Bodycam is a unique ‘first-person’ shooter game where you play from the point of view of your character’s body cam with insanely realistic gameplay and graphics! Read our review to see how well it does its strengths, some areas for improvement, and if you should get it for yourself.

Bodycam Review Overview

What is Bodycam?

Bodycam is a unique ‘first-person’ shooter game where you play from the point of view of your character’s body cam, creating a sense of found-footage feel often found in videos from police or special operatives while out on deployment. It’s a different take on the FPS control scheme, where aiming is given a higher skill ceiling with its more ‘realistic’ aiming. The feature it boasts the most is the high fidelity graphics that invoke the sense of realism, making gameplay appear recorded in the physical world.

Bodycam features:
　⚫︎　 Ultra-realistic graphics
　⚫︎　 Different take on the FPS control scheme
　⚫︎　 Unique point of view from a body cam
　⚫︎　 Three different game modes: Free-For-All Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Body Bomb
　⚫︎　 Global ranking system
　⚫︎　 Day and night cycle in different maps

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Bodycam's gameplay and story.

Digital Storefronts
Steam

Bodycam Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
High Skill Ceiling Gameplay Ultra-Realistic in Every Aspect	A High-End PC is a Requirement One Imbalanced and Puzzling Game Mode Lacks More Content Menu and Lobby UI Problems

Bodycam Overall - 70/100

Bodycam very much feels like it’s early b-roll footage that has yet to be meticulously edited together, but just going from the raw footage alone one can see the potential for a great film. Though many of its elements are in a good position, it gets dragged down by a few shortcomings with its lack of gameplay variety, barebones and confusing lobby menus, and a few touch-ups being needed for its worldbuilding and audio for fuller immersion. There is still much to be improved, but Bodycam for what it is now has some makings for a great game, and all it needs are some fixing in post and a few reshoots.

Bodycam Story - 6/10

Bodycam for what it is, does not have, nor require a story, similar to the tactical shooters of old such as Counter-Strike. However, it can only receive a passing score as it only does the barest minimum of worldbuilding, only having a tacked on label of "Terrorists" in the scoreboard. Though it has an aura of mystery from all the censored and masked up faces, it reaches shy of further interest by having a bit more of ‘why’ teams must be fighting. The maps themselves actually do a decent job providing some environmental storytelling just through their names! With just a bit more complementary storytelling, Bodycam would benefit greatly.

Bodycam Gameplay - 7/10

One of Bodycam’s key marketed features is its different take on the FPS control scheme, making it more difficult by utilizing your cursor not to simply aim and shoot, but having to shimmy and adjust your gun appropriately up, down, left, and right in order for your sights to land on enemies. Though there IS a lot of fun to be had for Bodycam’s early access, there are factors present that deter much of it, where the most egregious example is the lobby system where games never start due to players not knowing how to ready up due to unintuitive user interface(UI) design. The Body Bomb game mode is also rather confusing due to being largely unexplained, as well as being imbalanced for the bomb-wielders, frequently making games lopsided for one team. It also suffers from the lack of content due to being in early access, only having a handful of game modes to choose from.

Bodycam Visuals - 8/10

Bodycam does NOT play around with its graphics, as its realistic visuals are what caught the eyes and attention of the majority of its audience. Gameplay scenes are subtly stylized with grainy flair to fit the bodycam POV, while also appearing hyper-realistic for the average gamer, marking a successful attempt of their ‘recorded-footage’ goal. Your POV chaotically tumbles when you or your drone dies, adding a further sense of realism. The major downside is that they focused too much on the gameplay’s graphical fidelity and failed to fully flesh out a good UI, where what it is right now is a barebones application. The settings menus are a bit bugged and slightly confusing, while the lobby system offers no help nor instruction on how to get ready, leaving most players not knowing how to start games.

Bodycam Audio - 9/10

Bodycam knocks it out of the park with its sound design, where not only are the guns VERY realistically loud where even the game’s settings acknowledge it, but the subtle silence, footsteps, and drone whirrings around the battlefield offer an immersive experience. One could argue that the game could get a bit boring due to the lack of any music during, but really, who in their right mind would listen to music while out in the field where any sound cue could spell someone’s doom? Besides, the main menu and lobby music is a custom playlist full of bangers that I wouldn’t mind listening to. What only leaves it at a near perfect score however, is that the gameplay could still be offered further ambiance, from natural noises and whatnot that could nudge it into perfection.

