Parents' Guide to Splitgate

Just when you think competitive shooters have pulled every trick possible from out of their collective hat, along comes a title with one more reality-bending trick up its sleeve. It's almost impossible to talk about Splitgate without mentioning Valve's classic first-person puzzler, Portal. But Splitgate brings the physics bending use of portals to a combat environment. This leads to some sometimes strategic, sometimes hilarious, and always fun scenarios, like popping up from a wall behind an unsuspecting foe or opening up the floor below you and making a quick escape straight out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Combined with a jetpack capable of short-term hover and flight, as well as some good stage designs meant to take advantage of the game's features, and it makes for some unexpected opportunities that keep the gameplay from ever feeling stale.

Splitgate is a little rough around the edges in terms of presentation. The game lacks some of the visual polish found in many modern shooters currently available. Still, that doesn't stop it from being an absolute blast to play, with plenty of game types and maps to keep you busy, as well a fairly decent selection of customization options to buy or to earn through gameplay. Since the game's free-to-play, there's the obligatory in your face push to spend money on credits to use at the in-game shop. It's a lot like having to deal with the occasional commercial break during a television show in the sense that there often might not much you're actually interested in, but it's a necessary interruption in the entertainment. Thankfully, all of the available items are cosmetic in nature, keeping the game from become a pay-to-win situation.