Blackshot

Blackshot Review

Blackshot is a 3D, match-based MMO shooter developed and published by Vertigo Games. Its timeline is a little messy in a way that will be familiar to longtime free-to-play FPS fans: it launched in South Korea in 2008, later appeared in the West through different partners, and the version most players recognize now grew out of the European release that started on May 12, 2010. The game also found meaningful traction in Southeast Asia through Garena, while the global servers have generally felt quieter over the years, but still active enough to find games at peak times.

The setting is “near-future mercenary warfare with cloning” on paper, and the official site provides some context, but in practice Blackshot is not a narrative shooter. Matches are the focus, and the lore does not influence the moment-to-moment experience.

Getting Started, Characters and First Loadouts

New players begin with two character slots and can pick from four distinct characters: Travis, Vanessa, Adam, and Cathy. The differences are simple and functional rather than transformational. Travis and Vanessa lean into speed, while Adam and Cathy emphasize durability. Those archetypes also shape the first weapons you receive, speed characters begin with an M16A1 and defensive characters start with an MP5.

One important expectation to set early is how gear ownership works. Your starter weapon is permanent, but most additional weapons are not. You also receive a short-duration free weapon when you first log in, which helps you test the pace of the gunplay before you start spending any currency.

Gunplay and Match Flow

At its core, Blackshot plays like a classic tactical FPS where precision matters and headshots are decisive. The time-to-kill can feel less snappy when you are not landing head hits, which nudges players toward controlled bursts and careful peeks instead of constant spray. Recoil is relatively forgiving compared to some other free-to-play shooters, and that makes mid-range tracking and tapping feel approachable, especially for newer players.

Movement is also more old-school. There is no sprint, so rotations and pushes are measured. Like many games of this era, swapping to a knife is the practical way to move faster when you need to cross open ground or reposition quickly.

Content variety is one of the game’s selling points. With 40+ maps and 5+ modes, there is enough rotation to prevent the experience from feeling stuck on a single layout. In reality, lobbies still gravitate toward a familiar shortlist, and you will often see the same popular picks, including Hunting, Rooftop, Lost Temple, and Sand Storm. Match sizes cap at 16 players, so the typical ceiling is 8v8.

A Mode That Still Feels Distinct: Protect the Commander

Most modes follow genre standards: Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag (Team Flag Match), Search & Destroy, and a PvE option in Bunker Defense. The standout is Protect the Commander, which changes the stakes in a way that makes rounds tense even when your team is outnumbered.

In this mode, each side has a commander, and winning is entirely about eliminating the enemy commander. Players do not respawn until the round ends, and regular kills do not count toward victory. That rule set creates dramatic swings, because a team that is behind on bodies can still steal the round with a single decisive flank. Commanders are selected randomly each round, so everyone will eventually be forced into the spotlight.

Store Model: Hourly Rentals

Blackshot’s biggest friction point is its weapon economy. Outside of your starter gear, most firearms are rented from the shop using either Bounty Points (BP), earned through play, or Bounty Cash (BC), purchased with real money. It is helpful that many weapons can be acquired with BP, but the rental periods are unusually segmented, with options commonly tied to hours rather than longer blocks like days or weeks.

There is one practical upside: rental time is based on active use, not real-world time passing in your inventory. If you are the type of player who swaps weapons frequently or plays in short sessions, that can make rentals feel less punishing than they sound. As in Combat Arms, backpacks allow you to carry two primaries, which supports situational loadouts.

Cosmetics and the Tactics Layer

The shop is not only about guns. Cosmetic items are a meaningful part of the catalog, and Blackshot does something many free-to-play shooters still struggle with, it offers cosmetic purchases for regular currency. That means non-paying players can still customize their look over time, even if some items remain premium. The cosmetic style ranges from military-adjacent gear to intentionally silly masks, so the tone can swing from “serious” to “absurd” depending on the lobby.

Tactics add a light build system on top of the standard shooter framework. They function as passive boosts to things like movement speed, HP, and reload speed. The bonuses are not massive, but they do create small differences between players with different setups. You can slot up to five tactics, with additional slots unlocked at Levels 4, 16, 29, and 39.

Weapon Mastery and Player Statistics

The mastery system is one of Blackshot’s better long-term hooks. There are seven mastery tracks tied to weapon categories (Assault Rifles, SMGs, Snipers, Shotguns, Pistols, Melee Weapons, and Grenades). As you play with a category, you gain mastery experience and rise through ranks from Beginner up to Grand Master. Milestones grant rewards and status, and even when you are not chasing a specific item, mastery provides a clear “next goal” that many lobby shooters lack.

Blackshot also tracks detailed performance stats, including kills, deaths, accuracy, and ratios, with breakdowns that can be viewed overall or by map. The odd part is how it is presented, rather than being neatly integrated into the client, the game opens an internet browser to display these pages.

Conclusions

Blackshot’s main challenge is competition. The core shooting is competent, and the mode lineup includes at least one genuinely memorable idea, but the genre is crowded and larger titles offer broader content ecosystems and bigger populations. The lower playerbase can make the experience feel repetitive, since you are more likely to see the same maps and opponents, and it also raises the barrier for new players who are still learning recoil patterns and map angles.

The shop balance can also be a sticking point. Some cash-purchased weapons are clearly among the strongest options, which can create the impression that paying accelerates you toward better performance rather than merely offering convenience or style. On the technical side, visual hiccups still show up from time to time, including odd model glitches, but they are not constant enough to make the game unplayable.

Final Verdict: Good

Blackshot shows its age, but it still has a solid tactical foundation and a couple of systems that give players reasons to stick around, especially Protect the Commander and the mastery progression. If you have already cycled through the bigger free-to-play shooters and want something slightly different, it is worth installing, just go in expecting an older-school economy and a smaller community.

Blackshot Links

Blackshot Official Site
Blackshot Steam Page
Blackshot Gaming Wiki Page
Blackshot Wiki EU
Blackshot Official Game Guide

Blackshot System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: XP / 2000 / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2 GHz
Video Card: GeForce 6800 GT / Radeon X800 GT
RAM: 1 GB
Hard Disk Space: 5 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: XP / 2000 / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz
Video Card: GeForce 7800 GT / Radeon HD 5430D
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 5 GB

Blackshot Music & Soundtrack

Blackshot Additional Information

Developer: Vertigo Games
Game Engine: Gamebryo

Closed Beta: September 30, 2008 (Original OutSpark Version)
Closed Beta: Mar 10, 2010 (TwoWar EU Server)
Open Beta: May 12, 2010 (TwoWar EU Server)
Steam Release Date: June 01, 2016

Foreign Release:

South Korea: April, 2008 (Ntreev)
Southeast Asia: April, 2009 (Garena)
Turkey: August, 2012

Development History / Background:

Blackshot was created by South Korean studio Vertigo Games using the Gamebryo engine. Work began in 2007, followed by an initial South Korean launch in April 2008 via Ntreev. A North American release was planned through Outspark and even reached closed beta testing in September 2008, but it did not progress to a full launch. The game’s biggest regional success came in Southeast Asia, where it became one of the more recognized FPS options in the market under Garena. In Europe, a version went live through TwoWar on May 12, 2010, and over time that branch evolved into the global release that Vertigo Games now publishes directly. Blackshot later arrived on Steam on June 01, 2016.

The game launched on Steam on May 31, 2016.