KEO

My honest first reaction to KEO was 'oh, this is exactly the game I wanted in 2004 and couldn't find in 2021.' Post-apocalyptic remote-controlled vehicles blasting each other across sandy arenas, nine vehicle classes spanning damage-focused Strykers, armour-heavy Juggernauts, and utility-minded Specialists, plus a loadout system where you swap out the four side-mounted weapon slots with missiles, EMP grenades, plasma beams, or landmines. On paper, that is a genuinely tasty premise. The core handling is actually decent, a little slidey across the dirt arenas in a way that feels intentional rather than broken, and landing a plasma hit on an enemy Juggernaut never stops feeling satisfying. The modes cover the standard bases: Team Deathmatch pits 5v5 or 3v3 squads in straight kill-count scraps, Domination has you capturing and holding outposts while the score ticks up, and a cargo-carrying Team Racing mode rounds things out. Cosmetic customisation is funded by a separate real-money currency called Kreds, while actual vehicle unlocks and weapons are earned through Scrap, the in-game currency you collect just by playing. No pay-to-win hooks in the progression, which is a clean call from the developer. Controller support exists but aiming with a thumbstick is noticeably rougher than keyboard-and-mouse, so anyone planning to couch-play this one should know the lock-on system is inconsistent at best. Here is the part where I have to be straight with you. KEO launched in Early Access in December 2021 with big promises about a full 2022 release. Steam itself now flags that the last developer update was over three years ago. The Mixed review score (50 percent positive across nearly 600 reviews) tells most of the story, but the real killer is queue times. Multiple early previews reported empty lobbies across all regions, and nothing in the years since suggests the population recovered. If you cannot guarantee four or five friends with copies, you will be staring at a matchmaking screen, not playing a game. The developers' own pinned message at one point jokingly called it a 'lobby simulator', which is charming self-awareness but not exactly a ringing endorsement. For the Saturday night group that already has five people on voice chat and wants something chaotic and low-commitment, KEO can scratch that vehicular combat itch in short bursts. The concept is fun, the vehicle variety gives each player a role, and blowing up a friend's Panther with a well-timed mine cluster is the kind of moment the genre lives for. But as a solo pickup or a long-term investment, the abandoned Early Access roadmap and skeleton-crew online population make it a hard sell. Games like this live and die by their lobbies, and KEO's are, unfortunately, mostly dead.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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