Titanfall spiritual successor Empulse is out now, but it's got a lot to prove

I'm quietly resigned to the likelihood that we'll never see Titanfall 3. The good news is that other studios are taking up the mantle, and one of them - movement shooter Empulse - has just launched on Steam. It's built by 1047 Games, the team behind Splitgate, which has immediately put it on my radar. The new multiplayer FPS is now in early access, with the studio keeping microtransactions and battle passes out of the equation to focus on "building with you, the community" in these starting stages.

The simple fact of the matter is that Empulse has to prove itself through its actions. I loved the original Splitgate, and I've had a lot of fun with Splitgate 2 and its stripped-back reboot, Arena Royale; I'd absolutely rank them among the best multiplayer games around. The developer's attempt to go bigger with its second outing backfired, however. A combination of its infamously overzealous debut stage presentation, overpriced launch microtransactions (that were quickly and dramatically reduced), and a questionable class system failed to enamour its target audience.

Empulse is the team's attempt to capture a slightly different segment of the multiplayer crowd: 1047 CEO Ian Proulx specifically called out both Titanfall and Black Ops 3 as key design inspirations during his initial teaser. It's got wall-running, grapples, and plenty of verticality, and does a good job of adapting Splitgate's excellent high-speed movement to the format. It even has mechs - rather than individual rewards, two of these spawn at the center of the map at the same time, and they're "built to take over a round."

Empulse looks to have captured enough attention to stand a chance, with a strong Steam Next Fest showing helping it to land on 250,000 wishlists. 1047 remarks that the feedback survey "averaged an 8.1 out of ten on fun," though also notes that this left "room for improvement." If you tried the demo, you'll also find a new map (Drainage) has been added to the early access launch version, along with the VIP-style 'Mech Bounty' mode, the Requiem sniper rifle, and a ranked 4v4 playlist.

Moving forward, 1047 is planning "new modes, maps, weapons, mechs, and meta playstyles," but says the roadmap will follow player sentiment rather than being "locked in months ago." It's aiming to be as open as possible with development and balance decisions to ensure people aren't caught by surprise, and adds that there will be "no store, no battle pass, and no microtransactions at the early access launch."

1047 has responded to some of the initial feedback, which includes a desire for a stronger and more defined visual style that stands apart from Splitgate. It's also working on "two new maps, both of which are bigger than anything in the game today," which should land in an experimental form in the coming weeks for testing. The team is planning to test the implementation of aim-down-sight functionality as well, but promises this won't come "at the cost of the accurate hipfire that makes the movement feel good."

Empulse is out now in early access on Steam, with a 25% launch discount available for the first week. Expect to pay $14.99 / £12.74 if you buy it by Wednesday, July 1. You can find it right here.

Whether 1047 Games ends up sticking the landing or not, I will certainly be diving in to find out. I still get the cravings for Titanfall multiplayer in a way that nothing else quite satisfies, and I've never had less than a good time playing Splitgate, for all its ups and downs. Here's hoping the team manages to pull this one off, for its sake and ours.