Door Kickers is a real time strategy game where time can be paused at any point to make tactical decisions. The game puts the player in control of a squad of SWAT officers in one of eight different scenarios. Missions can be played in a single mission fashion, randomly generated single maps based on a number of parameters or in the form of campaigns. An in-depth mission editor was included where maps can easily be shared over the Steam Workshop in addition to other mods for the game.
A sequel, Door Kickers 2 Task Force North, is currently in development.
Gameplay[]
Each mission will allow the player to control between one and eight different troopers selected from a roster of ten unique troopers. Each of the troopers can be one of five different classes each with different abilities.
There are three modes during every mission; deployment, planning and real time strategy. In the deployment phase the player places which troopers they would like from their roster on the mission and in which of the available starting locations. Class and weapon loadouts for each officer is also selected during the deployment phase. After deploying the player enters planning mode which a plan can be devised by drawing a line and right clicking for more options. Many considerations based on the situation must be accounted for when devising a plan such as corners or hostile patrols. The final mode, real time, is when the plan is being executed. Orders can be changed live in real time as it is occurring or by hitting pause the player will enter planning mode again and the player may take as long as they like until the plan is changed to their liking.
Campaigns[]
Six different campaigns are available and are different from single mission gameplay. A campaign consists of a number of related missions with a mild narrative and typically a complex final mission. If a trooper is injured in combat they cannot take as much damage in the following mission and will eventually heal. In addition to injuries an officer can be killed in action and cannot be used for the remainder of the campaign.
Critical Reception[]
Rock Paper Scissors 2014 Best Tactics Award
Despite the public early builds and access and potential for problems, Door Kickers was released to generally positive reviews. Metacritic has a critic score of 82 for Door Kickers while Steam has an overall user review of overwhelmingly positive. Rock Paper Scissors awarded Door Kickers the Best Tactics award in 2014.
The app version of Door Kickers has also been positively received. Both versions of the app are rated four and a half stars on their respective app stores. The most common complaint with the app version is the slightly more difficult control scheme, but this is no fault of the developers.