Delta Force's co-op campaign is a challenging add-on for the first-person shooter

Delta Force launched out of Early Access last month, bringing about the return of a beloved first-person shooter franchise from the late 90s and early aughts. Now, developer Team Jade is adding a new game mode in Black Hawk Down, a co-op campaign inspired by the 2003 classic. I had the chance to play a couple of missions during a pre-launch preview of Black Hawk Down.

As one may expect, Delta Force’s Black Hawk Down campaign pits players against AI enemies on various levels inspired by the infamous military operation. However, it’s designed to be played cooperatively, and players can queue up in parties of four. Before deploying, players must select their class. In addition to weapons and equipment, classes provide bonuses like increased ammunition.

Each mission has multiple objectives that players must clear in order to complete. One level saw my group begin in a partially destroyed building, going floor by floor before eventually making our way outside. As we passed windows, we were shot at by soldiers on a distant roof. Unlike many PvE shooter experiences, the AI enemies are deadly accurate in Black Hawk Down. You’ll survive standing in a window for about 3 seconds before an unseen enemy puts one between your eyes. We were constantly making callouts as we spotted enemies and stuck to cover as much as possible.

As we made our way out onto the street, friendly soldiers took cover behind cars as gunfire rained down from above. One rooftop enemy fired an RPG down at us, causing instant trouble for our group. When you go down, your allies have a limited amount of time to resurrect you before you fully die. Enemies, of course, have no sympathy for a medic trying to revive someone on a battlefield, so we had to use smoke grenades to create cover while we picked each other up.

There are a finite number of lives that are shared among the party, giving a real weight to every death. There’s also a scarcity when it comes to bandages and ammo. Each player receives a fixed amount at the beginning of the mission, so it has to be used sparingly throughout the duration of a level. As an assault class, I had extra ammunition and was able to give some to my allies.

The unforgiving brutality of enemies and scarcity of resources makes Delta Force’s campaign a deeply challenging PvE experience. The developers talked to me about the difficulty, stating that they don’t expect players to clear a level on their first attempt. With a competitive multiplayer foundation, Black Hawk Down provides a solid change of pace for the new first-person shooter.

Shacknews played a preview of Black Hawk Down at the Tencent office in Los Angeles, California. Tencent paid for my travel, lodging, and transportation to and from the event.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_