As an OG of the Rainbow Six games in the mid-90s it seemed obvious to turn the planning phase into a full-fledged game. I’ve craved a similar experience since more than a decade. The original Door Kickers was a difficult game to play due to the simple controls. The potential of the game is lost on my endless Steam shelves. After a few years, I began to enjoy Door Kickers even more. It’s hard to explain why this happened. Since I began to immerse myself more in the overly clunky and insulting interfaces of old wargames, my gaming senses have changed.
Now I ask you to redirect your attention back to the videogame responsible for the revival of the door-hinges market. The game is paradoxical in that I deliberately avoided all kinds of wooden ingresses because the options for handling each scenario are more varied. But let’s stop getting ahead of ourselves. Door Kickers 2 asks the player to swap a SWAT vehicle for an IFV, and the crime-infested cityscapes for the terrorist ridden hamlets of Nowheraki. Nowhere …), Middle East.
Door Kickers 2 is different from its predecessor in a number ways. The new facewash looks great. The original DK’s small, greyish environments are replaced by the larger and brighter ones in the Eastern Deserts. It also ditches 2D sprites for fully 3D rendered environment, while still maintaining the top-down view. This allows for detailed maps and more intricate human models. You’ll love watching the small, detailed models of weapons change as the player adds attachments. Looking behind the curtains, what free-flowing-top-down-strategy-affictionados will find is a profoundly expanded formula within familiar molds. Let me.
Missions usually follow one of two paths: either eliminate all hostiles within a certain area, or rescue captives. DK2’s special shine comes from the sheer amount of options available to the player. The original classes are now adapted to counter-insurgency missions. The Stealth and Pointman specific ones from the original have been completely removed. Assault Support Marksman, and Grenadier are all accounted for. Let me explain if their names do not reveal their role. Assault personnel is versatile and well-rounded. They can carry powerful assault rifles, or gofasters such as the MP5. They will be the backbone of the force and the default choice in almost all missions. My assault henchmen were unable to handle some of the wide streets and alleys and needed more lead. The Support Units can be called in to help with the pin-down and suppression of the enemy, allowing your other units the freedom to move. The Marksman will need to keep an eye on distant engagements. This is a job that’s pretty self-explanatory. The Grenadier is last, but certainly not least. To be honest, I’ve never found much use for this weapon in any of my missions. DK2 maps are more civilian-populated than the original DK. Avoiding grenade launchers becomes a top priority.
Each class would be nothing without their equipment. Early access DK2 is a pale comparison to the gear that was available in the original DK. But I suppose this is to be expected for now. The devs have said that they’ll be addressing this issue soon, and are smuggly telling you to rely on your tactics and not your armor. Okay! Apart from that, you’ll find the usual M14s with lead spitting, other Ms, SCARs, and all the rest. I also counted 10 different pieces of equipment, including fragmentation grenades and dynamic hammers. This time, each weapon is able to be fitted with optics and different bullet types. Future updates will surely add more weapons to the game.
The game does not yet have a campaign, but it already has 35 scenarios that are very well-designed and intricate. These range from hostage rescues in small houses to embassies and factories. It also includes entire neighborhoods, and even a bazaar. The more complex the missions, the more intriguing they seem to me. I find the freedom the player has to play each scenario baffling. I have found myself playing missions over and over again, with new gear and always looking for new ways to fill up my uniform with chest candy. The new wall breaching feature allows you to create new entry points and firing angles by poking holes the size of a man through any wall. When my crew was severely injured, I remember putting up three wall charges with one operative running through the door once the explosions were over to prevent the enemy from getting any respite. The whole situation took less than a second. Two enemies were killed by the explosion and the final enemy, who was stunned by all the explosions, ended up getting shot. The mission completion screen appeared as soon as the 4 th member shot through the door. You will often have to make do with what you have. If I didn’t have my three wall charges, I would either use smaller breaching charges to blow the door off its hinges or slap them on. Then, you can use the shock to knock anyone out of the way. This will allow for an off-the books room clearing. Silence is Golden, the Silence is Golden Update added silent weapons to the game that exponentially increase the difficulty of each mission. I used a 4 man squad to smash down the entrance to a compound, and two sly, conniving and artful soldiers with MP5s and silencers went around the back and took out unsuspecting enemies. DK2 added a new feature called “Go Silent”, which orders your soldiers not to fire until they are fired upon or given a direct order. This little touche will give micro-managers that extra edge they need to control the finer details of the mission. The original DK lacked this feature, as the operatives would be too eager to fire even when discretion was required. This hush-control helps in hostage rescue operations, as it buys you valuable time before things go Charlie Foxtrot, and the enemy rushes to kill the captured.
