No this is not the Dolly Parton simulator we’ve all been waiting for. This is a free to play first person shooter hidden among the Google Stadia library, but is it worth your time? Find out in our 9 to 5 Stadia Review.
Working Nine To Five
In this free to play first person shooter, you assume the role of a mercenary – competing missions during short rounds. Each round is broken into 3 stages and played with 8 other players (for a total of 9). As you complete missions, you will earn XP and Credits. XP will level you up and earn you rewards. And, credits can be exchanged for weapons in the market place. Unlike most games that have this type of arrangement, 9 To 5 is played in a 3 v 3 v 3 scenario. 3 teams of 3 compete for the win, and it gets very competitive.
Game progression is described as a career which is clear from the offset. You begin training in a training facility passing through different arrears which will teach you basics that you will be all too familiar with from any other FPS game. Crouch… Jump… Aim. And so on. Thankfully, this does pass quickly and you will be into the main game in no time.
You will start as an Intern and progress through different ranks. When you become a recruit you will choose your faction – 1 of 3 corporations. Your choice does matter here! It is more than just a name. this will dictate the weaponry you receive and how and when you upgrade. You can change it on the fly but your game is impacted.
Loading Your Loadout
There is a lot of customization in the game when it comes to weaponry. But, you needn’t be overwhelmed. Clearly aimed towards the gun aficionados, it’s simple enough to not be intimidating to amateurs like myself. As you progress, you will be rewarded with key components such as sights, grips, magazines, and so on.. There is a graph for your weapon that shows the performance better than the usual bar chart like examples you often find in other games. It’s clear to see how each component will affect the weapon in terms of stealth and handling etc.
It’s a small thing, but I really appreciate the ability to change the nickname of a gun. For people like myself who struggle to spot the difference between a 2mm Colibri and a M27 IAR, it’s a great way to remember your favorite weapon after some trial and error.
There is a small element of pay to win here as you can buy Platinum, the in-game currency, which can the be exchanged for new weapon bundles and skins. It does seem like these new guns can give you an advantage over your opponents, but I have yet to see to what extent.
A Sight For Sore Eyes
Whether you’re customising your favourite gun in the weaponry or climbing a ladder to get to a vantage point, this game looks fantastic. A lot of time, care, and attention has gone into perfecting small details here. It is hard to believe when playing that this is an indie game straight out of beta. Mechanics such as the aforementioned ladder climbing look better than on AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077. Guns look polished and detailed. And the maps are all distinct from each other and beautifully laid out.
Game play is smooth and impressive given the game’s early stage. The beta has been available on Google Stadia since August 2021 but it only fully released in May of this year. Of course, I will be keeping an eye on how the game progresses over time. It will be interesting to see if and when new maps or missions are added.
Even at this early stage, however, the amount of content here is superb. Especially given that the game is free to play. I certainly wouldn’t have minded paying for this. There is very little to complain about here.
You can check out my amateur gameplay footage here:
The Bad And The Ugly
All is not totally rosy in the life of a mercenary, though. Although one of the great benefits of Google Stadia is being able to use your weapon of choice, controller or keyboard and mouse, this game is clearly meant for one, and not the other. Browsing through the menus and controlling the UI feels like a punishment when using a controller. It could be a lot better than it is. Thankfully this doesn’t extend to the actual game-play. You shouldnl’t find yourself any more penalized than you normally would playing this type of game against a pc player. I do hope to see menu scrolling improvements and changes to the overall UI adapted for controllers in the future.
Although the game-play is fantastic, you may struggle to experience this for yourself as the player base is extremely low. This isn’t a Google Stadia issue as some people might expect. The game is available on Stadia and Steam (no console version unfortunately) and supports crossplay. Hopefully as time goes on, people will discover how great this game is and the numbers problem will fix itself.
Don’t waste anymore time, play it for yourself now. Click here to Play
Nine to Five
Summary
As far as underrated games go, this one is high up there. The fact it is free to play just makes that win even sweeter. Redhill really do have a winner on their hands here, and I hope players give it the attention it deserves. I, without doubt, think that if 9 to 5 were published by a bigger name in the industry, this would be a E-Sports contender, would be widely known among gamers and held in high regard. This could, in my opinion, compete with the likes of Call of Duty and Rainbow Six Siege
