Ready or Not

After playing a couple of dozen hours of Ready or Not, I had many thoughts spiralling through my mind. A game that in both gameplay and thematics hits harder than an iron fist covered in nails, had me wishing I could retreat further into a personal bubble, where the only bad things that could happen were where milk frothier stop working. Ready or Not is even more frightening than RE7; the intense and brutal events depicted in the game are things we’ve seen and yet to see more of in the real world. And that’s what I loved and somewhat hated concerning Ready or Not. It’s unforgiving, uncaring, and teaches you that one wrong turn will result in more than losing a few teeth.


Knock, knock, ready or not!

Set in the fictional city of Los Sueños, California, you are David Judge, team leader of Platoon D, the highly decorated and effective SWAT unit that deals with hostage situations, standoffs, and other major violent activity that requires a man with a gun to bring peace once again.

Ready or Not takes us through many gruelling events through the working life of Platoon D, as they deal with kidnappings, house evasions, robberies gone wrong, hostage situations, and dealing with the worst of the worst. This is a hyper-realistic, tactical and brutal game where every move matters, checking your corners, and relying on your teammates, and what actions they perform will ensure the job is done, with as little bloodshed as possible.

Heavily influenced and spiritually inspired by the legendary SWAT games of the 2000s, particularly SWAT 3 and 4, which had a much darker edge for gameplay and writing, Ready or Not brings back the serious, grounded tone of close quarters combat which many series, like Rainbow 6, have lost over the years, and it’s incredibly refreshing to play a game that demands so much of planning, reflexes, and tactical patience.

David Judge leads his team through a barrage of missions, where every decision matters, from where you enter the premises, checking every corner of the room, and when to use your limited resources and whether it is in the right situation.


The darkest humanity has to offer

Ready or Not is a depressing game, no questions asked. It’s like a combination of all the horrible Netflix documentaries and True Crime podcasts your mum listens to, all rolled into one, and wrapped in barbed wire. From gruesome home invasions gone wrong to school shootings, David Judge and his team tackle it all.

Much of what we get is forward in concept, be it tackling an ongoing robbery at a convenience store, busting a known cult leader looking to mass produce deadly poisons, or bringing down the head of an illegal pornography syndicate at a heavily fortified complex. There is a wide variety of missions, ranging in length be it 5 minutes to 50. I admired the variety of missions, the setups, and the execution of the overarching story threads which connected various missions. Through the evidence found, you can connect the dots and link up the missions which have a story thread, which I found quite interesting. It felt very Souls-like in how information was handled and gave you titbits of lore that built up a bigger picture. And as mentioned, there were some compelling setups, particularly involving more cult-like, crazed loner elements, which stood out against the typical robbers and hired goons with guns. Or taking down a game streamer who killed his mother when she found some very unsavoury material in his room.

There’s a good deal of mayhem to bring order to, even if the nature on some levels is a little questionable, relating to the homeless, drug addicts and so forth. But it wasn’t something that bothered me too much, but there might be people who don’t like the idea of handling homeless people in a vacant building during the storm.

I do wish there were a few more missions that were smaller in scale but provided a much more intense experience. One mission early on, which lasts less than ten minutes, stood out, as David and the team must arrest a right nasty son of a b*** who is producing ricin poison, has lots of dead animals in his house in the middle of the woods, and plenty of images of women. He’s a sick scumbag, and his mission was one of the most gratifying and tactically brutal in the game.

I get that the nature of the game is to be a squad, have multiplayer, and allow everyone a fair game to play. So, having a lone gunman in a situation or breaking away from a formula that works for a team of 5 people is hard. Some missions do last maybe a little too long, particularly in massive environments where a lone NPC can wander off into a corner and hide out for a good 10 minutes before you see him. I also wish there were a little more engaging interactions at the police station hub area, where you can wander, see other detectives work, and read up on case files and clues.

There’s a blank stare that resonates with this hub, and while maybe not entirely needed, I would have liked it if, when speaking to others, there was a little more going on.

As for presentation, sound design is pitch perfect, echoing every blast and shell casting that hits the floor, the screams and shouts of panic and aggression magnify the gripping bleakness of the situation. And the general tone of the visuals creates a hauntingly beautiful world that brings a dense fog of misery through flickering lights, blood-stained floors, and neon-lit darkness that captures a modern, godless world. My only concerns were with some NPCs that never blink their fricking eyes, and other small details which you can pass by, but when you notice them, it’s irritating that they were not added in.

