It is said that first impressions are everything, and Rekoil does a fine job of reinforcing that notion. I felt excited when I booted up the shooter for the first time; a game labeled as a spiritual successor to classic shooters of old was appealing to me. I jumped into a server, picked my loadout, and entered the map, where I was promptly killed at spawn. Well, not everyone is an expert right away, I thought. But after I was killed about five times by my new friend spawn camping from a corner, I felt my heart sink. Yes, first impressions can mean everything, and over the course of many hours following, I could only conclude that my early suspicion was correct: Rekoil is a broken game.

An online-only first-person shooter with the military trappings of games like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike, Rekoil takes things back to basics, eschewing many mechanics gamers have come to accept as standard. The game focuses on competitive gameplay without being concerned about experience points, ranks, guard dogs, or tactical air strikes. It offers six loadouts, including the familiar assault, recon, and sniper classes. Each loadout contains five to six weapons, as well as a sidearm, a melee weapon, and a choice of two grenade types, along with multiple weapon skins like arctic camo and glistening gold plating--all of which are available at the start.

Rekoil currently features several game modes, including the ever-popular Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. Adding to that is Domination, where the two factions fight to capture and hold spots on a map. There is also Hold the Briefcase, in which teams gain points the longer they have the briefcase in their position, and Capture the Briefcase, which is Rekoil's own variant of Capture the Flag. The game also includes its own version of Halo 4's Flood mode, called Rekondite. In this mode, one player is chosen to be the rekondite, a transparent foe gifted with unnatural speed and a strong melee attack. Those killed are respawned as rekondites, and remaining players must survive against the increasing number of invisible enemies.

Rekoil proudly advertises eSport support, offering Twitch.tv tools and a full spectator mode. But while my test run with Twitch seemed acceptable, I cannot say the same about spectator mode. Some of the maps include invisible walls, which range from being a small nuisance, by preventing you from hopping over small rocks or ledges or from getting behind cover, to being problematic, such as tall barriers that bounce grenades back at you. The invisible walls in these maps prevented my floating camera from smoothly skimming the battlefield, forcing me to search for an opening as if I were trapped in an imperceptible maze. I don't believe eSports commentators will find the patience to cover a game that makes it so difficult to follow matches.

Beyond technical concerns, the most problematic issue Rekoil faces is the complete absence of a strong online community. When I first booted up the game on the day of its release, there were no more than 30 people playing it. The number fluctuated throughout the week, and more often than not, I played games only half full and sometimes with odd-numbered teams. Less than half that number showed up to play in the days that followed.

Rekoil suffers from game-breaking glitches that range from aggravating to completely bewildering.

Rekoil has taken a laundry list of what could go wrong with a game and promptly checked nearly every box. There are moments when everything seems to go right, and you are reminded why simple online multiplayer shooters ruled the world. But those moments are wedged between frustrating glitches, lag, and a plethora of other problems. Those dedicated enough can spend time in Rekoil's map creation tool, but with an online community numbering mere dozens and dwindling, it is uncertain there will be many players to share your map with. Rekoil sets its sights on resurrecting the simple online shooter, and promptly misses its target.