Kotaku Review: Ready or Not's Tactical Horror and Political Tension

Key points

• Ready or Not is a squad-based first-person shooter where players command a four-officer SWAT team in the fictional city of Los Suenos, California.
• The game features missions inspired by real-world tragedies, including Columbine, Pulse, Waco, and the Las Vegas shooting, often with altered details.
• VOID Interactive hired former SWAT 4 modders and aims to immerse players in the psychological strain of active shooter situations.
• Kotaku criticizes the game for presenting a 'Mark Wahlberg-ian fantasy' of intervention, using missions that target diverse groups, from drug cartels to homeless populations.
• The review notes that while the game effectively communicates its worldview, the reviewer finds the perspective abhorrent and the experience akin to 'force-fed fearmongering.'
• The game was released on December 13, 2023, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and was played for 20 hours for the review.

Background

Ready or Not is positioned as a spiritual successor to Irrational Games' SWAT 4, with VOID Interactive hiring former modders from that title. The game follows a lineage of 'persuasive games' that aim to alter player opinion, similar to titles like Depression Quest or Papers, Please, but with a more visceral approach to tactical policing.

Why it matters

The review highlights the ongoing debate about the role of video games in shaping public perception of policing and violence, particularly in the context of American gun culture and law enforcement.

What to watch

Players can expect to engage with the game's single-player campaign and multiplayer modes, with a focus on score-chasing and tactical decision-making.