First Assault

First Assault Review

Note: This game is currently in Early Access and this review will be updated if need be when the game is released in full.

First Assault is the kind of licensed shooter that immediately looks promising if you are a Ghost In the Shell fan. It places you in Stand Alone Complex’s cyberpunk world, gives you a lineup of Section 9 operatives, and backs it up with voice acting that sounds “right” from the first match. The foundation is solid enough that, at least initially, it feels like the franchise finally has a multiplayer shooter that takes atmosphere seriously, even if the gameplay template is more traditional than the setting might suggest.

Strong “In-Game” Feel

Moment to moment, First Assault often nails the physicality of moving and fighting. Running has weight, jumps are restrained rather than floaty, and taking damage affects your senses in a way that makes firefights feel harsh and immediate. Those details do not reinvent the genre, but they do help the game stand out from many free-to-play FPS titles that can feel overly slick or arcade-like.

The audio work is a major highlight, especially for anyone familiar with the anime. Character performances help sell the fantasy of playing as Section 9, and the overall presentation does a respectable job of translating the style into a multiplayer format. Visually, it is not a technical showcase, but the models and art direction are competent and generally fit the source material.

The one drawback is that the “hit” audio effect can be heavy-handed. Even without losing a large portion of health, you can end up with a prolonged muffled soundscape that is more distracting than immersive in extended exchanges.

Multiplayer Focused, No Co-op Detours

A key reality check is that First Assault is built entirely around PvP. There is no PvE mode to break up the competitive loop, and nothing resembling co-op missions or story-driven scenarios. For players who wanted a Ghost In the Shell game that explores investigations, tactical raids, or objective-based co-op with Tachikoma support, this design choice will feel limiting.

What you do get is a set of standard competitive modes with a Ghost In the Shell coat of paint and a few smart touches. Terminal Conquest, with its terminal-capture flow and temporary allied support units, is the most distinctive. Team Deathmatch and Demolition play closer to genre expectations, with Demolition frequently turning into tense, round-based eliminations.

The game also makes an effort to keep the fiction intact during PvP. Rather than presenting you as “shooting Major Kusanagi as Major Kusanagi,” enemies appear as generic hostiles. It is a small change, but it reduces the oddness that can come with character-based shooters in licensed universes. Duplicate characters on the field can still happen, but the presentation does what it can to minimize the weirdness.

Gunplay Undercut by Unreliable Spread

The biggest gameplay frustration is weapon behavior that can feel inconsistent, particularly with automatic weapons. In some fights, controlled bursts and careful positioning are rewarded, and the shooting feels reasonably crisp. In other situations, it can seem like accuracy swings wildly, making “spray while strafing” feel oddly effective compared to more disciplined play.

SMGs are where this stands out the most. Close-range encounters can become chaotic, and the game sometimes rewards aggressive spraying with unexpected headshots even when you are not aiming with much precision. That dynamic encourages messy engagements rather than tactical peeking, recoil control, or deliberate target tracking.

Sniping is the exception in that it asks more from the player, but it can also feel finicky, with sensitivity and handling that may not match the rest of the arsenal cleanly. If you like consistent recoil patterns and predictable weapon mastery, First Assault can be hard to read.

Skill Sync as the Core Twist

Where First Assault differentiates itself is in how it treats its characters. Instead of full hero kits with exclusive weapons and role-defining loadouts, characters largely share the same baseline combat capabilities, with identity coming from a single signature ability. One operative might cloak, another may reveal opponents through heat sensing, while others bring utility like a deployable sentry or direct damage options.

Abilities are earned and upgraded during a match by building points through kills and objective play. Saving up more points unlocks a stronger “tier” of the same ability, which creates an interesting choice between using your power as soon as it is available or holding it for a bigger swing.

Skill Sync is the clever part. When you activate your ability, nearby allies can synchronize with you and gain temporary access to that same effect. In practice, it adds a layer of timing and positioning that goes beyond the base shooter modes. A coordinated push with a synced cloak or detection tool can decide a round far more cleanly than raw aim alone.

Progression and Unlock Flow

Like many free-to-play shooters, First Assault uses multiple progression tracks to keep you chasing goals. Your account level increases over time and primarily changes your rank icon, while also awarding GP, the in-game currency. Certain level milestones open additional cyberbrain sockets, letting you run more implants simultaneously, but level itself does not appear to gate matchmaking or weapon access in a strict way.

Unlocks are handled through TP earned after matches. TP is assigned to whichever items you set as “in progress” in the armory, typically allowing one weapon and one of each accessory category to be worked on at once. Once an item is unlocked, you still need to spend GP to purchase it permanently. The upgrades tend to be modest, often offering a benefit with a corresponding drawback rather than simple power creep.

Not every weapon follows the same path, though. Some items must be bought directly with GP, which can shift your grind from TP progress to currency accumulation depending on what you are trying to obtain.

Cyberbrain Implants: Interesting, but Disposable

After matches, the game offers a choice of three random bonuses, typically a small GP boost, an experience boost, or a cyberbrain implant. Implants provide minor statistical improvements, generally around the 10% range or below, affecting things like movement or accuracy. The catch is that implants wear out after a few games, and once an implant burns out it temporarily locks that slot, preventing immediate replacement.

As a system, implants are a neat variation on the common “socketed bonuses” idea. Because they are temporary, you are encouraged to think about when to use them rather than treating them as permanent build decisions. The problem is that their lifespan can feel too short to make careful planning satisfying, and the burnout downtime can be irritating.

There is also a broader concern typical of free-to-play design. While the game does not currently feel pay-to-win, a system like this could be pushed in that direction if stronger implants or faster burnout removal were ever monetized aggressively.

Final Verdict – Good

First Assault ultimately plays like a familiar competitive FPS with a few smart ideas layered on top. Skill Sync and the Section 9 ability design add meaningful teamplay moments, and the audio presentation plus voice cast do a lot of work in making the license feel authentic. At the same time, the lack of PvE and the inconsistent-feeling weapon spread limit how far the game rises above its peers.

For Ghost In the Shell fans, the setting and production values can be enough to justify spending time with it, especially if you want a PvP-only experience. It also helps that, at present, the monetization does not appear to cross into pay-to-win territory, although the implant system is one area worth watching as the game evolves.

First Assault Links

First Assault Official Site
First Assault Wikipedia
First Assault Developer Website

First Assault System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz (Dual core recommended)
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT / AMD Equivalent
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7 / 8 / 10
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz (Dual core recommended)
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT or better
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 6 GB

Nexon has yet to release official system requirements for First Assault. The above First Assault system requirements are our estimates and we will revise them as soon as official data is available.

First Assault Music & Soundtrack

Not available yet

First Assault Additional Information

Developer: Neople

Game Engine: Gamebryo

Closed Beta: April 8, 2015 – April 12, 2015 (South Korea)
Early Access: December 14, 2015 (North America)

Open Beta: July 28, 2016

Shut Down Date: December 6, 2017

Development History / Background:

Development on First Assault began at Neople in 2011, with Nexon obtaining publishing rights not long after in 2012. The project was publicly shown with a trailer at G-Star 2014, giving fans an early look at its take on Stand Alone Complex as a competitive shooter. Notably, it also became the first title from a major free-to-play publisher to use Steam Early Access, launching in that form on December 14, 2015. Neople has said the goal was to preserve the tone and atmosphere established by the Ghost In the Shell anime, rather than treating the license as simple window dressing. The game later arrived on Steam as a free to play open beta on July 28, 2016.

First Assault shut down on December 6th, 2017.