The Division Resurgence review - "Take back New York, stay on the move"

• Continue The Division on mobile with Resurgence!
• Your agent's job isn't done with new factions to face, and new abilities to master
• The Dark Zone returns, along with team-based and competitive online play

Ubisoft has a lot of IPs under its belt, but one of the most divisive is The Division. A series of titles almost entirely dependent on online play, it has you playing as secret agents who are activated during times of extreme crisis.

As a result, nearly anyone can be activated as an agent, but they're all working towards the same cause, hence the necessity for teamwork and match-making.

Following two successful entries in both The Division and its sequel, Ubisoft returns to expand on the first one. The Division Resurgence has you returning as an agent of the Strategic Homeland Division (SHD) to restore order after a deadly outbreak. The challenge is whether something so complex can be carried by tablets and phones.

What is The Division Resurgence?

If you're not familiar with the story of the original, The Division Resurgence reminds you right at the start of what you're expected to do. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the biggest shopping day, Black Friday, hits across the US. It gets particularly crowded and chaotic in the major city of New York, and that's when the outbreak occurs.

Spread through the dispersion of contaminated money, the Dollar Flu, or Green Poison, quickly makes its way to the crowds, with mortality reaching terrifying levels in a matter of hours.

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A few days later, New York is placed under quarantine and martial law as society instantly crumbles. People trapped within become helpless victims, terrorized by the organized groups of gangs and criminals that have banded together to survive and take control.

Fortunately, a number of civilians within are revealed to be SHD agents who are now being activated to retake control of the city, protect civilians, take down any hostile groups, and hopefully rebuild the city.

Yep, you've got your work cut out for you.

The Division Resurgence Rises

When dealing with an established gameplay model that requires speed, precision, and connectivity, it can be difficult for the mobile platform to carry it. Even so, The Division Resurgence has worked hard to deliver on everything expected of its IP.

From the very start, you're given all the elements of a third-person shooter with a custom character let loose in quarantined New York. It covers everything, including cover-based shooting, open-world exploration, RPG-like character growth and equipment management, and an endless amount of missions.

It'll take you a few longform sessions to come to grips with just everything that's available, so it'll keep you entertained and engaged for some time.

While you may not have a compatible controller on hand, the touchscreen controls and layouts cover both the basic and advanced actions. Of course, automatic interactive elements have been included for greater ease and to compensate for the touchscreen's limitations, which is much appreciated.

You're also free to use pre-determined layouts or customise the buttons to suit your needs. If you do decide to go for a controller or even keyboard layout, you can have classic button mapping and the chance to change it as you will.

When it comes to gameplay, movement is smooth and fast, and combat can be sudden and exciting. Shooting feels good, and shots have impact, while using abilities is quick and enjoyable; it's fun to see their effects in action alongside your own abilities. It's generous that you get several abilities right from the start to use freely.

There's also a very strong emphasis on customisation, starting from the moment your agent is activated. After crafting your character, the really important choices come through in your class specialisation.

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You get four classic and distinct archetypes, each with multiple focuses that determine how your trademark abilities affect the enemies, your allies, and yourself. Each level-up has a weight to it; every point you put into one of your skills can be felt the moment you try it out in the field. There's no better incentive to play and get better than making your agent stronger and giving them new things to play with.

Finally, there's the content. As an online-centric series, The Division has always tried to push with a variety of game modes and events. Now that it's entered the mobile world, it's brought them over and then some.

You've got the Main Missions, Side Missions, Team Domination, the ominous Dark Zone, and a whole mess of events to jump in, try your luck, and get some sweet rewards along with experience. Even if you don't win, you'll still get a crash course in how tough this world can be, but it's the best way to toughen up.

The Division Resurgence Falls

Some ports, translations, and mobile tie-ins can be seen as ambitious, with The Division Resurgence among them. Sadly, there are times when it seems a bit TOO ambitious.

You can see for yourself as soon as your agent comes to life by just looking at the visuals. Depending on your device, the graphics may match those of early PlayStation 2 adventures, which can be a letdown, given that attention to detail and sharpness have always been among the series' strongest points. So, you'll be limited to whatever device you have, which determines whether Resurgence gets the graphical support it deserves.

Then comes an issue that has hounded the series since its first entry: Multiplayer. Like its predecessors, Resurgence is almost necessary to play with others (ideally friends) to fully enjoy it. Solo missions can be cool for a time, but as the difficulty ramps up, the odds become more and more stacked against you, with any AI allies being limited and not quite so dependable.

You'll need real people to take on the harder and more satisfying missions, but that also means you'll need a stable connection. If you have a strong enough roaming, you can try your luck on the road, but it's infinitely better to just have a strong and reliable WiFi connection.

You'll also need this to access most of the perks associated with its progression and event system. It's probably for the best, since there's no telling how you'll look, panicked and stressed, fighting a gang of flamethrower maniacs while riding the bus.

Surge forth in The Division Resurgence

The Division Resurgence is a 3D third-person open-world online shooter and Ubisoft's mobile entry in The Division universe. A lot of time and effort has gone into translating everything that makes The Division, well, The Division, for mobile. The controls are thorough and functional, the customisation is extensive and diverse, and the amount of content and variety can seem ridiculous at times. 

However, it's still limited by your device's capabilities and power, your reliance on its multiplayer options, and the assumption that you have a stable internet connection. But when those things are aligned, the good things about the Division are united, and you're part of it.