Kit Up
Released in 2014 by Killhouse Games, Doorkickers is a seemingly simple game. The objective is to lead a SWAT team through various missions, giving them checkpoints as they move through an area. With those checkpoints you can decide where they move, where they aim and if they need to deploy stun grenades or other gadgets. You can either attempt to plan out an entire mission or have some level of improvisation. With the ability to pause in real time and plan your next move, it’s easy to control the action if something you didn’t account for catches you off guard.
There are five classes available to select for your operators. Pointmen are the fastest, but only wield a pistol. Assaulters are great all rounders who can take a submachine gun or assault rifle. Breachers provide the fastest way through a door with their shotguns which are also devastating at close range. Stealth have silenced weapons that can be useful for gaining the element of surprise. Finally Shield operatives carry a shield that can stop incoming rounds and provide cover for other officers, at the cost of movement speed and accuracy. Each class is useful in certain situations and no one class can do everything.
On top of the classes, there are dozens of weapons, armour and gadgets for each class. As the developers have been adding in many weapons since the initial release, there’s plenty of equipment at your disposal.
Unfortunately you do have to spend a lot of time unlocking this gear. To begin with you only start with the Pointman with only one body armour and one sidearm. For every mission you complete you gain 1-3 stars which are used to unlock equipment. Considering some weapons can cost up to 40 stars there’s a lot of grinding to do. I’ve found the best way to get stars is to complete the campaigns, as you get double the amount once you complete one. You also have to level up to unlock the other classes. Initially this does limit your options, but at the same time helps keep the game streamlined whilst you learn it.
The big problem with the unlocking system is the balance. Some weapons are extremely effective and aren’t nessecarily scaled to cost. The P90 submachine gun for the assaulter is a good example of this, as it only costs 15 stars yet is an absolute beast in close quarters and highly effective against armour. Many weapons that cost twice as much struggle to keep up with it. Additionally many weapons fulfill the same purpose and just come across as unneeded.
On top of this you also have to worry about leveling up. Completing missions grants experience for both your squad and individual troopers. Leveling up the squad allows you to unlock new classes and doctrine in the skill tree. These doctrine can be absolutely critical and include abilities such as Hold Fire for Stealth troopers or the Mozambique Drill that makes pistols practically instantly lethal at short range. Individual troopers can improve their ability to shoot at close, at distance and their speed with using equipment. I’ve honestly never noticed the difference between troopers no matter their skill levels. That being said, if they die during the campaign they will be replaced with another trooper who will start at the lowest level.
I really wish that the leveling wasn’t part of the game. I just think it adds an element the game doesn’t end. That being said, it probably takes five to six hours at most to fully level up so it’s not a deal breaker.
On the Streets
As mentioned above, how you complete a missions is up to you. You can plan every move or improvise the entire thing. On top of that you can chose to be stealthy, or use sound to lure enemies into kill zones.
To begin with, missions only require you to kill all enemies on the map. Soon enough hostages are introduced. Later missions involve preventing executions, defusing bombs, escorting VIPs, arresting certain targets or collecting evidence before it’s destroyed.
Visually the game is simplistic, but effective. This might not be as artistic as Bastion or Pyre, but everything is functional and clear, plus the menu art is fantastic. It’s easy to understand what is going on both visually and audibly. Environments are also effective in portraying their locations and audio is atmospheric.
The only minor complaints I’d have visually is that there is no variety among the hostages, which would have been nice and that sometimes flashbangs will hit corners even when the line indicated they wouldn’t. As for audio, I wish there was more variety in the voice acting of the troopers. There is only one voice for them, and that means that the few female troopers have male voices. Neither are a big deal but they would’ve been nice to have.
Like many puzzle games the game starts off easy enough, but as things go on missions start getting more complicated, with larger maps, timed objectives, multiple storey buildings and more suspects that are better equipped. Figuring out what to do will most likely come down to trial and error, so expect to be repeating levels over and over, especially if you want high scores.
The only levels I dislike are some that are found in certain campaigns where once the mission start your officers are thrown into a gunfight instantly. This is frustrating as injuries carry over for one mission and taking injured officers into a mission makes them more likely to die. This is even more problematic when playing Iron Man mode where you cannot restart levels.
Additional Reinforcements
If you get bored with the campaigns and single missions, you also have the random mission generator, which will give you a random mission to do in either one of the levels from the single missions, or a completely random killhouse. It’s not the most balanced mode, but it’s a fun addition. There’s also a level editor where you can make your own missions. It’s a fairly easy to use tool if you’re willing to put in the time.
The game also has it’s fair share of mods. These include adding even more weapons, levels and even some total conversions. It’s pretty cool to see a fairly active modding scene on a small indie title.
Debriefing
Overall Doorkickers is a very solid first outing from Killhouse Games. I’ve been following this game since it’s late alpha state and it’s only gotten better. With a sequel and a spin off in the works, there’s certainly gonna be plenty of door kicking in the future.
Dear Reader Your Writer 