Quantum League
Time travel meets FPS combat in QUANTUM LEAGUE.
Having spent several days agonizing over how best to explain the complex premise of Quantum League, I’ve decided that the best course of action is to (partly) lie. So, I’m going to tell you that this is a competitive 1v1 or 2v2 FPS consisting of three-round matches. At the end of the first round, you travel back in time to fight alongside yourself for the second round; then time rewinds once more, so that you’re fighting alongside two previous versions of yourself.
Let me give you an example. I’m playing a 1v1 point-capture match. In the last seconds, my opponent and I are both on the point, but they kill me just as time runs out. Time rewinds, the second round begins, and I run ahead of the previous version of myself. My plan is to take out my opponent from the first round before they can kill the version of me a few steps behind. Despite efforts from the second round version of my opponent, I succeed. Time rewinds one final time, and I watch the two previous versions of me run ahead as I cover them with a sniper rifle. Only one of my past selves survives, but they’re on the point alone, so I score.
If, like me, you’ve got a bit of a headache now, let me assure you that it’s much easier to understand than it is to explain. Traditional FPS skills remain essential—you need good aim and fast reactions, headshots do more damage, and use of cover is often key to survival—but Quantum League, really, sits in a genre all of its own. It’s essential to understand this if you want to succeed.
Implementation of the core mechanic has been excellently done. Your past selves are utterly oblivious to your presence—they’re essentially recordings—and this is what makes this the only game I’ve ever played where the inclusion of friendly fire actually makes perfect sense. Stumble in front of one of your clones at the wrong moment, and you could take yourself out with a headshot. Similarly, you might damage or even kill one of your clones in the heat of the moment and completely ruin your chances. In 2v2 matches, with two ‘live’ players and four clones per team in the final loop, this can lead to some mistakes that are frustrating and quite hilarious in equal measure.
The inclusion of friendly fire actually makes perfect sense
TIME TO DIE
When I said I was lying in the initial explanation, I was referring to some important omissions. It’s not really time travel of course, and matches last longer than I implied. Crucially, however, I didn’t mention the fact that, when you’re killed, you carry on playing for the remaining time as a ghost. Although you can grab a health orb to resurrect yourself, it’s often better to act as though you never died. If you can save yourself in a subsequent round, then all of your actions as a ghost—hits landed, points occupied—will now count.
Given the innovation and wonderful attention to detail visible throughout the game, it’s incredibly frustrating to see some fundamentals fumbled. The default stick sensitivities for a controller are absolutely terrible, putting the onus on the player to calibrate them properly (something I was never able to do to my complete satisfaction). The maps, of which there are currently eight, are a little disappointing. Most are somewhat homogenous visually, Museum being the best by far in terms of assets, character, and topography.
Despite some undeniable rough edges, Quantum League does a lot of things right. Perhaps the most exciting thing about it is that, unless you’re doing amazingly well or amazingly badly, it’s impossible to predict a winner until the end of that third loop. Ambushers can be ambushed, resurrections prevented (grab the health orb before your opponent’s clone), and victory snatched from the jaws of defeat with milliseconds to spare. Not many shooters can make you feel clever— sometimes even justifiably—in the way that this one can.
There are some bizarre design decisions—ranked 2v2 can only be initiated with a friend, and not every mode (point capture, domination, deathmatch) is available on every map—but overall, Quantum League differentiates itself from other shooters (mostly) in the right ways.