Bodycam Value for Money - 5/10

Bodycam costs $29.99 as of writing, and unfortunately the current contents of the game does not merit that kind of price. Although the graphics and sound design are highly realistic, its low gameplay replayability and variety detracts it from being worth the full price. Specifically because it’s during its early access period where there are still kinks to be ironed out, content to be added, balance patches to be made, it does not feel like a full game as of yet. However, don’t turn a blind eye to the game’s potential, as there are only a few certain obvious aspects that need to be revised or touched up to be worth the game’s current price in the future– but as of now, it’s still far from it.

Bodycam Review: Started Recording Too Early

Pros of Bodycam

Things Bodycam Got Right
High Skill Ceiling Gameplay Ultra-Realistic in Every Aspect

High Skill Ceiling Gameplay

Bodycam’s alternate take on the FPS shooting mechanic, as well as its goal of striving for realism has made for interesting gameplay strategies and skills that require a lot of practice, teamplay, and map awareness. Not only is the aiming more difficult and need a LOT of getting-used-to, but movement is purposely a bit rudimentary to add a sense of groundedness, forcing players to position themselves with caution and purpose.

The most important and dynamic aspect has to be the flashlights, as when the map turns dark due to its day/night cycle throughout a game, the game gets REALLY dark indoors, and players have no choice but to use their flashlight to see where they’re going. However, turning them on will immediately give out your location either your light itself, or the shadows you produce. This adds a very fun layer of position, sneaking, and conservatism to utilize your light. You could only flash your light once every five seconds, then traverse the darkness unseen to catch an enemy unguarded. You could also partner up with a teammate where one has their light on and one doesn’t, and the one without the light sneaks up ahead while the lightbearer acts as bait. It has a lot of potential for competitive gameplay and I could not wait for it to be properly expanded upon and utilized by the community.

Ultra-Realistic in Every Aspect

Bodycam’s obvious goal is to be realistic in every aspect, and very believably achieves it. From the grounded and difficult gameplay mechanics, to the high-fidelity and decorated visuals, and to the roaring gunshots and the deafening silence that follow, Bodycam pretty much succeeds. Though there are still a few kinks to iron out with regards to its story/worldbuilding to further immerse players, as well as some more flourishes in the audio to fully maximize the auditory experience. But for what it is right now, it does an excellent job in delivering its promise.

Cons of Bodycam

Things Bodycam Can Improve
A High-End PC is a Requirement One Imbalanced and Puzzling Game Mode Lacks More Content Menu and Lobby UI Problems

A High-End PC is a Requirement

Oftentimes, one must know when to admit defeat gracefully– well my PC was screaming in agony to stop. Bodycam, with its stratospheric goals of achieving near-total realism through its gameplay, demands all the power it can get, and that means it’ll require modern processors and graphics cards that can handle the stress of the highest fidelity. Add the fact of it being a tactical first-person shooter as well, reactions times and visual cues are needed to be fully in shape and be able to perform the best you can in-game, and laggy gameplay in the lowest graphics settings will doubtless greatly deter gamers’ performances. You can find the game’s minimal and recommended system requirements in the table below.

One Imbalanced and Puzzling Game Mode

The game mode being put in question is Body Bomb, where a team starts out with a bomb that can be planted anywhere at any point in time. This means that the team holding the bomb can activate it as soon as the round starts and camp where it is. I guess to make it easier for the opposite team to find the bomb is the red flashing light that strongly lights up its surroundings, coupled with a very loud and distinguishable beeping sound. However, the instantaneous activation and camping of the bomb is tragically imbalanced, leaving the defusing team to always scramble for the bomb’s position. Although the bomb’s timer is somewhat generous, the camping tactics far outlast it. The game’s balance encourages against moving while shooting, but with all the corners and passageways in all maps, Body Bomb becomes near impossible when you face a team who knows how to guard the bomb. This game mode is the developer’s take on a competitive match, however, it’s far from it.

