Boots-on-the-ground competitive first-person shooters, like XDefiant, typically feature smaller maps. If you lean towards tactical games like Rainbow Six Siege or enjoy more intense experiences, you’ll find few titles that fully immerse you in realistic tactical situations. These shooters blur visual quality and camera perspective lines while maintaining objective-based gameplay. The movement feels hefty, and navigating each corner is tense, making it a unique approach that defines a new breed of shooters using a body camera perspective.
The genre gained more attention with DRAMA’s Unrecord, known for hyper-realistic visuals and combat. Reissad Studio’s game, Bodycam, focuses on multiplayer and shares this intense realism. While it sounds like a great concept with the potential to advance realistic shooters, Bodycam reflects both the highs and lows of this sub-genre.
The atmosphere is incredibly tense—turning on your flashlight can be deadly. The game’s presentation heightens this tension with its highly realistic environments. However, being an early access title, Bodycam lacks some key elements. There is no story or plot beyond the basic counter-terrorist versus terrorist setup. Without a tutorial or mode explanations, you’re left to figure things out on your own. You can host a lobby, manually find one, or use Quickplay to jump into a game. After parachuting out of a mysterious plane, players engage in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, or Body Bomb modes.
In-game, you’ll notice your weapon moves independently of your view and sways when aiming down sights. Peeking around corners feels solid, and guns have significant recoil. The audio is explosive and true-to-life for weapon sounds. Interestingly, instead of the usual first-person perspective, the game presents everything through a body camera, adding to the oppressive atmosphere as you move through hallways and rooms. When you die, there’s no kill cam; you just see your body slump to the floor before the feed cuts out. If you’re shot in the head, it’s an instant disconnection, adding a small sense of realism.
The game’s detailed textures, realistic lighting, and environmental elements like graffiti create a believable atmosphere. Maps like the spooky Abandoned Hospital and the eerie, forested Tumblewood enhance the experience. There are six maps in total, plus a Training map where you can practice aiming and navigate an obstacle course.
These details help each map stand out, even though some feel more like real environments than competitive maps. This isn’t necessarily negative but can affect gameplay fundamentals. The body camera features are impressive, with lens flares and dirt affecting your view, though animations can sometimes appear clunky.
However, the novelty wears off after a few rounds, making Bodycam feel less like a fully developed game and more like a tech demo, despite its potential.