Hardcore shooter Straftat hints at a chaotic four-player deathmatch mode

Over the weekend, hectic 1v1 shooter Straftat got yet more free maps in an update. The developers added eight new cramped deathzones alongside a further four maps for owners of the “maps ‘n’ hats” DLC, then threw in a new submachine gun and a music player for good measure. But over on the game’s Discord server, amid the mine-laying mercenaries and bum-sliding shootscum, the developers also held a poll that revealed future plans. They asked players what they’d prefer: a 2v2 mode or a four-player free-for-all?

“We’ll do both,” said devbrother Leonard Lemaitre, “but it’s a matter of which one comes first.”

The poll, posted on Saturday, currently puts the presumably chaotic four player free-for-all mode ahead, with twice as many votes as the 2v2 mode, which I can only imagine will be an intense bonding exercise for connoisseurs of early 2000s multiplayer FPS lobbies. Although the poll is being conducted with emojis, and it’s possible a lot of voters are getting the “two silhouetted people” emoji confused with the “two silhouettes hugging” emoji, thereby splitting the 2v2 vote. Is there an electoral commission for frenzied first-person killsports? Nah, we can solve this with a first-to-three in Chateaux_13_Alt_Alt.

It’s very pleasing to see the game pumping out updates. It was already an “anarchic first-person speed dater you’ll fall in love with” according to our Straftat review from Rick, and that was before they added another heaving bunch of maps to the concrete bullet brawler. Including this latest update, my estimate is now 192 maps (if you own the DLC) although I could have easily lost count. There’s a reason it was one of our favourite games of 2024.

This weekend’s update adds a few other bits and bobs. You can now view your match history in the stats menu, for example. And you can disable your crosshair in the options, if you are some kind of instinctually accursed murder master. Don’t matchmake with me, please, I don’t like that.