505 Games’ tactical shooter Takesdown Red Sabre released on Steam yesterday for £11.99 but seems to have come under fire from angry gamers who feel the game is an incomplete mess that should not have released in its current state let alone command the current pricing. We’ve played the game which is somewhat enjoyable but  have noticed a number of issues which  impact the gameplay, and can see why some gamers might feel disgruntled towards 505 Games and developer, Serellan so much so, that many are demanding Takedown Red Sabre be removed from Steam.

What is perhaps annoying for some gamers is the fact that although developers are keen to release post release updates for their game, it doesn’t stop the released product being  under par. In their defense and in this specific case, Serellan released a FAQs to highlight some of the issues and an explanation of game features, for those who have simply purchased the game without any research. Whilst we can see where they are coming from, they do contradict themselves often by talking up the game’s realism as a basis for some of its features, where in reality the realism isn’t there at all with things like AI team members blocking pathways, and all being killed by lone gunmen because their programming is rather too basic. In a way, Serellan’s handling of the situation is a little patronizing and gamers are seeing right through it.

We’re not passing judgement on the game fully just yet, but can say there’s quite a bit that needs fixing before Red Sabre can be classed as a fully functional game worthy of the asking price. As it stands, gamers are simply not happy with the current offering and in a number of cases are expressing regret over the purchase. It will be interesting to see what quality control is given to the XBLA and PSN versions of the game which releases later this year.