Developed by Korean game development studio ROYALCROW, CROWZ: Squad Operation is a free-to-play early access shooter that features a battle royale mode in the style of Call of Duty: Warzone and a conquest domination mode similar to Battlefield 2042. For the crowd of first-person shooter fans looking for something to sink their teeth into, CROWZ: Squad Operation might be what they’re looking for, but perhaps at a later time. The game is currently in rough shape; ROYALCROW has a lot on its hands with such an ambitious game, often striving to be a jack of all trades.
Looking back, 2021 wasn’t the best year for shooter games; Battlefield 2042 underdelivered and Call of Duty Vanguard also has undershot fan expectations. Given 2022’s first-person shooter power vacuum, CROWZ has released at the most opportune time and is sure to attract a few FPS fans. As mentioned, though, it is in a rough state, but it could become something great if the developers can find what makes CROWZ special.
CROWZ's battle royale mode, Squad Operation, doesn't stick out from the crowd. The current battle royale scene is inundated with high-quality titles, all with their own unique mechanics and style, which make them compelling to play. CROWZ doesn't have a niche in a genre with so much variety. Almost every system feels ripped straight out of its contemporaries and features every battle royale trope. Even the opening Apache helicopter cutscene appears a little too familiar for fans that have played Call of Duty: Warzone.
The only distinctive feature of CROWZ’s Squad Operation mode is the Q-on mechanic. Q-on is a highly coveted substance that players must collect and extract to achieve victory. It is the main point of conflict throughout the mode and the focal point of gameplay. Even then, this mechanic shares much of the same gameplay loop as Hunt Showdown.
CROWZ being simply another battle royale in the sea of battle royale games isn't necessarily a problem; it functions decently enough. However, there are quite a few bugs and connection issues plaguing the game, and players will have to ask themselves how much time CROWZ is worth putting into right now. Thankfully, Squad Operation isn't the only mode CROWZ offers in early access.
The best mode in CROWZ is its conquest domination mode called Blood Zone. This 32 vs. 32 player mode features only one map and multiple flags across it, which are all reasonably laid out and balanced well. Players can call in heavy artillery, UAVs, and other killstreak-esque goodies with money they collect for capturing flags or taking down other players. This game mode also features the use of tanks and helicopters, creating a full-scale war feeling in the same vein as Battlefield 2042.
Blood Zone is quite a lot of fun when firing on all cylinders. There is nothing like seeing artillery rain down on the battlefield as soldiers sprint into battle alongside vehicular instruments of war. CROWZ doesn’t do too much to differentiate itself in the large-scale shooter space that Battlefield occupies, but it does manage to scratch that same high adrenaline itch that players will enjoy. With more maps, further refinement, and stable servers, CROWZ’s Blood Zone mode will undoubtedly be a high point for this military shooter.
Putting the generally derivative nature of both game types aside, the main issue with CROWZ lies in an overarching problem with the game as a whole: its poor network stability. Almost every match has serious desync and ping issues, seemingly matching players randomly. Although, in a silver-lining situation, one of the best things about the Blood Zone mode is that the netcode and connection issues are rather muted in the chaos. Sure, some player deaths are unwarranted, but at least there is always the next life.
In Squad Operation, bad servers and desync issues just make the whole experience not worth the effort. Battle royales are inherently high-risk game modes where, more than anything, the player’s time is on the line. A player knowing that they will spend upwards of thirty minutes gathering loot only to die because of desync issues or high server ping will likely not want to play Squad Operations for very long. The battle royale mode’s currently long wait times (upwards of five minutes for a full lobby) further make the time investment simply not worth it when there are tons of other free-to-play battle royale games out right now.
Gunplay in CROWZ is decent, leaning more towards the arcade-style of Call of Duty with features like bullet drop mechanics that are similar to Battlefield. Guns have a nice audible crunch and hit markers tag with a satisfying thump. ROYALCROW states that the developers are big fans of military shooter games, and it is evident that the team placed care in making the guns sound and handle as well as they could.
CROWZ also includes an excellent suite of weapons, although few and situational in nature, but does feature the staple M4s, AK-47s, and various weapon types that fans expect from military shooter games. Additionally, the game does offer a decent amount of weapon attachment customizability and doesn’t lock any of it under microtransactions. While weapon customizability is not as robust as Call of Duty’s gunsmith, there is a decent collection of accessories and attachments to outfit the player’s CROW operator. Weapons and attachments are unlocked via player and weapon leveling. Overall, CROWZ features a great sense of progression that is sorely missing from many shooters in recent memory.
CROWZ: Squad Operation has a solid foundation, and as a free-to-play early access title could be much worse. At the same time, it could also be much better. CROWZ feels like a shooter with an identity crisis that is biting off more than it can chew. The game is stuck between wanting to be the next Warzone or wanting to be the next Battlefield while never showing players what makes it unique.
For now, CROWZ is a solid game to check out for an hour or two in Blood Zone with some friends, connection issues notwithstanding. If ROYALCROW can find its niche in the battle royale space and double down on its tactical, high octane action in Blood Zone, then CROWZ could be a justified game in the military shooter genre.
CROWZ: Squad Operation is available in early access for PC.