Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Dec 28, 2021

  The game is great solo, incredibly fun with a friend, which is made easier by the fact that it has remote play together, so you can play with any friend you have, no second copy needed (if you both have good internet). Pretty much every character has missions they will excel at and missions they will struggle on, so don't get too caught up in trying to use only one. With a partner, you'll find some great combo's, like shield and recon for perfect no hurt runs, or assault and breacher for damage/accuracy/door blasting all at once. The only thing that I could ask for now is a Door Kickers: Magic Squad sequel with like a knight and a wizard and whatever because I think it would be fun.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 21, 2022

  This game was a really good surprise to me, i bought it not expecting much, but it surprised me. It is really hard that a game engage me into doing 100% of its achievements, but i liked so much this title that i done it. I had more fun playing it in coop, but even playing alone the game is amazing.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 28, 2022

  [quote]Follow our Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41449676/] Summit Reviews [/url] , to see more high-quality reviews regularly.[/quote] [h1]Damn Police Brutality![/h1] I buy a lot of games, certainly enough to never actually play all of them. Consequently, more often than not, a lot of time passes between buying a game and actually trying it. There are exceptions though and one such is Door Kickers: Action Squad. Despite having vast amounts of larger in scope games, I was drawn to this little game instantly, got it on sale for just above two euros and started playing immediately. I'm always a sucker for good pixel art which in addition to the promise of a humorous tone, got me to the door. Kicking it down and 25 hours later, I certainly had lots of fun. DK:AS is a semi-tactical, bordering on puzzle at times, side-scroller action game. The first tactical choice is the squad class, each class corresponding to a difficulty level. They all have unique weapons, utility items, tactical and ultimate abilities. As I'm drawn to automatic weapons in a gaming, I chose the Assaulter i.e. Easy mode. There's one class with "LOL" difficulty(I suppose very easy) with all the others being normal except for a hard one. By playing levels(even when failing) you gather experience points which can be spent to better each character up to level 21. The fields are character specific except for Physical and Logistics, tied to health and tactical points, which are carried on all classes. It's optimal to max these out by spreading the exp required across all characters. Despite playing on Easy, I found quite a bit of challenge in the 96 levels provided. I tried all the characters after finishing the game for their achievements and I can see how the obligatory different playstyles of each class would add massively to replayability. The levels are spread on 8 chapters, including challenges and dlc, with 12 levels each. The mission types are Saving Hostages, Killing Everyone, Defusing Bombs and Arresting VIPs. This is a bit of variation but you have to kill every hostile and save every hostage(when present) regardless, in order to complete the level. There's also a 3-Star system for every mission. Stars are used to buy weapons and items and are carried on all classes. You have to save every hostage and not use extra lives in order to get three stars. That's where most of the challenge lied for me, especially on the very elaborate and big dlc levels where a simple mistake could ruin a playthrough. As the game progressed so did level complexity and enemy variety with deadlier, tougher enemies with better AI. These are the building blocks of the game with your success on the challenge presented hinging on three variables: Tactics, Skill/Reflexes and Trial and Error. Tactics are about your approach and route in a particular level and the allocation of tactical points. You gain tactical points by killing hostiles, saving hostages, disarming bombs or arresting the VIP, therefore there's a finite amount of them. They are used to replenish you armor, health or utility items, getting extra lives and your ultimate. It's a tool to mitigate failure but also paramount to your tactics. Do you throw a flash grenade upon entering each room or do you save for Sniper Support, an ultimate ability instantly eliminating three enemies on the screen? Good t,p, management is the easier way to get through the game. Other tactics are about how you enter each room which includes, what some would classify as, cheesing. P.e. entering a non-visible floor, making it visible. Now you can see hostiles. Better yet, if they see you, you can make the dumber ones start walking around the floor or the smarter ones follow you. This puts you in a better position to dispatch them. Blind firing is also viable in crowded levels to avoid some damage. More dark rooms, complex enemy placement, elaborate level design and pure opposing strength tends to dictate, in addition to gathering sufficient t,p, optimal routes especially in latter stages. Finding those through trial and error and navigating them with good reflexes is ultimately the key to success. You always have to dispatch hostiles fast, preferably stun them as you enter the room in order to lose as little health as possible. You'll do this by kicking down doors and using your utility items at the right moment but most importantly firing efficiently by controlling you recoil. Getting a low t.t.k. will also keep hostages alive and in the end maximize fun factor as you become an efficient SWAT killing machine. I got this feeling especially in bomb levels where you have to find the bomb a.s.a.p. so you're forced to move very fast. It was exhilarating and a feeling of being “in the zone” similar to playing a challenging FPS. Trial and error will happen throughout the game as optimal routes and enemy placement get trickier. In latter stages this can get frustrating as there's also, in some cases, randomization in enemy variety. There were a few instances where it took me an hour to finish a level and a couple of instances where I had hostages strapped to bombs die due to rng just as I was finishing the level(after many tries) so I settled for a two star completion. These variables led to some cheap deaths but I think it's to be expected in such a deep game and they were certainly the exception. All in all, I had the most fun when a balance was struck between knowing the level and executing it to perfection without too many tries. Even when there were lots of though, there was also the sweet satisfaction of finally mastering the level, an equal feeling of achievement. After finishing the game I tried the Zombie and Endless mode but didn't find them too compelling, mostly because they didn’t enhance the game regarding tactics but I can absolutely see completionists getting obsessed with trying to perfect these as well. The presentation of the game is incredible. The pixel art is beautiful and suitably cartoony as is the voice acting of every character. This is also were most of the humor lies which frankly could be bolstered by a simple story thread of which there's none. There could have been cut-scenes between chapters with all squad members interacting and connecting the mounting terrorist threat in a global conspiracy but even in their absence, this barely hurts the game. I also have to mention how catchy were the, 80’s synth-rock that invoked the ‘Murica feeling, handful of songs and how they never got old for me even after 25 hours of playtime, music repetition being something I very often struggle with in games. There's a lot of value here, even if you don't get this on a sale. It would certainly be even more fun in co-op, something I will be trying the next time I have someone over. I can also see myself coming back to this at a later time to get all the achievements and finish it with every character. It's a surprisingly deep game in its simplicity and a very polished product for what it is. A modern take on side-scrollers with old-school humorous presentation which can be enjoyed in short bursts alone or with friends. [h1]Rating: 8/10[/h1]
• gamedeal user

