The Cycle: Frontier Gameplay Preview

The Cycle: Frontier is in closed beta and has changed considerably since the last time I played it during season three. Much to my chagrin the game is much more closer to Escape from Tarkov.

Frontier is a much more slower game where the focus is on looting and getting out alive. The previous iteration of The Cycle was a fast paced PvEvP game with a lot of vertical mobility via jetpacks and horizontal mobility via abilities. The game was pure fun to me because you lost almost nothing when you died but had so much to gain by taking large risks. You could also choose not to engage in the pvp since you had so much mobility.

Now, the current version of the game has removed most of the movement abilities. You have a slower sprint that uses a stamina bar and crouching while running will only let you slide a short distance. The game is also much more slower due to the design. Since you are bringing in gear every time you drop to the surface of Fortuna III, and you lose everything when you die, you have to play in a much more safe fashion. You do have a small safe pocket where you won’t lose those items when you die but you can’t carry much there.

Since ammunition is limited due to your backpack space and you don’t want to risk bringing in your fully kitted out guns, you end up not engaging in combat if it can be helped. If you drop in solo, you still face up against squads and this clearly puts you at a huge disadvantage.

The game also employs standard free to play mechanics often found in mobile games. You have a person quarters that can be upgraded and generate resources for you. The storage space you have is limited as well and I’d imagine you can upgrade it with real money.

Overall, The Cycle: Frontier is a decent Escape from Tarkov clone. It has the potential to provide a different enough experience if it embraces more of what made it unique and bring back the more PvEvP heavy elements as well as the fast movement.