A free-to-play FPS with a torrent of mixed reactions is dominating Steam

Despite hosting a mixed review status on Steam, the free-to-play first-person shooter Shatterline has quickly become popularized across the platform. The hero shooter features a colorful host of maps and a wide array of playable characters, each with their own specialties, abilities, and ultimates.

Still in its early access phase, Shatterline has risen as one of the fastest-growing shooters on Steam since its initial release on Sept. 8, quickly cracking the top 100 most-played games on Steam. The futuristic FPS has garnered a significant player base in only a matter of days, averaging over 12,000 concurrent players and peaking at over 18,000 in the title’s relatively short stay on Steam, according to Steam Charts.

Despite Shatterline’s immense growth, the FPS has been met with a mixed reaction status on Steam, receiving over 4,000 reviews after only five days. Many have praised the game’s take on traditional player-vs-player game modes and a roguelike co-op mode, likening Shatterline to FPS predecessors such as Dirty Bomb, Titanfall, and even Call of Duty.

Other players less enchanted by the FPS’ debut acknowledged Shatterline’s potential though addressed several perceived issues with the game. Reviewers such as Trivan_23 addressed the game’s relatively low time-to-kill rate, long cooldown timers, underwhelming character ultimates, and poor deathmatch spawn areas. Other negative reviewers have pointed toward the game’s potentially unfair progression system and matchmaking systems.

Still in development, Shatterline is assessing community reactions and intaking community feedback with a prospective timeline to release on Feb. 9, 2023. Already on its way to becoming one of the premier FPS titles on Steam despite its mixed player reviews, it’s unclear if Shatterline can win over the remainder of its player base and polish gameplay to capitalize on its growing success on Steam.