  Sep 22, 2022

  40 years of gaming and easily one of the best all time games I've ever played, solo and co-op

  An action shooter with comedic gore thrown in over an 80's vibe effected through the music and location settings The 5 different character options with upgrades that can be levelled up whether you fail or succeed makes for massive replayability and strategic choices literally doubled in co-op mode. Co-Op is effected through RIS (random internet stranger), SteamPlay (streamed to a friend), Private Hosting and my favourite - Couch! Couch Co-Op is an underrated bit of awesome and this is one of the best I've experienced. I tie my spawn down to a chair and force it to play with me or it doesn't get fed. She loves it. The level progression is superb, with difficulty ramping up through sneakier tougher enemies matching perfectly to your upgrade options. The entire game is possible to solo but a lot less frustrating in co-op unless you replay finished levels a few times to gain upgrade XP. Each character has a playable difficulty rating with the easiest being "LOL"....which is apt...however the "harder" to play options tend to get more power as they level up meaning perseverance pays off. I found myself replaying levels with each character just for the fun of it, but also to give myself more options late game which as it turned out was a good idea. Not content with 6 Chapters totalling 72 surprisingly unique maps, there is a Challenge Mode with a further 12 and a DLC pack which gives 12 super long missions, which technically I'd put at 36 maps considering the length of each approaches three times that of a "standard" chapter's map.

  Still not enough?

  <*>Guess what <*>You'll never guess <*>Ok I'll tell you. <*>There is.... <*>.......a ZOMBIE MOOOODE!!!! Weeeheehee! Every level can be replayed with a Zombie spawn option. I know, right? Steam's Overwhelmingly Positive rating aside (a rare accolade), this is one of those titles you'll be picking up and replaying for years to come, a marvellous addition to your library. For more reviews and rantings, march over to my Curator Page, The Imaginings of a Gamer
• Off the gloop

  Dec 25, 2022

  this game is fucking impossible!!!! ahhhh
• gamedeal user

  Jan 2, 2023

  If I hear "trespassers" one more time... "Action Squad" is such a departure from the original Door Kickers titles, though clever little design choices make it feel like a true to the franchise entry throughout. There's a solid amount of customization & content here, & the endless tower mode makes for some interesting score chasing, though I do wish there were a daily challenge of some sort. The art is clean so you'll never get confused by what's happening on the screen, & the OST honestly goes a lot harder than it has any right to. Combat is quick but never feels unfair. Some encounters can surprise you the first time you experience them, though every situation is playable with the right gear & an understanding of what counters what (PS, flashbangs are your best friends for hostage missions). With 84 missions, 6 unique combatants, Steam Workshop support, & star ratings to chase, there's a plenty of replability to be found throughout this delightful little experience.
• J3t

  Jan 2, 2023

  Break & Shoot
• RepublicsFury

  Jan 2, 2023

  Freekin awesome! 2D fun that is easy to play and fun to do with a bud.
• Scottbee

  Feb 14, 2023

  Super fun pickup and play game for quick action packed sessions.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 4, 2023

  The game looks pretty good, especially if you like the pixelart style. Sound design is surprisingly well made and the soundtrack is a banger too, reminding me of the music tracks from the ‘80s - ‘90s. The base gameplay is fun: you can choose between 6 different characters who have their own abilities and equipment. Skills can be upgraded with level up points, equipment is obtainable via stars, which you can get when you complete a level with the best result possible. On the level, you have to complete the objective, which can be hostage rescue, bomb defusal, neautralizing threat and many others. You will face different enemy types, which can make certain situations difficult and also there are mini bosses in the game. But throughout my playtime, I stumble upon some issues. I mostly played the game in co-op and we had disconnects throughout the game. It seems pretty random when it happened, because we live somewhat close to each other, we both have a good internet connection, so we are unsure why this happened, but thankfully this was not that annoying issue. However, we sometimes had stuttering and lag for a short time on multiple levels, again, unsure why. Controls don't seem difficult to play with, but I couldn’t get used to it somehow… maybe I just need to git gud. Most of the characters are situational, but for me, Breacher is basically overpowered and great for most situations, but I think the devs were also aware of him, however it really makes the game easy. At hostage rescue missions, hostages often like to move where the action is and you can kill them easily by accident after rescue. You can also realize, that some parts of the maps gets reused in later levels. All in all, most of the up mentioned issues are minor and all things considered, this game is quite fun and surprisingly well made. It’s great for co-op and all right for single player, so I can definitely recommend you to give it a try. 12€ is a bit much for it, but 6-8€ seems like a good price to pay.