Action · July 2, 2012
Blacklight: Retribution (2012)
Take firefights to a futuristic new level in Blacklight: Retribution, a free-to-play FPS. See through walls with the HRV, deploy mechanized Hardsuits, and customize your weapons to dominate the opposition. In Blacklight, mastering the futuristic tech is half of victory. You'll need to carefully balance your loadout, from the extreme customization possible in designing your firearms, to the equipment you carry and the in-match bonuses you can unlock. The Hyper Reality Visor (HRV) allows you to look through walls and spot enemies, and attack from where they aren't expecting - but be careful, because you're vulnerable while using it. The other half of victory? Raw skill, same as it's always been. Good hunting, Agent... Key Features Hardsuits - Use a variety of upgrades in each match, including calling in the hulking Hardsuit mech. Powerful but slow, this armored suit packs a one-shot, one-kill railgun and a high velocity minigun to clear rooms... fast. Hyper Reality Vision - HRV Technology allows Agents to scout their enemies through the walls, pinpoint vital mission objectives, or locate weak points in an enemy Hardsuit. Weapon Depots - Scattered across the battlefield are Weapon Depots that supply your team with additional ammo, heavier weapons such as a Rocket Launcher, or provide the ability to call down airstrikes and Hardsuits. Free to Play! - Blacklight: Retribution is a fully Free-to-Play shooter. Earn Game Points (GP) after every match and use them to unlock various armor and weaponry for your Agent in game. Customize Your Loadout - An Agent’s gun is their livelihood. Choose from 1000 different gun combinations by modifying your receivers with customizable Stock, Muzzle, Barrel, Magazine, and Scope, Camo, and Weapon Tags. Protect Yourself - Whether your play style is run and gun, or survivability, or long range sniping the choice is yours to make in fully customizing your armor loadout. Level Progression - Gain experience and levels through combat to unlock access to additional weapons, armor, and equipment. Tons of Game Modes and Maps - Combat is engaged on a number of different 7 different game modes across 9 beautifully detailed maps. Game modes includes classics such Team Death Match, Domination, Capture the Flag, and Kill Confirmed while introducing new favorites likes Netwar. Private Servers - Want to scrim with your clan mates? Challenge someone 1vs1? The private server option allows Agents to set up their own password protected server away from the pesky trolls. Spectator Mode - Learn tips and tricks from the top players in Spectator mode, or simply enjoy the chaos from the best seat in the house.
Action releases from 2012
71 Action titles launched in 2012 — top 6 by review volume.
Position in Action
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 16.4k Steam reviews | Top 29% in Action |
| Positive rating | 76% positive | Genre average: 83% — this title sits in top 77% |
| Metacritic | 75/100 | Genre average 77 — top 65% of Action titles |
| Engagement hours | 17 h average | Top 29% for session depth among Action |
Peer Action titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Free to Play · 938
- FPS · 660
- Multiplayer · 530
- Action · 479
- Shooter · 466
- Gun Customization · 330
- First-Person · 308
- Futuristic · 292
- Mechs · 215
- Co-op · 207
- Sci-fi · 206
- Military · 186
- Cyberpunk · 185
- Zombies · 160
- Singleplayer · 158
Reception Metrics
Steam community
76%Mostly Positive · 16.4k reviews
12.5k positive · 3.9k negative
Metacritic
75/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.6/10
Curator recommendations
146
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (7)
- English volume_up
- German
- French
- Italian
- Spanish - Spain
- Japanese
- Russian volume_up
Full audio (2)
- English
- Russian
Press Quotes
'This is not only a great example of a professional and credible free-to-play game, but it's also one of the best first-person shooters I've played. I am quite serious when I say that, too. This game is a serious FPS contender, and its freemium status should not diminish your expectations. I wholeheartedly recommend you jump in and give it a try. It'll cost only your time to give it a whirl, and I am certain that it'll be time well…
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
17h
moderate (15–40 hours)
Median
3h
Typical completion time
Achievements
25
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Jul 2, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Hardsuit Labs, Inc. |
| Base price | Free-to-play |
| Platforms | Windows |
| Estimated owners | 100k–1M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support |
Features & Capabilities
Multiplayer
- Multi-player
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
Other
- Includes level editor
- Family Sharing











