MY.GAMES' comic book-inspired extraction shooter,Hawked, added a major new feature with its Issue 2 update in addition to new weapons, artifacts, and gear. The Class Card system allows players to gain special bonuses based on their loadouts, helping members of a squad play specific roles while treasure hunting inHawked.
The system is designed to deepenHawked’s core gameplay while familiarizing players with the game’s complex loadout system. Game Rant recently spoke with Creative Director Dmitry Tabakov about the new system, how it differs from the classes in other shooters, and MY.GAMES' ambitions for class Cards inHawked’s future updates.
Understanding Hawked’s Loadout Ecosystem
Unlike most games featuring class systems,Hawked’s addition of role-specific loadouts with perks came after launch to address a specific issue: helping players navigateHawked’sloadout"ecosystem."
“We wanted to provide players with easier and more engaging choices right from the get-go, and with time, players will find something to their liking.”
Hawked’s current array of artifacts, wards, and Exo gear accommodates over 10,000 combinations, which allows forextensive character customization, but the daunting number of permutations can also prove intimidating for new players. Class Cards, which provide players with role-specific bonuses when certain combinations of gear are equipped, are designed to empower players who are just starting out and add definition to the game’s potentially dizzying variety of gear.
The system is launching with 11 distinct Class Cards mapped to distinct FPScharacter archetypeslike healing, AoE damage, and stealth. It remains to be seen how many new classesHawkedwill implement in the future, though Tabakov stated that MY.GAMES didn’t want to overwhelm players with too many options at the beginning. Class Cards are also not unlocked by default; to unlock a Class Card, players must first unlock the requisite artifacts, Ward, and Exo gear by raiding X-Isle.
Breaking Conventions in Hawked
Hawked’s Class Cards fulfill a similar role to otherFPS titles with class systems. That said, the order of the game’s implementation sets it apart from other class-based shooters:
“There are some familiar building blocks of course, but arguably the biggest change is that we came from a completely customizable environment and then added this as a layer on top. It’s a bit gentler in its implementation and it exists in an ecosystem where players already have a lot of freedom.”
Rather than pigeonholing players with a specific class and permitting adjustments within the confines of a given class,Hawkedoverlays classes on players' existing customization decisions. Tabakov was quick to point out that MY.GAMESdoes not want to punish players who opt for non-Class Card configurations, though, and provides balance in the form of a damage buff to traverser damage for players using unique loadouts.
All Class Cards are designed to be balanced for both multi and single-player matches and, similar to Gear and Artifacts, each card can be leveled up to demonstrate players’mastery of a given class. To reach Legendary mastery with a Class Card, however, players must complete a thematic Mastery Quest with unique criteria based on the class card.
Celebrating Players' Achievements in Hawked
MY.GAMES always intended to honor players' achievements and contributions toHawkedby incorporating them into the game’s lore. To that end, MY.GAMES recently ran a competition for players to design their own Class Card combinations and the winning players' submissions will be immortalized as distinct Class Cards in a future update.
Thematically, Class Cards are a natural extension of bothHawked’s core gameplay and comic-book art styleas collectible cards and comics often go hand in hand. Shooter fans looking for a more free-form, customization-minded approach to character classes may want to keepHawkedon their radar.
