Indie Review: Military Conflict Vietnam

Do not get me started on how much I love games from small developers or community projects. People who have the passion and love of video games so much they go out and make their own product is the textbook definition of "passion project" . Military Conflict Vietnam (which I will shorten to MCV for this article) is a first person shooter from a small team called Dustfade. The game is an homage to old school shooters. No battlepasses or $2.00 skin's, just you, your rifle, and the enemies in front of you.

I originally found this project when I was trolling YouTube a few months back and came across some gameplay footage. Using the Source Engine Dustfade has put together a traditional old school shooter set during the Vietnam War. Based on the Discord it also appears there is another Cold War era expansion in the works set in the Rhodesian Bush War (not sure anyone has covered that conflict in a video game title?). The game is currently in early access with lots more content in the works for future release.

I am a sucker for games set during the Cold War; especially, the Vietnam War. So many titles have done WWII or modern warfare, so it's always refreshing to see a different setting in a military shooter. So I was waiting with anticipation and purchased the game when it entered Early Access. A little pricey for an Indie shooter at $25.99 CAD, but I really wanted to try it out and support this small team. (At the time this is written the price was lowered to $19.99 CAD, in response to community suggestions). The game has your classic TDM, CTF, and conquest modes with demolition and last man/team standing in development. The game pairs you off into either soldiers of US forces or insurgents of the National Liberation Front or Viet Cong. The weapons are historically accurate and locked to the faction you are playing as. American weapons for the US and Soviet-Era weapons for the VC. There is a good depth of weapons ranging from WWII to the newest weapons of 1968. Spawn in as an American with a M1 Garand or a M-16. Take control of a Viet Cong fighter with a SVT-40 or an AKM your choice. I really enjoy the character customization. You can change their uniform and helmets which is really neat. I hope they introduce more variations to add to the experience. The maps includes military bases, depots, outposts, and cities. My favourite maps are the urban maps of Saigon and Hue. There is also an interior only map in the US Embassy which is pretty fun. The stairwells become choke points of carnage. The gun play is decent and you definitely need to have skill to dominate in this game. The player count can be a bit spotty if your in North America, but there is bots to fill out the lobby.

My quick impression is it's a fun ode to the glory days of PC shooters. If it can deliver on it promises of more content and grow its player base it will be a successful project.

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