Ready or Not, a tactical SWAT simulator released on PC in 2023, recently hit consoles with a flashbang. While viewing gameplay may not demonstrate much difference from the swathe of first-person shooters available, Ready or Not requires a unique approach to battle. Go slow. Did I say slow? I meant slower. For around every corner, under every bed and behind every door lies a threat waiting to gun you down. Rush in too quick and the hostages will die, the AI-enemy will flank you and the mission will fail. Even if you go slow for 45 minutes in a single house, checking every room meticulously, a perp may enter a door you haven’t wedged and blow your back out. It is this intensity, this stressful minute-by-minute sweep that sees Ready or Not stand distinct from its class. Though this may not be for everyone. As gamers, learned behaviour is to go fast and loud if stealth hits the fan. Ready or Not subverts this approach, asking you to double down on stealth if a hairy situation presents. Slow and steady saves the civilians, and there are no efforts made to cater towards quick results.
Released in 2022 in early access and in full on PC in 2023, Ready or Not received acclaim for its gritty, grimy action and realistic approach to hostage situations. Console players can now scour the Californian underbelly in locations such as a petrol station to save the day. Playable in co-op or with an AI squad, the use of commands and taking each situation based on layout creates adrenaline-pumping scenarios that pay a heavy price on failure – starting all over again. The ‘go slow’ requirement rings true. After easily passing the first level using my general ‘guns blazing and pivot’ style (despite realising I was missing smarter openings) I was soon self-labelled as a poor student of the SWAT school in the second level as criminals blasted me from unseen angles. I then started to make use of the tools – wedging a door on entry points, placing my AI squad strategically across a room, using flashbangs whenever entering a new point of interest – and slowed momentum, noting that a more tactical approach saw criminals hesitate or drop their guns before a gunfight even ensued. This is how the game is meant to be played, requiring a good couple of hours to adjust to the tempo.
Ready or Not features 18 levels that can take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to complete. They are large areas filled with houses, caves, buildings and hiding places to explore. These sections are narrow, tight and littered with a range of entry/exit points. Graphically, the settings are well detailed and use shadows to keep the intensity high. The sounds are realistic, visceral and enough to keep the ticker on edge. Once you’ve been surprised by an enemy once, every encounter has this expectation of being spooked from behind – heightened by the graphics and audio design. My only encountered bugs were seeing enemy arms or legs jut out of walls from the other side, but this was a rarity in otherwise strong performance. The extensive list of guns and equipment are modelled off reality, demonstrating the lean towards a simulator rather than an action game. This sees the success of the title rest upon the player’s preference – if you’re a fan of realism and slower approaches, you’ll find a gem here that harkens back to SWAT games of earlier eras.
To further highlight how this game works, one of my early playthroughs of level two is a strong case study. Having failed twice within five minutes after breezing level one, I realised that I needed to embrace the tactical SWAT style expected of the player. Rather than enter the apartment building through the front, I veered right through a gate and asked two of my four squad mates (red team) to take the stairs. My other squad mates (blue team) covered my six. Now in the middle of a five-man procession, I had coverage from those sneaking up behind and multiple guns on anything in front. I then ordered red team to stack up on the first doorway while blue team cleared the room with a flashbang. The enemy didn’t hear my approach as I avoided spamming the ‘resist now’ button. Before being able to unload their clips, the four criminals in this apartment were restrained (and weapons bagged) within 30 seconds. I wedged the entry point and continued sweeping each room in the apartment using this flashbang and sneak approach. After 35 minutes, gunfire hailed from above. I must have missed a bedroom. Thankfully, as I left the red team on the top level, that enemy died without touching my Kevlar. Hands sweaty and throat dry, I passed the level with a B grade clocking well over 40 minutes. I now understood what the game expected of me, and every level after only increased in tension. While this example was an enjoyable experience in that sense of ‘clicking’, it is not something that can be played in just any frame of mind. On level five, I failed after 57 minutes and didn’t try again for nearly 24 hours. Enemies pop up in different spots each time, ensuring that beating a level does not make the next run easier. One on one shoot-outs do not end well for the player and are only a last resort. But this frustration is necessary for a simulator to work. Ready or Not achieves its purpose with flying debris, doubling down on systems that in other games would serve as a barrier to progression.
Outside of missions, players spend time at the precinct to change loadouts, swap squad mates and engage in training (story is not a major component). Trialling different weapons and specialised AI support sees further strategy employed in how situations are tackled. The controls for both the precinct and the missions took time to feel comfortable (I swapped the commands wheel to a list as I was finding this a little clunky) and much of the controller layout differs from other FPS titles outside of shooting and crouching. Once all becomes muscle memory, the systems work well and few slips are made. In terms of depth, this is a game best enjoyed with others rather than AI. Entering these situations with your friends adds a further layer of realism. The enemies are very good for the most part and cause a range of surprises. Being able to set up raids with other humans is just more fun than ordering AI around. This is also where replayability can be found.
Ready or Not is a game that will be best enjoyed by lovers of tense situations and realistic SWAT activity. Its ability to make you forget that you’re playing a video game proves that there is so much to enjoy in its simulator approach to intense scenarios. Those needing checkpoints or faster paced gunplay may not gel with this one, and that is completely fine – it is better to see these games lean into a market and provide an authentic experience as opposed to being mainstream for the sake of popularity. Outside of the apparent removal of darker content in comparison to the PC release, Ready or Not is an excellent port of a game with a strong following. This may just be your next co-op staple.
Pros
- Sound design and settings and a strong layer of realism
- Great level of customisation
- Co-op masterclass
Cons
- Slow can feel too slow, especially when failing a 40+ minute run
- Controls can take a while to feel comfortable
