For the last 5 hours we have been playing and testing Critical Ops [Free] on iOS as it happens to be in open Alpha status. Thanks to the brilliant Critical Force Entertainment, creators of Critical Strike Portable, they have gave our members exclusive access to test the game for reviewing purposes. Critical Ops is currently available for Facebook and Android worldwide as a free game. It was officially released on Google Play on November 22nd (just 2 days ago). The online fast-paced shooter game takes you back to the nostalgic days of Counter Strike as it follows its footsteps with the graphics and gameplay. Having talked with the developers before, they mentioned that their intention with this new title is to make it into an official eSports platform, which got us excited. Our network is preparing a professional team ready to play competitively in this game as we happen to promote competitive mobile gaming, which resembles the essence of any successful gaming platform.

One of the things that might surprise you is that the game is cross-platform, allowing players from Facebook, Android, & iOS to play together. Up to 20 players can join into a room and play, and if the host allows it, they can even chat during the game! There are 5 regions which you can join the moment you enter the game: North America, Europe, Asia, South America, & Russia. Regardless of where you live, you can join any region and it won’t affect your connection dramatically. For example, many of us who are from Europe joined the North America region and we happened to get the highest Kill/Death ratio (not bragging but demonstrating that playing on a different region which you don’t belong to will not affect your skills in a noticeable way).

For the moment, the only mode available is Defuse The Bomb, but more will be added according to the company. You can play in 3 available maps: Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Tokyo. We can tell you that they are pretty big to house 20 players, and even at times it took us a while to find the enemy. You can choose to join the Terrorists (yellow team) or Counter Terrorists (blue team). Playing with your friends on Critical Ops is one of the easiest we have experienced; you simply head to custom matches and tap on Host to create a match, and you set it and name it as you please. Then your friends can join it and you are good to go. Pretty simple and satisfying, really.

Let’s talk about weapons. When you first start the game, you are penniless and carry only a gun. Each round you play, you gain more money if you or your team perform well, and lose money if you and your team perform badly. But on average, you will gain enough money to buy decent weapons. Usually, in round 2 you will be able to afford to buy from any category of weapons. When you first spawn, you have 10 – 20 seconds to buy a weapon. You press on the shop icon and you are presented with: Gear, Pistols, SMGs, Assault Rifles, Shotguns, & Snipers. You can buy a new weapon each round and no weapon seemed overpowered, because based on our experience, we managed to kill people carrying assault rifles with a pistol only. A commando knife can be used to stab the enemy as well, and is always with you by default. If you are worried about In-app purchases, don’t be! This game does not have a pay-to-win model so play to your heart’s desire.

Graphics on this game are very solid and greatly polished when compared to the company’s previous titles. The design of each map seems to be detailed and precise, with each map resembling its real location while providing confusing alleys and tricky corners for tactical warfare. At the moment, there is no clan system but that can easily be added once the game is officially released on iOS. However, clans can plan out a match and join a private room that is password protected and you can share it with the clan members so they only can join in. You can also choose to make the room cross-platform where players using a different operating system can join in, or you can disable the cross-platform function and only people of your operating system will be able to join. It feels like Critical Force Entertainment has prepared for everything!

Similar to many First Person Shooters, the controls system offers great customizability; buttons can be rearranged across the screen and resized to your comfort. They have proven to be very responsive and smooth. But it is likely that we will see more options available for controls since the developers are planning to make it into an eSports-worthy game. Typically, there is a joystick that allows you to move, and buttons allowing you to fire, jump, and aim. It would be wonderful to see the game supporting MFI controllers in upcoming updates.

There you go guys, that was our experience on iOS, although we tested it on Android before that; and the mobile experience was more or less, the same. We played for 5 hours for a very good reason – because it was absolutely addicting with its fun! For its competitive matches, tactical warfare, classic graphics design, and endless customization possibilities; Critical Ops is a game with all the content that competitive gamers have been begging for from developers of other similar titles. It is extremely gripping that you cannot let go of it. Just imagine the thrill of marching along with 9 other soldiers on your team to hunt the enemy and shoot them down. Back in the day, we used to go the Internet Cafe with friends to play Counter Strike, and today we hold dearly to these long-time memories. However, now – instead of going to an Internet Cafe – you can go to Critical Ops with friends to build new and lasting memories. If you are an Android or Windows user then go ahead and grab the game from your store, don’t miss out on this one. For iOS users, be patient friends , stay tuned with our website, and we will keep you updated on this game. We believe it will be released for iOS in early 2016 or even sooner if possible, so it shouldn’t be long from now. You can watch the Amsterdam Map Trailer for this game below.

We rate it 9.5/10