For those who've kept track of it over the years, the fact that  Six Days in Fallujah Early Access is here may well seem like a small miracle.  The game has had its fair share of trials and tribulations that, if we're being honest, are a topic for a different medium. Today, we're interested in the game itself, and not necessarily its politically charged nature. And, since it's launched as an unfinished WIP experience, we're here to explain what it is, exactly, that's contained in the package.

Six Days in Fallujah is currently priced at $40/40€, which isn't cheap for an Early Access title. If you buy the game via 2Game, though, you can get an extra 10% off. Note, too, that if you're absolutely positive you're going to be playing the game at some point, you may want to buy it early. Devs have confirmed that the price will be going up over time, as Fallujah closes in on its full 1.0 release.

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What Do You Get in Six Days in Fallujah's Early Access?

Six Days in Fallujah is, at this time, quite similar to Ready or Not, which we discussed late in 2022. Both are currently unfinished Early Access offerings that provide a uniquely thrilling tactical experience with a few special twists and turns along the way. This is to say - Fallujah has got a long road ahead of it, but there's something truly special present already.

A while back, we praised Insurgency: Sandstorm's unexpectedly thrilling single-player modes. Fallujah is more-or-less that, but focused specifically on the PvE aspect of tactical gunplay.

The core premise of the game is that players are put into the shoes of American warfighters in the midst of the Second Battle of Fallujah. This is where the game's controversy stems from, of course, as the truth behind the Iraq War is still not fully agreed upon. Six Days in Fallujah's saving grace, however, is that it's not copying the battle exactly, instead opting to take inspiration from it and from the inhuman stress it put onto the fighters and the civilians themselves.

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Focus on Features, Not on Content

The bit to understand about Fallujah is that it's very programmatic: the game relies heavily on two key aspects of its gameplay: proc-gen architecture and block-scale AI.

Procedural architecture means that no two missions will be the same. This is designed to communicate the unexpected nature of the Battle of Fallujah, where combatants never knew what could await behind closed doors. Fallujah is all about clearing buildings and zones room by room, and the game sets up dynamic surprises along the way.

Block-scale AI, on the other hand, is here to keep the game's proc-gen maps interesting throughout a given match. According to the developer, Highwire Games, Fallujah's AI can stalk, flank, and ambush players anywhere on a given map, making things even more hectic and unpredictable than you'd expect.

Full Content Overview - June 26, 2023

It should be plainly obvious by now that this version of Six Days in Fallujah is an almost entirely different beast from what was initially announced, way back in the late aughts. A dedicated cooperative first-person shooter, the game still manages to convey the dread and tension that the devs initially wanted to convey, but differently. This brings us to yet another important point of contention: this isn't a solo-friendly game yet. Notably, AI teammates are coming down the line, and same can be said about the game's planned solo campaign mode. For now, it's a proc-gen sandbox for 4-player squads eager to jump into the fray.

Here's what you get in Six Days in Fallujah on June 26, 2023:

• four unique cooperative missions that support 1-4 players each

As the focus of the gameplay loop falls squarely on the missions themselves and the way they're generated on the fly, the weapons and other assorted gear won't allow for the sort of customization most modern FPS games offer. Instead, the developers are going all-in on authenticity, as shown in one of their previous USMC weapon blogs.

With that in mind, there's lots more to come, too!

Q3 2023, July - September

• Night-time missions + missions during other times-of-day
• Additional weather variety, affecting vision and operations

Q4 2023, October - December

• AI team-mates
• Additional co-op mission
• Additional systemic variables within mission sandboxes

Q1 2024, January - March

• First campaign mission
• Civilian presence in campaign and co-op missions
• Additional co-op mission

Q2 2024, April - June (and beyond)

• Special Operator missions
• Ability to play as other coalition nationalities (e.g. Iraqi warfighters)
• Additional campaign and co-op missions

A sensible roadmap if we've ever seen one! But that brings us to the most important aspect of Six Days in Fallujah's Early Access performance...

What Do The Players Say?

Everything we've been outlining until now would be for naught if the game didn't cater to its player base. Tactical shooter fans are very picky and notoriously difficult to please, so we were positively thrilled to see that the game was reviewing phenomenally well from the get-go. At the time of writing this article, June 26, Six Days in Fallujah has got 'Very Positive' reviews on Steam. With almost 2,500 reviews posted already, that's an amazing score and a great sign of what will come.

Icechuck, for example, calls Fallujah "one of the most intense tactical shooters [they] have ever played." Citing great audio design, AI, and the game's proc-gen environments as some of its highlights, they feel that it's a must-play for tactical shooter fans, but do point out that who are on the fence may wish for a discount.

ScreamingEmu, on the other hand, feels that Fallujah "takes a lot of team work and boy does the game make you paranoid," meaning that the block-scale AI is pulling its weight, as the devs intended.

Other reviewers cite Rainbow Six and Ready or Not as obvious inspirations. Though it's still early days for the game, then, it does appear that the devs have got something special cooking with Six Days in Fallujah.

An Exciting Prospect, Then?

Early Access productions are always a risky endeavor. Time and again, we've seen projects fall out of favor due to them taking way too long in the pre-production period, but from what we've seen of Six Days of Fallujah, the developer Highwire Games does have its plans sorted out rather well.

More importantly, however, Fallujah is already a compelling and innovative tactical shooter experience. Its programmatic elements deliver unique CQB gameplay every time you run a mission, and by leaning more heavily towards the moment-to-moment gameplay and authenticity, it's set up a niche that hasn't been tackled up until now.

If you're still on the fence, we get it! Starting with Fallujah later down the line means getting a superior product. Already, though, it's a remarkably compelling experience you'll find nowhere else. So, why not give it a shot?

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