Delta Force – Black Hawk Down's missions aim to be challenging: "Players will need to adapt and learn from unsuccessful runs"

The Battle of Mogadishu, the event that inspired the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, was a harrowing moment in the history of the United States military. An operation to quell the Somali Civil War took a turn when two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down behind enemy lines, leading to a desperate fight for survival and costly rescue efforts. In other words, this is not a scenario that lends itself to guns-a-blazing, devil-may-care action heroics. Delta Force's new Black Hawk Down campaign, out today, fittingly is a challenge, one that requires tactics, teamwork, and caution to succeed – and possibly a good memory of what went wrong on your previous failed attempts. Whether this punishing difficulty is fun or not might depend on the gamer.

At a preview event at Team Jade's Los Angeles offices, I played three missions from the co-op PvE campaign, working with two other journalists. We were at a slight disadvantage as the campaign is meant to be played with a team of four. Solo play is possible, though the game's difficulty is rebalanced for those playing alone. After first besting an enemy that could defeat even the most elite gamer (a blown fuse), my squad was touching down on a roof in war-torn Mogadishu.

Mission possible

It's a scenario that should look familiar to those who have seen the 2001 Ridley Scott movie the campaign is primarily based on. It will also be familiar to anybody who played the 2003 Black Hawk Down game, though Ricky Liao, game design director, said the film was the primary reference. "Players will recognize missions and moments that feel familiar, but we've reimagined them with modern gameplay," Liao explains.

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The members of my squad and I each choose one of the four classes, each with its own abilities. The medic, for instance, can help downed teammates recover a lot more health than they could on their own or with another class' support – vital, because you can and will get killed, quickly, by the onslaught of Somali soldiers hiding behind just about every blown-out corner.

As I make my way through ruined buildings, the standard walk speed of my soldier at times feels slower than the competition, though here it may be necessary, the pace of play meaning to go much quicker would've just let me waltz into enemy gunfire. Run-and-gun tactics are out of the question. Instead, my team methodically checks corners to safely make our way to our mission's objective. Even with all our gear and the might of the U.S. military at our backs, we never feel like anything less than an underdog, an irony that reflects the true story as well.

"Initially, we aimed for a hardcore, ultra-realistic experience, but feedback from playtests showed it was too punishing," Liao admits. "We rebalanced difficulty, added narrative moments, and refined the gameplay to create an experience that feels immersive but still enjoyable for a wide range of players."

Liao is actually surprised when he sees my squad almost made it through our inaugural mission on the first attempt, but the other two put us in line. The second mission has us scrabbling to protect a slow-moving convoy, seeing us obliterated by enemy fire almost instantly. The third is much more sprawling, having us cross a maze-like market filled with potential threats, the chance to reposition increasing our survivability a smidge.

"Most players will need to adapt and learn from unsuccessful runs," Liao says. "Some universal principles will carry the player greatly despite each mission from the campaign having unique challenges, as success requires observing, strategizing, and adjusting tactics. Skill is key, but smart decision-making is just as important."

He's right, it's not until the second try that we manage to beat each mission. But there's something else going for us beyond just the tactical choices on offer – we'd managed to memorize where some of the most dangerous hidden foes were. It's perhaps inevitable for a PvE shooter like this, but it's hard to say it didn't take something away from the experience. If Delta Force – Black Hawk Down is supposed to be a challenging and immersive narrative experience, reducing the enemies to pop-up threats that need to be remembered and dispatched for next time is a bit of a letdown.

Live, die, repeat

Multiple times during the preview, and again during the interview with Liao, the Black Hawk Down team say they thought there were enough "shooter gallery"-style games on the market. Black Hawk Down lives up to that in the sense that you can't charge in like a Call of Duty hero (let alone Master Chief) mowing down whatever enemy you see. However, the somewhat static nature of Black Hawk Down, combined with the fact that the difficulty means dying and replaying levels is almost inevitable, ironically makes Black Hawk Down not too unlike an especially gritty carnival game.

The enemies can shoot you and your squad dead quickly, but beyond that, they're not especially impressive. Unlike my human teammates, they can't coordinate and come up with plans, resulting in generic-looking Somali soldiers who shoot from behind cover or pop up to be killed. Given that Black Hawk Down is based on real-world events, Liao said the team took "an approach to ensure the experience is engaging while being respectful," though if there's nuance to be found, we don't see it during the missions we played.

The Black Hawk Down campaign is seven missions long, and will probably take about 4 or 5 hours to complete. The missions are all different, as Liao explains. "One mission may involve escorting vehicles, where you'll need to protect and navigate through hostile areas while exploring maze-like indoor areas to identify and eliminate threats; Another could be a last-man-standing style defense scenario, where you have to hold a position against waves of enemies."

While the first mission is a bit more on-rails, emphasizing our 'shooting gallery' issues, others, like the aforementioned market, do feel like they offer more freedom – making them less about remembering what you did wrong and more about exploration. Liao hopes that this offers replay value, too. "Players can replay missions to improve their rankings or experiment with different tactics," he says. "For example, in a vehicle escort mission, you can stick with the convoy or take alternate routes in maze-like indoor areas to eliminate threats before they arise."

In the brief time we play, my squad doesn't get good enough to attempt feats like this. Just surviving at all is more than enough of a challenge. Personally, that's about where I tap out, and Delta Force – Black Hawk Down might even have been just over my line for when a challenge starts to feel like a chore. But for gamers who want to test themselves in a glossy recreation of one of the most infamous moments in modern American military history, Black Hawk Down will do just that.

Looking for something else to scratch a similar itch? Check out our best FPS games list for what to play next!