Defiance Review

Developed by Trion Worlds, Defiance is based on a pre-existing franchise through a companion SyFy TV show. This helps set it apart from other MMOs at a time when the PC landscape is still dominated by old titans such as World of Warcraft and EVE Online.

Originally released in 2013, Defiance went free-to-play in 2014. Although SyFy cancelled the TV show in 2015, the game is still going strong. But, is it worth your time?

Gameplay

Unlike many other MMOs, the gameplay in Defiance is fast-paced. It plays more like a shooter rather than a traditional MMO, with games like Borderlands being an obvious influence. As a result, Defiance has a somewhat chaotic and fun approach, much like other looter shooters.

The basic gameplay system is one of defeating enemies and gathering up the loot they drop so you can become stronger. The problem is that Defiance essentially just falls into the trap of continuing this loop indefinitely. Unlike other titles, Defiance doesn’t have much to fall back on outside of this premise. Games such as Borderlands often have a strong narrative element and don’t just rely on the basic mechanics to provide the motivation to keep on playing.

Sure, it can be fun to just mow down hordes of enemies but a full game needs more. Facing the same type of enemies over and over again without any variety is tough enough. Doing so knowing that you will be doing the same thing afterwards, just in a more powerful form, is frustrating and depressing.

Classes

This lack of variety extends to your own character as well. There are only four classes to choose from. Even though they each have their very own distinctive ability, these don’t seem different enough to really justify further playthroughs. Player customization is also extremely limited, so much so that you can barely change anything about your appearance or the way you play the game.