Summary
It’s been a wild few weeks for the hero shooter genre. While the genre-definingOverwatch 2is still trying to keep its head above water, a total of four high-profile hero shooters have been announced, showcased, or released in the last few weeks, ranging from Sony’s first-partyConcord, to the already quite popularMarvel Rivals, to theSwitch and mobile exclusiveStar Wars: Hunters, to the most recent of them all,FragPunk. It’s an exceptionally difficult time for a new IP to break out in the hero shooter genre, butFragPunkhas a few tricks up its sleeve.
While most hero shooters give each character a set of unique abilities,FragPunkis also going to be giving players an arsenal of “Shard Cards.” Each of these Shard Cards can be used to grant some kind of advantageous effect in the heat of battle. Developer Bad Guitar Studio has stated that there will be at least 70 Shard Cards inFragPunkat launch, and a total of 12 have already been shown duringFragPunk’s reveal trailer.
Every Shard Card Ability Confirmed for FragPunk So Far
World Flip
The first Shard Card shown duringFragPunk’s reveal trailer, World Flip does exactly what it says on the tin, seemingly twisting the environment around so that enemy players lose their footing and fall to the ground. This will probably open enemies up to a quick counterattack, with them likely being disorientated by the sudden change in map geometry.
Chain Reaction
A more offense-based Shard Card, Chain Reaction will allow players to fire off an electrical round that bounces between enemies. It’s unclear if these projectiles will instantly kill enemy players on contact or if they’ll just leave them stunned for a few seconds. Regardless, Chain Reaction already seems like one ofFragPunk’s most powerful Shard Cards, potentially being able to wipe out entire teams in one go.
Dragon’s Breath
It’s only seen very briefly inFragPunk’s announcement trailer, but Dragon’s Breath is a Shard Card that briefly imbues the player’s ammo with fire elemental damage. This will increase the damage the player deals with their weapons for a brief duration.
Overtime
Just the outline of Overtime’s Shard Card was shown duringFragPunk’s trailer, meaning that its effect isn’t yet known. However, the card’s art did show a large “+30s” on it, implying that the card grants the allied team another 30 seconds to complete the match’s objective.
Healing Bullets
Much like Overtime, Healing Bullets didn’t get a proper overview duringFragPunk’s trailer, so at the minute its effect is pure guesswork. Though, thankfully, Healing Bullets does have a pretty unambiguous name. It seems likely this Shard Card will allow players to heal their teammates with their gunfire.
Death’s Embrace
Another potentially devastating Shard Card,FragPunk’s Death’s Embrace ability will spawn a literalgrim reaperbehind an enemy player if they’ve been damaged to 50% of their max health. This grim reaper then swings his scythe in a wide arc, instantly killing any enemy caught within its radius.
Strange Herbs
One of the more intriguing Shard Cards spotted in theFragPunkreveal trailer is Strange Herbs. This Shard Card spawns three special plants: the Silencing Herb, the Cloaking Plant, and the Bounce Mushroom. Two of these special plants allow the player to get the drop on unsuspecting enemies, while the last presumably allows them to make a quick getaway.
Big Head
Another self-explanatory Shard Card, Big Head enlarges the head of every member of the enemy team. With a much larger surface area to aim for, headshots become much easier for a limited duration.
Close Havoc
There were also a handful of Shard Cards revealed during a separate trailer forFragPunkposted on its Steam page. This gameplay trailer showed the Close Havoc Shard Card, which increases the player’s weapon damage by 10% when close to enemies. It’s possible this damage multiplier increases per enemy within close proximity.
Battle Frenzy
One of the more simple Shard Cards revealed forFragPunkso far, Battle Frenzy increases all of the player’s skills by 1 for every kill that they manage to get.
Headshot Master
Another incredibly simple but potentially effective Shard Card, Headshot Master increases the damage of headshots by 25%.
Clear Path
A rather unique ability,FragPunk’s Clear Path Shard Card removes all doors in the level. It’s unclear how this will affectFragPunk’s gameplay, as fans don’t really know what the game’s maps will look like just yet.
FragPunk
WHERE TO PLAY
FragPunk is a fast-paced 5v5 hero shooter with powerup cards that change the rules of each round! Choose your hero, your weapons, and pick from a selection of cards that dramatically change the rules of engagement!Bend the rules with Shard Cards!No two rounds of FragPunk are ever the same. Discover over 70 Shard Cards with an activatable selection that changes every round creating new and unique combinations that create infinite possibilities! Cards can amplify your jump height, reverse the roles of attackers and defenders, engulf your bullets in flame or turn them into chain lightning, and even may resurrect you and your team!Frantic 5v5 Hero Shooter!Each round lasts about 2.5 minutes, so get a move on! The short TTK means you have to aim well and react fast to win the fight. Pick between 10 heroes with diverse abilities, customize your weapon combination, choose your cards and get ready for a fight!Variety that fuels replayabilityPick your favorite hero from a selection of 10, each with their own unique abilities. Find your favorite guns among the 15 available, some which have special abilities, like shooting faster over time, bursts and more! Discover new hero, weapon and card combinations and develop your personal combat style!
