Reflex Arena

About

Reflex Arena is a competitive arena FPS that emphasizes raw skill and precision. With fast-paced gameplay, unique slide system, and map-wide teleportation, it offers a refreshing take on classic deathmatch and arena modes. The game also boasts a powerful map editor, allowing for custom levels and a vibrant modding community. Character count includes spaces.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,200 reviews

gameplay140 positive mentions

monetization11 negative mentions

Reflex is a fantastic arena shooter that captures the essence of classic games like Quake 3 and CPMA, offering fast-paced gameplay and intricate movement mechanics.
The game features a highly customizable map editor that allows players to create and edit maps in real-time, enhancing community engagement and creativity.
Despite its low player base, the community is friendly and supportive, with many experienced players willing to help newcomers improve their skills.

The player base is very small, making it difficult to find matches, especially for casual players who may not want to face highly skilled veterans.
The game is still in early access, which means many features are incomplete or missing, including a robust tutorial and matchmaking system.
Some players have reported technical issues, such as crashes and performance problems, which can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
381 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
62%
1%
The gameplay of Reflex is widely praised for its fast-paced, competitive arena shooter mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like Quake III and Unreal Tournament. Players appreciate the smooth and responsive controls, deep movement mechanics, and the high skill ceiling that rewards mastery, although some note a lack of innovation and low player counts affecting matchmaking. Overall, while the core gameplay is solid and engaging, the game is still in early access, with room for improvement in content and community engagement.
- “I was drawn to the combination of relatively straightforward mechanics and a very high skill ceiling, along with the addictive movement system; at the time, I saw it as Quake Live but with better movement.”
- “The gameplay is fantastic, and has a virtually infinitely high skill ceiling.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and responsive, and there's a map editor built right in!”
- “The entire gameplay is the same, relies on custom made maps and replaced characters with customizable robots and weapons... with microtransactions.”
- “I was promised the rebirth of arena fps, instead I got 10 minutes of gameplay for every 10 or more minutes I spend searching.”
- “There's a reason everyone in Australia is playing cpma again, and it's because the gameplay is just poor.”
graphics
265 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the clean, minimalist art style that enhances visibility and performance, making it suitable for a variety of hardware. While some players appreciate the vibrant colors and polished visuals, others criticize the simplistic design and lack of detailed textures, describing them as bland or placeholder. Overall, the graphics are generally considered solid and well-optimized for competitive gameplay, though there are calls for further improvements as the game continues to develop.
- “Granted you have free games like xonotic and warfork with similar physics but when it comes to the visuals/graphics, Reflex looks heavenly (literally! It's even got the bloom effect to prove it).”
- “Brilliant movement, extremely high skill ceiling, beautiful graphics and good performance.”
- “The graphics and art style are a nice touch to the overall experience, and performance is great; the game is super smooth.”
- “The textures are largely bland and/or missing and the game visually overall is very simple (weapon pickups are monochromatic, player models and weapons make them look like child's toys due to the cartoony aesthetic).”
- “Let's see, how do I describe this game... after the most recent update, I was appalled by the massive progression of the aesthetics.”
- “There is no art-style at all, which is really disappointing.”
optimization
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
44%
7%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many users noting excellent performance, smooth gameplay, and effective netcode. However, some players report issues on specific maps and mention that the game can be demanding on hardware, particularly for older systems. While the game is well-optimized for modern machines, there are still areas for improvement, especially as it continues to develop.
- “Visuals are clear, performance is great, netcode is one of the best if not the best.”
- “The graphics and art style are a nice touch to the overall experience, and performance is great; the game is super smooth.”
- “While other contemporary games in the genre seem to be focusing on the wrong elements such as ultra-high resolution textures and console-shooter style gameplay, Reflex keeps its focus on what really makes an arena shooter a great experience for competitive FPS players: high performance gameplay through control and HUD customizability, fast-paced movement mechanics that, once mastered, make just moving through a well-designed level feel great, graphics optimized with high refresh rates in mind for low input latency and a buttery smooth experience, and a set of creation tools that allow for amazing community content.”
- “The community-made original maps are visually cluttered; the excess usage of bright colors and prefabs make for an environment where it is difficult to distinguish player models and have poor performance on some systems, even modern ones.”
- “The game is heavily GPU-bound and requires a beefy rig, since the game's custom engine hasn't been optimized yet.”
- “At the moment, it's very unoptimized and unfinished, but even despite that, it's already a lot of fun.”
monetization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
52%
38%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with players expressing frustration over the presence of microtransactions for cosmetic items in a full-priced FPS title. Many reviewers suggest that the game would benefit from transitioning to a free-to-play model with lower-cost microtransactions to attract a larger player base. Overall, the combination of in-game purchases, a high price tag, and a lack of originality has led to dissatisfaction among players.
- “I'd be happy with Reflex going free-to-play even with microtransactions because we need young people playing arena FPS!”
