Counterpick Labs Review Summary

Addictive gameplay, a huge hero roster, and mostly smooth controls are marred by a small community, long queues, thin content, and control and performance issues.

Fun and Addictive Gameplay: The core gameplay is described as very good, a blast, and consistently fun, with polished fundamentals that keep players engaged.

Smooth and Responsive Controls: Controls are intuitive, responsive, and work well on both gamepad and keyboard, with customizable inputs that enhance the experience.

Extensive Hero Database: The game features a regularly updated hero database with detailed information on strengths, weaknesses, counterpicks, and synergies.

Excellent Platform Fighter: Players consistently praise the game as an excellent platform fighter with its own unique twist, fitting well alongside other games in the genre.

Good Rollback Netcode: Rollback netcode is implemented and provides a stable online experience, even at higher pings, outperforming other platform fighters.

Small community causes long queues: Multiple reviews point out that the player base is small and it can be hard to find matches. This leads to empty matchmaking and long queue times.

Slim content and limited options: Reviews feel the game has little content and few playstyle choices. Early development is noted with a lack of weapons, loadouts, and modes like 2v2 or FFA.

Poor controls and performance issues: Controls are described as bad and often need rebinding, and there are technical annoyances like having to manually fullscreen. The game also feels slow with stuttery movement.

Unbalanced matchmaking and loadouts: There is absolutely no matchmaking balancing, so players can get outmatched by those with better loadouts. Specific gear like the gripper is seen as objectively better and can outspace others.

Technical bugs and unreliable tech: Early access is noted to have technical bugs and issues at launch. Tech sometimes does not work as expected, and players may jet teleport to platforms and miss a tech.

Platform Fighter Core Gameplay: The game is a platform fighter similar to Smash Bros., featuring combos, controls that can be rebound, and fast-paced movement with punishing mechanics. It includes wavedash inputs, smash attacks, and damage percent systems.

Customizable Fighter Loadouts: Players assemble unique fighters from dozens of weapons and gadgets, with mix-and-match equipment and customization similar to creating a Mii in SSBU. There are hundreds of loadout combinations, including different gear pieces, weapons, secondaries, gadgets, and suits.

Dynamic Combat with Gadgets: Combat is dynamic with action and arcade elements, where each gadget has associated moves. Gadgets include parasol, warp mine, and staff, which can be used for recovery, damage, edge guarding, and can be destroyed.

Online Multiplayer and Netcode: The game features online multiplayer with rollback netcode, allowing play with friends and quickplay matchmaking. The online play handles high ping well without weird teleporting or rollback issues.

Single Player Story Mode: There is a single player story mode with missions, currently in beta, consisting of three stages: hit the target maps and a fight. An average story is included, and veteran difficulty is available.

Stable 60fps performance: The game runs at a stable 60fps even on maximum settings, providing a smooth and consistent experience. This is a strong positive for performance-conscious players.

Favorable PC requirements: The game has decent PC requirements, making it accessible to a wide range of systems. This is a positive point for many players.

Workable game size: The game's size is manageable and does not require excessive storage space. This is convenient for players with limited disk space.

Occasional 59fps dips: There are random dips to 59fps, but the game remains perfectly playable. These minor fluctuations are hardly noticeable.

60fps cap jarring: The 60fps limit feels jarring to some players, especially those used to higher frame rates. This cap may detract from the experience.

Highly Recommend Game: Multiple reviewers highly recommend the game, with some giving it strong endorsements. It is worth playing.

Join Discord Community: Players strongly recommend joining the Discord to find more matches and engage with friendly players. The community is active and helpful for finding games.

Play With Friends: The game is best experienced with friends, and players suggest getting friends to play from the start. It is recommended for cooperative play.

Great for Platform Fighter Fans: Fans of movement-based platform fighters like Melee, Rivals of Aether, Project+, and Slap City will find this game appealing. It has potential to be on par with Rivals of Aether with future updates.

Wait for More Content: Some players advise waiting until more content is added before purchasing. The game currently lacks sufficient content.

Session length: 2.5h.

Competitive Platform Fighter Veteran: Focuses on PvP matches, combo execution, movement tech, and comparing mechanics to genre classics. Motivation: Mastering movement and combos in a competitive platform fighter with character-part customization. Stance: buy.

Social Multiplayer Community Player: Casual group PvP, Discord matchmaking, and relaxed sessions with friends. Motivation: Playing with friends and finding friendly matches through the community. Stance: buy.

PvE Story and Challenge Player: Plays solo missions and PvE modes, attempts veteran difficulty ratings, and pursues cosmetic rewards. Motivation: Experiencing single-player story missions, difficulty challenges, and cosmetic unlocks. Stance: sale.

Platform Fighter Comparisons: The game is often compared to other platform fighters like Smash Bros, Brawlhalla, Multiversus, Rivals of Aether, and Melee, with some stating it is better or surprisingly complex.

Early Access and Development Status: The game is in early access or relatively early development, so technical bugs may be present. It was previously available as a browser demo/alpha and is still in active development.

Free to Play Model: The game is free to play, including a free Steam version with earnable content and in-game purchases that do not affect balance.

Active Developer Engagement: The developer is active, hardworking, and takes requests from the community. They listen to feedback and interact with players in-game, showing commitment to the community.

Small but Growing Community: The community is small but growing with many new players. Many find the community nice, and the Discord has friendly people and resources for finding matches.