Splitgate 2 Preview: Capturing Zones Through Time and Space

When it comes to first-person shooters, two standout series that I hold in high regard are Halo and Portal , which is why, despite my limited time with the original Splitgate , I was excited to check out Splitgate 2 during an early Alpha preview of the arena shooter sequel.

At first glance, Splitgate 2 feels very much cut from the same cloth as the original , mixing the frenetic and fast action that comes with portaling across the battlefield, along with the impeccable gunplay reminiscent of Bungie titles. Splitgate 2 ups the ante by sporting a brand new coat of paint, embracing a character loadout/class system, and introducing some solid quality-of-life changes that contribute to what feels like a solid sequel to an already fantastic arena shooter.

Despite a limited amount of content available during the Alpha, Splitgate 2 already showcases a considerable jump up in quality from its predecessors. Starting off with the new character class system and loadouts, the game now features three character types to choose from before diving into the game, which during the Alpha consisted of a faction-based capture-the-zone game mode and a classic deathmatch option.

The three available factions to choose from include Aeros, Meridan and Sabrask. Aeroes is your balanced agility-based archetype, while Merdian plays the part of support, and finally, Sabrask, my favourite of the three, focuses on tanking with the ability to put up barriers and spawn with an extra cache of ammo.

Character classes are thankfully not completely rigid in terms of what weapons you’re locked into, meaning each class can still change their weapon loadout from their default spawn-in gear to carbines, shotguns and assault rifle class firearms. Meanwhile, side arms, at least, for now, seem to be relatively the same across the board, outside of the names and aesthetics. Finally, grenade types also change depending on your class, with Merdian featuring an AoE healing nade while Sabarask features a sticky grenade and finally, a quick disk-like throwable rounds out the three with Aeroes’s grenade of choice.

Although weapons are now tied to your individual loadouts, heavy or special weapons still spawn in the maps, similar to Halo , making it viable to go for a power play and grab a rocket launcher or sniper, portal over to the point of interest, potentially wiping the team and grabbing the base right from under the opposition.

“Splitgate 2 has promise and features enough new QoL improvements and character-based abilities that justify entirely the latest entry into the portal-based arena shooter.”

Character classes also feature unique abilities, such as Meridian’s bubble shield that speeds up time in a pocket rift, allowing for faster healing and shooting. Conversely, characters like the tank feature the ability to create walls that slow the advance of enemies while still being able to shoot through, making for a quality defensive character while trying to bar access to control points.

The three maps I played during my time with Splitgate 2 were, as expected, arena-based but looked fairly distinct from one other, offering good amounts of verticality and different angles of approach. What stood out most, however, was the design language employed in each map, making it much more transparent where portals could be placed. Some portions of the levels featured layouts with portal-friendly surfaces that reminded me of a pinball table, something that echoed through into gameplay, particularly when using the Aeros class, with their rush ability, which grants some extra speed and hp buffs to the player.

The portal system itself has also seen some changes, which now, by default, will intuitively select the correct colour of portal to spit out, making it easier to find a path forward quickly. Additionally, friendly portals placed in proximity to each other will now automatically nudge aside, something that prevents wasted real estate from being a pixel off from allowing multiple portals on a given surface to spawn.

Finally, enemy portals can be destroyed simply by placing your portal on top of the enemy target. However, it should be noted that during the brief, it was mentioned that newly minted portals are immune to being destroyed for a few seconds after spawning in, something that will likely keep trolls away from clogging things up during matches.

Finally, gunplay in Splitgate 2 remains as satisfying as ever — with a solid variety of fun and unique weapons to choose from, combined with a TTK that feels appropriate for a sci-fi arena shooter, Splitgate 2 will surely be a hit for fans of the original or those curious the series who have yet to jump in.

Although it’s still somewhat early to tell , Splitgate 2 has promise and features enough new QoL improvements and character-based abilities that justify entirely the latest entry into the portal-based arena shooter.