So, decided to give Gray Zone Warfare one last serious look today. Heard some chatter, maybe things got better, maybe I was just feeling optimistic. Fired up the rig, let Steam do its thing, and jumped in.
Spent a bit sorting out my stash first. You know how it is. Trying to figure out what gear felt right for a proper test run. Didn’t want to go in too heavy, didn’t want to go in naked either. Grabbed my trusty M4, slapped a basic sight on it, stuffed some mags in a chest rig. Added a couple of bandages and a splint, just in case. Felt like a reasonable loadout for seeing what’s what.
Heading Out
Picked my usual faction, Lamang Recovery Initiative. Seemed like the easiest starting point, less likely to get instantly domed by sweats, or so I hoped. Loaded into the base, chopper ride was smooth enough. Stepped off onto the LZ, okay, here we go again.
My plan was simple: try one of the early tasks. Head to the nearby town, retrieve some intel or something. Keep it straightforward, see how the core loop felt this time around. Started jogging towards the objective marker. The environment, gotta say, still looks pretty decent. That part they got right.
Movement still feels a bit… weighty? Maybe sluggish is the word. Not terrible, but not snappy either. Takes getting used to. Reached the edge of town, started moving slower, checking corners. Heard some AI chatter nearby. Okay, engagement time.
- Spotted one AI near a building.
- Lined up the shot, took him down. Felt okay.
- Another one popped out, managed to drop him too.
- Gun sounds are alright, recoil feels manageable.
Made my way towards the task building. Looted the bodies quickly, not much on them as usual. Found the item I needed, stashed it away. So far, so good, mission accomplished, technically. Now the fun part: extraction.
The Return Trip
Started heading back towards the LZ. This is always the tense bit, right? Got the loot, just need to get out clean. Took a slightly different path back, trying to avoid trouble. Then I heard it. Footsteps. Not AI, sounded like another player.
Froze. Listened. Yeah, definitely someone moving nearby. Crouched behind some cover, scanned around. Couldn’t see anyone. Heart rate picks up a little, you know? This is the make-or-break part of the experience for me.
Waited a minute. Silence. Maybe they moved on? Decided to risk it, started moving slow towards the LZ again. Got about halfway there, crossed an open patch and BANG. Screen went dark. Killed in action. Lost the gear, lost the task item.
And that was kind of it for me. Stared at the loading screen back to base. That familiar feeling washed over me. The tension is there, sure. But the loop…spawn, gear up, do task, risk everything on extract, die to someone you never saw, repeat. It just felt… tiring this time around.
So, after that session, maybe an hour and a half total, I made my call. Logged off. Uninstalled for now. It’s got ideas, it looks nice, but the core experience, the clunkiness combined with the high stakes and sometimes unclear deaths? It just didn’t fully click for me on this final check out. Maybe down the road, after a lot more polish. But for now, my Gray Zone tour is over.