- “Good netcode and the only microtransactions in the game and planned are cosmetic only.”
- “Please stop adding microtransactions to early access games.”
- “Some of the big annoyances are in-game purchases for starters... it's an FPS; there shouldn't be anything left to buy once you get the game.”
- “Microtransactions, a $10 price tag, a dwindling player base, and a lack of originality are things that don't mix well.”
- “I got annoyed as hell playing on these maps with the same exact characters everywhere, because someone thought it would be a good scam to sell models, skins, and cosmetics as in-game purchases in an FPS arena game.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players praise its solid performance, improved netcode, and reduced bugs compared to earlier builds, others still encounter significant issues such as freezing and basic map editor bugs. The developers are actively addressing these concerns, and despite the remaining glitches, the game is considered enjoyable and worth the investment.
- “The community is great, the game runs smoothly, and the developers are very passionate about the game.”
- “Hitboxes and netcode have been updated and are fantastic, and the game already runs great on decent PCs.”
- “Finally, a good FPS game with working netcode, a variety of weapons that require different kinds of aim, rich movement that feels incredibly rewarding, and awesome-looking artwork that runs great with no visibility issues.”
- “It's still pretty buggy right now.”
- “I've no way of knowing as it freezes before even getting to the loading screen.”
- “There is no proper netcode (it's still somewhat playable), all weapon models are placeholders, the map editor is extremely basic and still very buggy at times (especially on QWERTZ keyboards), most things have to be done through the console.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game's music aspect has received mixed feedback, with many users noting the absence of music, leading to a silent experience that prompts players to provide their own background music. While sound effects are praised for their quality, particularly during gameplay, the lack of a musical score has been a significant drawback for players. Overall, the music aspect is currently rated poorly, with hopes for future updates.
- “Audio: I don't know if the devs plan on including music in this game, but the sound effects are largely top notch, particularly like the hit sounds and the bell that plays when you kill an enemy player.”
- “Fun look and retro soundtrack but overall look elsewhere.”
- “Music: 7/10”
- “No music: the game is just silent af.”
- “You're going to have to run your own music in the background.”
- “I don't know if the devs plan on including music in this game, but the sound effects are largely top notch, particularly like the hit sounds and the bell that plays when you kill an enemy player.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
64%
21%
The story aspect of the game is minimal and primarily revolves around the experience of new players entering a competitive environment, where they often face overwhelming challenges from more experienced players. The narrative highlights the steep learning curve and skill requirements, suggesting that while the gameplay can be punishing, it remains enjoyable for those willing to invest time in mastering it. Overall, the focus is less on a traditional storyline and more on the personal journey of players navigating the game's complexities.
- “Despite the stomping from veterans, the incredibly complicated and skill-needy movement system, and the overall high skill floor, which essentially starts on the third story, and even higher skill ceiling, which pretty much goes into space, I still enjoy playing this game.”
- “Here's how the classic story works: a new player enters a duel server, waits however long, and then when their turn is finally up, he/she gets destroyed due to lack of knowledge about the game. If he/she was not paying close attention, they may struggle to move quickly around the arena and figure out which weapon to use when and where.”
- “Here's how the classic story works: a new player enters a duel server, waits however long, and then when their turn is finally up, they get destroyed due to a lack of knowledge about the game. If they weren't paying close attention, they might not know how to move quickly around the arena or figure out which weapon to use when and where.”
- “Despite the stomping from veterans, the incredibly complicated and skill-needy movement system, and the overall high skill floor, which essentially starts on the third story, and an even higher skill ceiling, which pretty much goes into space, I still enjoy playing this game.”
- “- Matchmaking system - finally, newbies can have a good start with this game, not by losing 0:50 to the first player (this is my story, lol).”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of absurdity and self-referential jokes, often poking fun at the player experience and community dynamics. Reviewers note a blend of childish memes and teasing that creates a lighthearted atmosphere, though some find it can feel exclusionary or overly reliant on inside jokes. Overall, the humor is seen as a defining characteristic that adds to the game's charm, even if it doesn't resonate with everyone.
- “I was set up as a moderator with the idea that it would be so far-fetched for me to be one that it would be hilarious for them to see my reaction.”
- “This place was them laughing and making a joke out of you.”
- “What's funny is that I've learned about it from Quake Champions forums.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The game has a moderate replayability score of 5/10, characterized by its simple and minimalistic design that offers some fun. However, players feel that the addition of more modes, seasonal events, or challenges would significantly enhance its replay value and maintain community engagement.
- “This game is simple, minimalistic, and offers replayable fun.”
- “Additional modes, seasonal events, or challenges would enhance replayability and keep the community engaged over time.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players note a lack of experience points (XP) farming opportunities for weapons, indicating that grinding for weapon upgrades or enhancements is not a prominent feature in the game.
- “No XP farming for weapons.”
- “No XP farming for weapons.”
- “No XP farming for weapons.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express that Weapon 8 evokes strong emotional responses, with some feeling moved to tears by the experience.
- “Weapon 8 makes me want to cry”