Take Super Smash Bros., make it a competitive FPS instead of a fighting game, and swap the characters from Nintendo to Ubisoft. You now have an idea of what to expect from XDefiant, the latest in-development free-to-play shooter at Ubisoft. Originally announced as a Tom Clancy game a few years ago, XDefiant has expanded and evolved as development progressed. In addition to The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, XDefiant also includes characters from the worlds of Far Cry 6 and Watch Dogs 2.

Each game is identified in XDefiant as a faction, which maps to traditional character classes. For example, the Libertad freedom fighters from Far Cry 6 fill the role of healers, while the Cleaners from The Division are front-line DPS fighters. You don't need to have a particular mix of factions on your team to start a match, but a diverse mix does present an advantage due to how the abilities and specials interact.

After choosing a faction, you also get to choose your active ability. The abilities are on theme with your faction but differ enough to support different styles of play. Libertad's ability is healing, with one healing everyone around the player, while the other drops a stationary healing tool, allowing you to deploy and focus on other things. The Cleaners have a choice between a Molotov cocktail or an incinerator drone.

In addition to the ability, each faction also has a passive ability and an ultra. The passive is always active (for the Cleaners, the passive adds fire damage to your ammunition at the cost of range), while the ultra has to be built up over the course of a match. Ultras are powerful enough to turn the tide of a match, but only if they're properly timed. Deploy an ultra too early or too late, and you'll effectively be left with nothing more than a pretty on-screen animation.

It's the faction meta — and how they all interact — that may eventually be the ultimate draw that keeps players interested in XDefiant. That's because not all of the factions are immediately available, and new factions (with new abilities) will be introduced over time, along with new maps.

The Cleaners (The Division), Echelon (Splinter Cell), Libertad (Far Cry 6), and Phantoms (Ghost Recon) are the four default factions, available to everyone who plays. DedSec (Watch Dogs 2) will also be available during the beta (and at launch), but choosing DedSec requires first earning access via gameplay or buying the faction via a microtransaction. It's likely that this model will continue with future faction releases, so it will be vitally important that the dev team ensures a fair balance. If a paid faction gets an unfair advantage, the game becomes pay-to-win, which is never any fun.

As you might expect, DedSec is designed for players who enjoy running interference for their team. DedSec players can hack the enemy, including disrupting the ability to use abilities. DedSec players aren't likely to win if they channel Rambo, but they can be an impressive force multiplier for a well-oiled team.

XDefiant supports cross-play, so player population shouldn't be an issue. What will be a challenge is ensuring that console players using controllers are just as competitive as PC players using a keyboard and mouse.

I had a chance to play a few rounds with other members of the media last week, and running around the environments felt just as good with either controller option. Time to kill is low, which makes you feel powerful and encourages teams to force confrontations. Personally, I would prefer a slightly lower TTK and more strategic play, but the current setup may be better for pick-up groups.

Because XDefiant is team-based, a headset is practically required. Coordination is much easier when you can chat with your teammates in real time, whether that is planning a push forward or calling out an unexpected enemy attempt at flanking.

XDefiant is currently slated to have 14 maps available at launch. Maps are either wholly original to XDefiant or themed after the same Ubisoft games as the factions. In the latter case, you may find yourself fighting through Echelon HQ in one match, a New York mall in the next, and running around the Nudle HQ in another.

The maps are designed to complement the two different gameplay styles, with 10 arena maps and four linear progression maps. The latter are there to support game modes like escort, where you have to get an item from point A to point B, while your opponent tries to do everything they can to stop you.

One aspect of XDefiant that wasn't quite clear is how the leveling system works. The obvious focus for most players is going to be the battle pass and the associated rewards, but there also appear to be levels for individual weapons. How that will play out over time is unknown.

Speaking of weapons, there are currently 24 different weapons and 44 different attachments in the game. You can use a default loadout or save a customized loadout once you find a specific set that works for you.

The XDefiant closed beta launches today and runs for 10 days through April 23, 2023, at 11 p.m. Pacific Time. Players who participate in the closed beta can earn unlocks, including the DedSec faction. Any unlocked earned during the beta will carry over to launch.

Specific plans for the future were not detailed, though Ubisoft said that it plans on supporting XDefiant with new seasons every three months. Each season will include new content drops, including new factions, new maps, new weapons, new cosmetics, and new events.

XDefiant is easy to pick up and has a promising set of features, but the real test is ultimately going to be player interest. The free-to-play shooter market already has some heavy hitters, and drawing players away to a new title is going to take a concerted effort. On the other hand, Ubisoft has a rich history of games to draw from, and the idea of more character crossovers is very appealing. Again, nothing was announced, but I'm already imagining the absurdity of running around as a Rabbid or having a parkour character based on Assassin's Creed or Prince of Persia.