Insurgency: Sandstorm Review (Epic Game Store)

Fight the fight with our Insurgency: Sandstorm Review as we attempt to move with speed and caution as we push through the war-torn environments of a fictional conflict in the Middle East. Death always comes fast, ammunition is sparse and so is our will to live, and the environment must be tactically navigated at every step because you never know what is around each corner as we move toward victory.

Insurgency Sandstorm

Insurgency Sandstorm Review Pros:

  • Decent graphics.
  • 50.63GB Download size.
  • Epic Games Store Achievements.
  • Optional tutorial scenario.
  • Full controller support.
  • Field of view slider.
  • Graphics settings are – fullscreen, vertical sync, graphics preset (auto/low/medium/high/very high), anti aliasing, distance quality, texture quality, effects quality, foliage quality, shadow quality, post processing quality, frame soothing, frame limiter, resolution scale, motion blur, scope setting, dismemberment, ragdoll count, foliage interactions, ambient occlusion, anisotropic filtering, tessellation, screen space reflections, dynamic shadow resolution, cascaded shadow map resolution, texture streaming pool and hierarchical LOD transition method.
  • Tactical first-person shooter gameplay.
  • Online- Co-op, Quickplay, and ranked.
  • In-game voice and chat shortcuts.
  • NVIDIA highlights support.
  • Full mod support with browse and favourites filters.
  • Realistic war, No regenning health, checkpoints, etc.
  • Six controller layouts – standard, alternative, left-handed, left-handed alternative, modern and classic.
  • Controller settings allow you to individually adjust sensitivity for each type of scope, Invert axis, turn on auto lean, dead zone sliders, and how the bipods deploy.
  • Firing range area.
  • Lessons are helpful videos and infographics.
  • Hud is fully customizable from what is shown to what colors are for what.
  • Uses Easy anti cheat software.
  • Character customisation – character model, headgear, face wear, eyewear, hands, torso, legs, feet, equipment, uniform camo and randomize.
  • Audio settings allow you to adjust all aspects from game chat to game sounds including the ability to mute ear ringing and radio beeps.
  • Teamwork is key to victory.
  • Eight types of soldier class – Rifleman, Breacher, Advisor, Demolitions, Marksman, Gunner, Observer, and Commander.
  • Fast reload allows you to double-tap reload and drop all remaining bullets for a new clip.
  • Strong gunplay game, Every gun feels different but always feels tight and responsive.
  • Audio feels positional including voice chat which adds to the drama and tension.
  • 8 Vs AI Co-Op mode.
  • 16 Vs 16 mp online.
  • Insurgency: Sandstorm
  • Hardcore in every way.
  • Dripping in the atmosphere.
  • Offline mode with bot support.
  • Full stats and overview section.
  • Can adjust fire rate on guns.
  • Each gun has a set amount of points that you use to add mods and upgrades like sights, compensators, and grips.
  • Fills like a middle ground between Arma and Battlefield.
  • Capturing objectives will respawn dead teammates instantly.
  • Supply crates are in levels and refill ammo.
  • Doors can be shot or kicked down.
  • Fourteen maps.
  • Day and night setting.
  • Four scenario types – checkpoint security, hardcore checkpoint security, checkpoint insurgents, and hardcore checkpoint insurgents.
  • Gritty level designs with a lot of built-up areas along with dangerous open lands and roads.
  • Your loadout is not just governed by points for the attachments and equipment but it’s also governed by weight.

Insurgency Sandstorm Review Cons:

  • Insurgency: Sandstorm uses a dark color palette with a lot of browns, Greys, and blacks.
  • Slow sluggish control more in terms of movement and cover.
  • No HDR settings or support.
  • Framerate issues.
  • Insurgency: Sandstorm has long waiting times.
  • Limited game modes.
  • Slight pop in.
  • Hard to see the enemy.
  • The learning curve with how it all plays.
  • It is all a lot slower than a Call of Duty or Battlefield.
  • Long boot-up times.
  • No mini-map or mod cons like that.
  • Never sure when you are in an objective.
  • Cannot tweak Ai settings like difficulty or anything and this is noticeable in offline play.

Related Post: Plunderer’s Adventures Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

Insurgency Sandstorm:

Official website.

Developer: New World Interactive

Publisher: Focus Home Interactive

Store Links –

Xbox

Epic

Steam

PlayStation

  • 8/10
    Graphics - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Sound - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Accessibility - 8/10
  • 9/10
    Length - 9/10
  • 9/10
    Fun Factor - 9/10
8.4/10

Summary

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a top shooter, It nails the atmosphere in a way that so many war games fail in. It is almost like a condensed massive shooter like Squad or M.A.G. It has a strong teamwork ethic and hangs up there with Socom and Tom Clancey games in terms of planning and execution. For me it was a bit intimidating jumping in due to the slow movement, Gunplay is tight but still has a degree of learning how they work to it all. I wish it had more game modes and the downtime between deaths wasn’t so high. From what you get it is a top-tier shooter and whilst it may not look the part it certainly plays the part. It takes what you have played in your Operation Flashpoints and just brings the genre forward with the load-out customisation stuff and team building. It also goes back a few steps by taking out the video game parts like mini-map and objective markers so it really does have a bit of everything. The pace is slow but I find that’s what I like more and more these days, reloading is a pain due to the speed but everything else is just fine. Having limited ammo means you need to think before you shoot, plan before you take down the man, the tension is there and the core game is one of the best.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!