Lacks More Content

Bodycam lacks a wealth of differing gameplay, only feeling like a tech demo due to its early access nature. It only has three different game modes, where two of them fall under the same category of deathmatch. Free-For-All Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and the aforementioned imbalanced Body Bomb are all what Bodycan currently offers, and a few rotations towards the available map pool of 5 quickly depletes all that is foreign, enticing, and exciting to the player to keep playing. The ranking system is a good prospect, but it won’t be able to retain the more casual audience who don’t really care about grinding out matches to be on the top of a leaderboard.

Menu and Lobby UI Problems

Bodycam feels like it spent most of its budget on the gameplay graphics, and not its menu and lobby user interface. The menu’s buttons are unintuitive, where each one has two separate sections properly divided but improperly prioritized. When pressing the ‘Video’ button, one would expect to arrive at a screen to edit graphical quality settings and such–however, Bodycam’s default screen could confuse with how it brings up another menu first not concerned with any of the graphical qualities. Only then if you hover over the main ‘Video’ button do you see the two submenu options. This implementation is rather confusing, as most players expect to press just one button for all. Not only that, but said buttons are actually buggy, where sometimes clicking one submenu works, while the other one doesn’t.

Next up is lack of direction in the lobby, where most players end up not knowing where or how to ready up, leading to a lot of waiting-in-the-lobby-for-other-players-to-get-ready gameplay that’s agonizing to sit through. And when you’ve had enough and go to quit it to join another one, you’d just end up joining another stalled lobby!

Organize a better menu AND a more informative and intuitive lobby and a lot of annoyance will be reduced.

Is Bodycam Worth It?

Stop the Recording, It’s Not Ready Yet

Even with all the praise it should rightfully get, Bodycam is not worth the $29.99 pricetag, as all it is right now is a functioning realism tech demo that could run its course for most of the audience within the first 3-4 hours of gameplay. Though there is some fun to be had from practicing and learning its fresh take on FPS mechanics, the game offers not much variety in its gamemodes, where most of your time will be spent on deathmatch or an imbalanced game mode where, if you’re assigned to the wrong team, would have you walking and running to your death every round until the teams switch. It feels rather early to be bought for the full price of $30, but it could no doubt become worthy of the price with enough work put into it to shine like a diamond in the rough.

Bodycam FAQ

Bodycam VS Unrecord

Bodycam and Unrecord are two separate games developed by different creators, though it’s easy to misidentify one with the other. Unrecord was the first game that trended due to its realistic graphics and ‘body cam’ gimmick, while Bodycam was announced later AND released earlier, while Unrecord has had no updates since its initial trailer.

The key difference between the two is that Bodycam is a multiplayer game that works as a tactical team shooter, while Unrecord is a single-player narrative experience where players act as a detective.

What are all of Bodycam’s Game Modes?

As of writing, Bodycam has three game modes
　⚫︎　 Body Bomb
　⚫︎　 Teeam Deathmatch
　⚫︎　 Free-For-All Deathmatch

List of Bodycam Maps

　⚫︎　 Russian Building
　⚫︎　 Worn House
　⚫︎　 Airsoft House
　⚫︎　 Tumblewood
　⚫︎　 Oil Rig

Bodycam Price: How Much Does Bodycam Cost?

Bodycam currently sits at a price of $29.99 in its early access stage.

What are Bodycam‘s System Requirements

Game8 Reviews

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Bodycam Product Information

Title	BODYCAM
Release Date	June 7, 2024 (early access)
Developer	Reissad Studio
Publisher	Reissad Studio
Supported Platforms	PC(Steam)
Genre	FPS, Simulation
Number of Players	Online PvP (6v6 Team Deathmatch, 12 Free-For-All Deathmatch, (6v6)Body BomB)
Rating	N/A
Official Website	Reissad Studios Official Website

Clark Jason Kong

Growing up playing all sorts of games, they love playing a little bit of everything, all of the time. Favorites include Counter-Strike, Life is Strange, Final Fantasy, Spiritfarer, and Devil May Cry.