This past weekend at PAX I got the chance to play a demo of Blacklight: Retribution, Zombie Studios and Perfect World’s upcoming free to play first person shooter for the PC. There was a long line to play the game all weekend, as each match lasted for 10 minutes, but was only 3 vs. 3.

Blacklight seems like the typical shooter at first, but after some time with it there are a few key features that help it stand out. We were only given a minute to go through the customization choices before starting so I could not see every aspect of it. You can customize your weapon loadouts for up to 4 presets that can be changed every time after you die.

There was also what seemed to be highly customizable gear and armor, but I did not have time to look at all the choices. When the match started the controls felt natural, but they have added a twist with the use of the Hyper Reality Visor (HRV). By pressing V while playing you are able to see through walls to get an idea of where your teammates and enemies are. While you cannot shoot while in this mode, it helps give you a sense of where you should be heading.  After killing the enemy you gain experience points that can be used as currency in game.

There are several weapon depots where you can buy new weapons using your experience points, such as a flamethrower. If you choose to save up your points you can get a Hardsuit. This is a controllable mech that has around 15 times the number of health compared to a normal character. The easiest way to stop a mech is to kill the person trying to call for one. You need to be outside to get one and it takes a few seconds before it deploys. Once it is in play, the game gets much more difficult for the opposing side. The only way to kill it is to find its weak spots while in HRV. In the end my team won 22-21, as we were able to run away from their two Hardsuits in the final minutes to eke out the victory. The best player on the winning team got a t-shirt, while everyone else got a stress reliever grenade.

I had a lot of fun playing the game, and wish the line had been shorter so I could have played a second time. When asked about the beta, they said to go to blacklight.perfectworld.com to sign up for it, which will take place sometime this fall.

Read our previous E3 coverage of Blacklight Retribution here.