (FPS) title created by Secret 6, a Filipino game development company that is behind some of the various improvements for a number of famous AAA game titles worldwide.
The FPS title was once again featured in Plus Attack, a FPS event held at the Cuneta Astrodome a couple of days ago.
This is not a review, but rather an impression of the game based on the build that it carried during Plus Attack.
Project Xandata: The Backgrounder
For those who aren’t familiar with the game, Project Xandata currently has a couple of maps and game modes, as well as three classes in the form of Agent, Marksman and Juggernaut. Each class has two ability “families” which they can select based on their preferred playstyle. Games last for 12 minutes each and involve getting tags, controlling certain spots or simply killing opponents as efficiently as possible.
The latest build placed built-in perks into the game’s weapons, thus giving them different attributes and allowing for further customization options in terms of defining one’s playstyle.
The Showmatch Experience
It was my first time to play in a community showmatch on stage despite the fact that I was covering FPS titles since 2014. In addition, I got to play it with three of my friends (Migz, Clyo and Franz – otherwise known as Rabbet in the Philippine CS:GO community), so it was a super big thing for me.
In addition, I only played Project Xandata for a couple of times: While I played at ESGS 2016 and 2017 plus three games during the beta phase (internet issues galore), I never felt that I would be able to become familiar with the game despite its intuitive features due to the fact that I play it so rarely.
However, this year at Plus Attack, the game felt like it was ready to be shipped to the public eye. Of course, the back-end and the server stuff are different beasts; but I have high hopes that Secret 6 would be able to handle it without any major problems.
I picked Marksman with the Barrage ultimate. However, what struck me was that the rest of the team used the Birds of Paradise/Strongman loadout; my friends and I observed that while the weapons loadout isn’t overpowered in itself, the way that it synergizes with the rest of the character kit makes it overpowered by various degrees. Didn’t finish someone with the Birds? As long as you have bullets left inside the Strongman’s magazine, you are good to go!
The atmosphere was great, so overall, we all enjoyed playing the game. The game was smooth sailing; every movement felt fluid and even the vertical movement (jumps) weren’t bumpy at all!
Finally, we won the showmatch against a combination of WASD talents and some others, so that added to the amazing experience that I had with the game this year. It’s always great to win with friends!
Kinks to be Fixed
One of the things that I noticed is that the Birds of Paradise/Strongman loadout is ridiculously easy to use, even for a player who has never had more than 10 hours of Project Xandata. You know that something is a tad bit overpowered if almost everyone on the team uses the same loadout throughout the game, regardless of the opponent!
Another one is the interaction between rockets and players: I once blasted prominent caster Darwell “Asurai” Llarena with a rocket shot in the face, only to notice that the thing never worked in the first place! To put it short, rockets did no damage whatsoever.
I hope that the developers would fix the rocket interaction as soon as possible. As for the Birds of Paradise/Strongman loadout observation, one suggestion would be to make the other weapons a bit easier to use (while at the same time ensuring that the game retains its high skill ceiling).
Overall Thoughts
My impression of the game at the moment is that the base build is SOMETHING that SCREAMS: RELEASE ME INTO the WILD!
I have high hopes for this game, at least as far as the Philippines goes.
