We Love It's Guide to…
Race through vertical Freehold in 6v6 battles, chaining wall-runs, grapples and paint-based boosts while fighting over mechs.
Released 24 Jun 2026
Chain Wall-Runs
Grapple Enemy Pulls
Paint Speed Boosts
EMPULSE is a fast-paced 6v6 movement shooter. Wall-run, grapple, Holojump, pilot mechs, and P.A.I.N.T. your way through Freehold's vertical streets. Outmove your opponent or get outgunned.
Developed by 1047 Games · Published by 1047 Games
Set in the post-utopian streets of Freehold, EMPULSE is a team-based first-person shooter where two six-player teams battle across compact, vertical maps. Players fight for their Crews in modes built around combat and objectives.
Movement is central to every fight: wall-run across vertical surfaces, swing with a grapple hook, slide, and use jetpacks and boost pads to keep moving. Grapples can also pull enemies close, while P.A.I.N.T. bombs change surfaces with effects such as speed, jumps, healing, explosions, or sticking.
Players choose weapons and customize loadouts with attachments and perks. Mid-round, teams can contest two mechs that appear at the map’s center; a player who claims one gains access to weapons, a shield, melee attacks, and movement abilities.
Many reviewers who enjoyed EMPULSE highlight its fast, fluid movement and satisfying gunfights, often describing the movement as easy to pick up while still rewarding practice. Some also praise the P.A.I.N.T. effects and team fights over mechs. The sample is sharply mixed: recurring complaints include limited content, long matchmaking queues, controller aim-assist concerns, and the announcement that active development ended after a short Early Access period.
EMPULSE is a fast-paced 6v6 movement shooter where movement is the weapon. Outmove and outgun your opponents across the post-utopian streets of Freehold, chain wall-runs into grapple swings into mid-air kills, and fight for Crews to control mechs for the ultimate power spike.
Movement is the foundation on EMPULSE. Every district in Freehold is built for chaining movement together and finding your flowstate. Here’s a look at the toolkit:
Wall-running: Run forwards and backwards, chain almost any mechanic into a wall-run, and ride virtually every vertical surface on the map.
Grapple hook: Build momentum, swing around cover, whip into a wall-run faster than you could on foot, or hook an enemy to reel them in for a one-hit melee.
Holojumps and jetpacks: launch off boost pads to keep the movement chain alive.
P.A.I.N.T. Bombs: Reshape any surface with Jump, Speed, Explosive, Heal, and Sticky P.A.I.N.T. Bombs to gain the advantage in fights.
Grapple into a wall-run, swing into a Holojump, slide into Speed P.A.I.N.T. In EMPULSE, every move flows into the next
Mechs are the most contested objective in a match. They act as a power spike that spawns mid-round and forces your team to fight for control. Two of them spawn at the center of the map at a time, and whoever claims one is piloting a machine built to take over a round. A claimed mech comes loaded with a full kit:
Chaingun that ramps up the longer you hold the trigger
Rockets that delete anyone caught in sight
Melee that hits enemies for heavy damage and knocks them back
Deployable bubble shield to lock down a position or act as cover
Charge jump that launches the mech high into the sky, then slams down with a shockwave, crushing anyone caught underneath on impact
Dash to reposition with surprising speed, especially for something so massive
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 34 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | PlayStation, Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| DRM / EULA |
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| Content notices |
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| Website | Official website |