The enemies also have new variations, with the main attraction being the pesky suicide bombers who rush for your soldiers before exploding within seconds. The AI in DK2 is brutal, but it would fail the Turing Test if they were asked. The enemy units look like virtual meatbags, but they have weapons and will shoot at you if they see you. I have yet to see an enemy unit intentionally hide or flank players when they are overwhelmed. I’ve seen 5 or 6 enemies rush into a room at the slightest sound, only to be shot down in single file. I’ve seen enemies throw frags and rocket-propelled grenades. I was impressed by how they were used. Imagine that two of your units have just cleared a hallway and an explosive is thrown in their direction. They are forced to dodge the explosion and run back into the room, costing you valuable time. This could also be detrimental to the difficulty of a game which is already quite unforgiving. It’s true that the enemy isn’t the sharpest tool, but it can be a very accurate shooter for the most part. This brings me to another crucial aspect of this game: the movement and the FOV system.
Silent mechanics can be fine-tuned for the new movement system. Soldiers can now rush across the map, ducking behind cover. This allows you to sustain enemy fire and draw it without your soldiers having to expose themselves to the fullest. This new stance allows for safe ‘nade tossing. It’s hard to find anything more satisfying than simultaneously throwing 2 flashbangs, erupting out of cover and laying down lead on stunned enemies to end an engagement with zero casualties. The movement of your units is controlled by moving the left mouse button across the map, while re-directing your right mouse button will indicate which axis will be targeted by your pixeltruppen. Each soldier has a cone of vision, similar to Commandos. They will fire on any enemy that they see. Even the darkest corner in a room can hide a deadly AK-47 user who will kill multiple units without the player noticing. Amateur strategists are able to order their units peak through windows to counter this aggressive enemy. I can’t remember being able do that in the original DK. This is just a layer of frosting on a huge tactical cake.
Door Kickers 2 has just added a Mission Generator, which will generate an endless number of scenarios for those players who are done with their hand-crafted ones. The scenarios generated by the algorithm seem plausible so far. It’s possible that more thinking options could be useful to fully customize user experience, but time will tell whether this is ever added. There’s an unimaginable amount of replayability in this game. DK2 has a very powerful mission editor, which allows even the most imaginative armchair generals to create their own scenarios. It’s fair to say that DK2 will only grow with the addition of Steam Workshop. Ingenious players can create new weapons, units, scenarios, and campaigns.
However, there are two complaints that I cannot help but record. First and foremost, you need to be able to save and create custom loadouts for your troops. The game’s nature, where the player can experiment with many different situations and equipments makes it difficult to create custom loadouts. This is especially true if the player wants to repeat the same mission repeatedly to get the 3 perfect stars, which requires trying out a variety of tactics. DK2’s best solution to this problem is to let you copy and paste loadouts between soldiers. It’s a start, I suppose. Last complaint: the camouflage looks of all class skins against the desert background are pretty similar. DK2 has been my most played game in the first two weeks of 2021.
Overall, Door Kickers 2, Task Force North, is an excellent game that improves on the original formula. Is this game worth your time and money? If you like free-flowing, top-down tactical battles that are brutal and realistic, then yes. Door Kickers 2 may not be the best game to play if you want a more in-depth simulation of desert warfare. Some people would rather look at Combat Mission: Shock Force 2 if they are looking for a military simulation. In order to kick off 2021 on a positive note, I am pleased to confirm that DK2 has so much more potential than what I had ever imagined this simple game could offer. A classic is in the making.