Blinking eyes should be mandatory in 2025 gaming.

Regardless, Ready or Not offers a compelling series of horrific events you embark on and tackle to the ground, presenting a world that’s vastly cruel, and the only method to bring some order is through force and some necessary violence. It does give a lot, a lot to sink your teeth into, and tear through for lore, and criminal stories that dive into the darkest aspects of humanity.


Check your six

While the world building, the crushing bleakness of reality, and the dark heart of society are neat factors in Ready or Not, it’s the gameplay where the bulk of interest lies for most of the audience, for sure.

And on that front, you won’t be disappointed at all if you’re looking for a visceral, hard-as-nails tactical shooter that brings an abundance of tools, but the most important thing is your senses, and the team behind your back. Ready or Not is a fair but demanding game that requires you to be on your toes with every action you make, but grants you enough resources, tools, and commands to make the most of the experience and survival. On PC, commands and executing vital actions are a seamless experience, and the developers have done the best to make it just as so with a controller. There can be some finicky-ness with selecting through multiple options, but overall, massive probs to the developers for tackling a hard job at porting that over.

You will think about every step, be paranoid about what is behind every door, and replay every mission a couple of times over to be better. Ready or Not does a grand job at randomising and making each venture into every level a little different, with new enemy placements, and various paths to embark on, with a lot of options for breaching, clearing, using lethal force, or getting the drop on suspects to avoid a firefight.

The gunplay is nail-biting, punchy, and feels like a gun fight straight out of Michael Mann’s Heat, where every shot echoes into a deafening ring, muzzle flashes blind your sight, and being hit by a bullet can end you within a split second. It’s relentless even in the quiet moments, and checking every door for traps and suspects on the other side never got tedious or dull. Since the relief of an all clear or setting into motion the controlled carnage to occur brought about a sense of awe, and gratifying release of adrenaline that kept me going.

Ready or Not will demand you use all your wits about you, and eventually down the line, you will come into alignment to check every door, wedge potential entries that pose a threat, and use any gap in a wall to see through to the next room. But the rush of clearing a room, arresting highly dangerous individuals, bagging evidence and giving all clear felt like such aanaccomplishment and a relief to be somewhat safe for a minute or so.

Even on the easiest difficulty, the game does not mess about, and you will respect the game, learn to adapt, be precise and hit hard when needed. This is no Call of Duty, nor Doom, but a highly grounded, and gut-punching game that will smack you in the teeth if you piss around. Regarding progression, there isn’t a grand deal aside from new team members, sights, and armour. Don’t get me, it’s vital and useful, and is nowhere near something like Rainbow Six Siege, which is a great thing.

You will get new stuff, but honestly, the gear from the beginning is likely to serve the most pro player until the bitter end. But it might have been nice to obtain some cool gadgets and tools to elevate and expand on how you assess the situation, or take on a particularly difficult room in a creative way, be it lethal or non-lethal. And the randomness can be a little disorienting, since you can check behind a door, open it, and suddenly see an armed suspect who happened to be running by. It can be jarring and on harder difficulties, or very long missions, to end this way can be incredibly daunting.

But what you get is good gear, and the new weapons, and increasement of resources for the late game is more vital than an RC Car bomb for sure. Ready of Not is gritty, grounded, hyper realistic as much as a game can be, and in the end, having a massive Enforcer (battering ram, or Big Key), a trusty squad with a few flash bangs, and your smarts is all you need to make the job a good one. It’s fantastically satisfying, challenging as hell, and highly rewarding when everything comes together.


Overall?

While having a couple of issues in regards to presentation and progression, Ready or Not has to be one of the most captivating and brutal tactical shooters to come out in a long time. It’s been quite some time since I played something like this, and even games which have that tactical flair don’t have the razor-like edge Ready or Not presents.

If you’re looking for a arduous, yet highly rewarding gaming experience solo or with friends, then I highly suggest you take a deep dive into the nasty world of Los Sueños, where every step is a tactical decision, checking doors, and cracks educes mass paranoia, and tackling the worst of the worst in a clean sweep becomes some of the most elevating and satisfying gamer accomplishment you could ever feel.

Ready or Not is a must-have!  


++ Intense, brutal, and captivating tactical gameplay
+ Interesting and dark stories/world building
+ Easy to learn, play, and difficult to master
+ Perfect for single and multiplayer

- Some naff elements in the presentation
- Could have used some more varied scenarios
- The hub area could have been more dynamic and meaningful


An Xbox review code of Ready or Not was kindly provided by the publisher