Delta Force Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, & Android)

Delta Force has been around for a while now, although the series took a long hiatus since its last entry in 2009. Now, Team Jade is back with a new entry, originally titled Delta Force: Hawk Ops, but now shortened to just Delta Force. And there’s quite a lot of sentiment you can have about this game, ranging from absolute pleasantries to downright disappointment. Steam reflects just the same, with a score of 6/10. However, that score may largely have been pulled down from lots of complaints about the game using Tencent’s kernel-level anti-cheat.

The main issue was that the system operated on the kernel level and still continued to function even after you had put your controller down. It screamed privacy issues concerning some kind of consumer data theft. However, the developers assured gamers that the anti-cheat system worked as intended. The system was completely effective, they said, and its operation on the kernel level was actually a thing of beauty to properly detect gamers exploiting any loopholes. They added that claims that the anti-cheat program failed to stop working once you were done playing Delta Force were unfounded. 

Anyway, it seems that the kernel-level anti-cheat controversy that had Steam users up in arms has now been smoothed out. Now, we can properly assess the game based solely on its merits (or demerits). So, let’s get to it, shall we? Here’s a comprehensive look at our Delta Force review.

Keep the Peace

Available on all major platforms, Delta Force gives you the chance to play as a United States Delta Force military operative who’s just been posted at Mogadishu’s Civil War. The setting appears present-day with near-future technology and vehicles. From tanks to helicopters, all of the handy warfare toys will be available to you, as will trusty weapons with impressive customization. And well, the rest is the unraveling of events you have heard about, events you may have even played through: take on enemies across land, air, and sea. 

Battlefield, That You?

I have to say, the level of execution and detail is so damn good. Well, if it didn’t exactly mimic one warfare game, you may have already played. The maps in the game are simply way too similar, so much so that if a random person walks in on you playing Delta Force, they may think you’re playing Battlefield instead. Even the UI is oddly similar, down to the last detail of the fonts and the icon placements. It’s all so strange and fiercely concerning that Delta Force didn’t try to stand out, even at least on the presentation. But the mimicry extends farther, down to how the game plays. 

Indeed, if you came from Battlefield, you won’t have any problem jumping into Delta Force. The same operators from the former are in the latter. Assaults, Supports, Medics, and Snipers make it here, although named differently: Assault, Engineer, Recon, or Support. However, their roles and ideas behind strategizing the composition of your team remain the same. It gets worse. Onward into your playthrough, you discover that one of the main game modes also mimics Battlefield’s entire structure. And that’s multiplayer combat on an expansive map. Keep in mind that the maps already have a striking resemblance, and now the gameplay does, too. 

And So, It Begins

“Warfare,” as the title goes, is a 64-player PvP mode. You choose from wide-ranging tactical gear and vehicles and hop in Attack versus Defense teams into one of a handful of varying maps. From here on out, it’s a matter of capturing as many points of interest on the map as your team can, molding your strategy into the attack and defending roles. Over time, the attack team will push on the enemy, claiming more and more territories on the map. But the defense team, too, will be at the ready, seeking to retain control over as much ground as they can. And all of that can easily be sculpted to be uniquely Delta Force. 

However, it’s the execution of the massive scale that makes you question over and over again how much of a clone Delta Force actually is. Assault ships, battle tanks, heavy helicopters, and armored vehicles are all deployable in Battlefield, at the same expansive scale and execution. At least, though, combat seems to run without a hitch. The performance of the game is one aspect Delta Force excels in, with no bugginess in sight or frame rate drops, for that matter. Even in the most chaotic battle moments, when smoke particles clutter the screen, and explosions permeate through the air, performance remains ever so flawless. 

Loot. Extract. Repeat.

The other game mode is Operations, a three-person extraction shooter. It’s similar to Escape from Tarkov and Call of Duty’s failed DMZ. You know, the same idea of spawning behind enemy lines and looting both from the environment and rivals and extracting from the increasingly growing dangerous battle zone before it’s too late. Failure to reach the extraction point because you got nicked and didn’t pack enough healing supplies, so you bled out in the wild, will lead to losing all of your hard-earned loot. As much as the gameplay also feels familiar to Escape from Tarkov, there are definitely moments when you’re having a great deal of fun. 

I mean, you sure will get your heart pacing in the heat of the moment as you face all kinds of danger, even alligators. Your resources will be constantly looking to betray you, whether running out before you can extract safely or being too far from reach. Ambushes are common, as are environmental advantages and disadvantageous positions in this kind of game. Snipers can, for instance, maximize high towers to take you out from where you can hardly get your revenge. It’s all in the name of strategic planning and execution across completing quite thrilling objectives that, at times, you can forget the glaring lack of originality in the game.

Crunchy Punchy

Thankfully, the perks keep on coming. Gunplay, especially, is hella satisfying. You’ll notice the TTK is significantly shorter. This means you can either perfect how accurate and precise your shots are. And trust me, every shot will count. Or you can take advantage of your environment and skillful outmaneuverability. Diving for cover will almost always be the regimen of the day, as will stealth. Sometimes, alerting enemies to your position just isn’t worth the ammunition you will lose and the damage you will sustain. However, I have to say that the idea can be tempting, given how punchy the combat is. 

Weapons pack a punch. They feel weighty to offload into enemies’ bodies and come in a whopping variety. From several gun types to lots of ways to customize them, whether magazines or attachments, Delta Force sure knows how to keep you locked in. And it’s not just in the way the game generously but cautiously rewards you with new toys to tinker around with; it also often challenges you with the pros versus cons of each new upgrade. You could greatly overpower your guns, but you must also consider the weaknesses that will impact your performance on the battlefield. 

Luckily, you have a shooting range to properly test out any new adjustments before heading back to the warzone. The extraction shooter mode, in particular, takes careful consideration when upgrading and optimizing your gear at the Black Site before heading back to the thick of it. 

Switch It Up

And lastly, the operators. Although ripped from Battlefield’s system, it also adds a nice level of depth and strategy to your gameplay. Different operators adapt independently on the battlefield, thanks to their widely unique abilities. Just to name a few, you have operator D-Wolf from the Assault class. He comes with a speed boost, which can be extended with enemy kills and further add to faster healing. He can fire three grenades at a time that stretches quite far to knock out ranged enemies. 

Stinger in the Support class comes with a smoke grenade that disperses a healing cloud around your team. Luna, on the other hand, spots enemies like a hawk. She can shoot arrows that detect foes. Her arrows come imbued with electric shock, too. These operators all have many more abilities tied to their character that can really make things fun when squading up with friends.

There are far more perks to consider, like the fact that the game is free-to-play and yet has no tolerance for pay-to-win. Also, you can check out the Black Hawk Down campaign mode. It recreates the campaign from 2003’s Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. There are also classic maps you’ll find in the other two game modes that may be perfect for fans of the series to drive down memory lane.

Verdict

There are two ways to go about it. If you’re looking for an entirely unique game that reinvents the wheel, you might want to look elsewhere, especially if you have played Battlefield and Escape from Tarkov. However, if you’re simply excited about the newest FPS in town, then Delta Force will scratch that itch for you. It’s flawless in its quality and execution. The gunplay is beyond frenetic and fun. There’s so much variety in the weapons and customization options. Honestly, the one thing that could deter you is how well the community catches on because, at the end of the day, this is a community-driven game whose thriving will be the determining factor that will make or break Delta Force.