Crossout is an upcoming vehicular combat game created by Targem Games—the creators of Hard Truck: Apocalypse, Sledgehammer, and more recently, Blazerush—and published by War Thunder developers Gaijin Entertainment. The game boasts a modular system of vehicle creation made out of parts that are salvaged, bought, or crafted, and an advanced damage model to match. I was recently given the chance to play the Closed Beta and share my thoughts.

The first thing I noticed about Crossout is how bizarre the matchmaking system is. While most lobby-based games have the option to hit a “Play” or “Battle” button and dive straight into matchmaking, Crossout requires you to queue for various missions. As far as I can tell, the only difference between missions is the rewards. For example, you might have to “get the shotgun” or “get the machine gun.” Each mission requires you to have reached a certain level to unlock. Despite the difference in level and reward, the game modes and maps are the same. If you want to play something different, you can play the “Defense” or “Race” modes under “Spec Ops.” Spec Ops, however, cost fuel whereas your regular missions don’t.

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Once you’ve made it into the game your chances of playing against actual players are slim. I’ve heard that as you reach higher levels you will start seeing more players. After several hours of play I’ve yet to see more than four players in a single match. I’ve yet to fight against a single other player. I don’t know if the pool of testers is just that small or if I’m missing rush hour, but I have not been given the chance to experience PvP yet. As such, my experiences are limited to matches versus AI, who fill all empty slots automatically.

The AI is not good. Unless you charge in guns blazing and leave your team’s AI behind there is relatively zero chance you will die. You might lose wheels or get flipped over, but you will survive. The AI don’t have the greatest vehicle builds and they  rely on a sort of pack mentality to make up for some glaring tactical flaws. On the off chance that every single human player dies the round will automatically end.

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Fortunately, vehicles handle pretty well. I’ve not yet accrued enough parts to create a hulking monstrosity, but lighter vehicles feel plausibly modeled. I quickly got the hang of the vehicle I started with and found myself outmaneuvering the AI. For those wondering, the game clearly leans towards arcade-like handling.

While driving was often easy you can flip your vehicle. Flipping your vehicle can be brutal as you need to have a specific piece of equipment in order to flip yourself upright again. I did not have it equipped and, thus, flipping over often meant death.

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Weapons handle about as well as you would expect them to. All weapons on your vehicle are controlled simultaneously. Whether or not you can fire a weapon is based on that weapon's line of fire in relation to the crosshair. Other than that, it is fairly standard fare, featuring standard controls. The spray patterns appear to be good, and relatively high weapon damage leads to quick deaths, so long as you hit the right places.

Due to high weapon damage and a complex damage model battles can get interesting from time to time. The damage model allows any and all parts to be shot off of a vehicle. This adds an extra layer of strategic depth when deciding who to take down and how. You can shoot off tires. You can go straight for vital components. You can even shoot off weapons. In addition to adding strategic depth it also creates an environment in which you have to constantly adapt to your increasingly damaged vehicle. It’s a unique system with very few parallels and I’ve been enjoying it quite a bit.

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There are several modes currently available, including Single-base Capture, Two-base Capture, and Team Deathmatch. However, much like Demolition mode in most games you won’t often be able to tell the difference. Matches often last a maximum of five minutes, during which death is final. Basically every match I’ve played has come down to which team kills the other off first.

The only exception that I’ve experienced so far is the Race mode, which allows respawns due to being time-limited. In this mode, players have to race to various cargo drops and capture them by sitting within the cargo’s capture zone for a specified amount of time. Each successful capture will grant you and your team more time until you either run out of time or you successfully capture a specified amount of cargo. The mode is enjoyable, but it doesn’t feel as if it will have lasting appeal. It comes off as a bit tedious.

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Once you’ve played a few matches, you can begin to customize your vehicle. Crossout gives you a large number of potential parts and a snap-to system that automatically locks parts in place. In some cases—such as on the hood or in the trunk of your vehicle—this means that you will be placing your parts on a set grid; items such as wheels will automatically snap to a fitting location. You also have the option of rotating any item in 90 degree increments in a 3D space.

While various generic parts can be placed without restriction critical parts are limited by the amount of power your vehicle produces. Your cab will produce a certain amount of power, but additional power will require you to attach generators in order to increase your maximum power output.

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If you don’t have the necessary parts you can buy them on the player-driven market. I, probably foolishly, bought a generator early on so that I could attach another gun, but that is the extent of my time with the market so far. It’s not laid out in the best manner as of yet. Alternatively, you could craft the items you need, but that requires you to have a specific set of materials and have reached a specific level with a faction.

Crossout left a good first impression on me and I will likely be playing quite a bit more. I have a few minor qualms with the game’s objective structure and a few menus, but there is still time for optimization. The most important thing is that the game feels polished overall and, even more so, it is fun to play. Targem Games have created something that is easy to jump in and out of while providing a new level of depth. I am eager to see where they take it from here.