Battlerite Royale - PC Preview

For any of you MOBA or Arena fans out there wanting to test your skills, always having that confidence in going in 1v5 because you are just that good? Well look no further now you can test your skills 1v99. Easy, right? Battlerite has released a new game by taking in the popular Royale genre and integrating it into its own playstyle creating this hybrid that works out a lot better than it sounds. Players of both game types come together and prove who will rise to the top in this new Battlerite Royale preview!

As someone who has spent many hours playing Battlerite, I figured this shouldn't be nearly as difficult as maybe some new players would. Turns out, I was wrong. Even with the hours I have in Battlerite this game still has its own kind of learning curve to adapt to. Rather than having all your skills at your disposal, you instead start the match with 1 skill, and just enough money to buy 2 more, and 1 potion. It takes a lot of guess and check to find out which 2 skills are really the best to start with. Upon landing from your initial fall into the map a priority is to find "chests" that looks like spheres with runes to unlock new buffing items, gold, or abilities.

Not all of the characters from the Battlerite game are currently in Battlerite Royale they have a variety of each character in the ways of Melee, ranged, and mage types. I have yet to notice many support characters currently in the royale version, likely due to usually requiring a teammate to really make them shine. That being said, the supports that are currently in the game are there for a reason, as I learned early on…there is no bad characters in this mode, depending on the person behind the screen I have had my butt kicked by all types. But not to worry, after losing there is always a spectate mode, this is quite useful if you want to learn what exactly the others are doing in order to survive and make it further, or just hit that exit button and jump back in for round 2!

The buildup before the launch actually has its uses not only does it have a chance to let you see the competition around you, but it gives you a chance to spend that "pre game" gold and get some new skills before the hectic drop and scramble for loot. When the game is starting you fly out on a dragon, and start to soar over the map, and so it begins. This is where your play style as a person really shows. The big fighters will always jump off the dragon straight away and go for the ground as soon as possible, grab some loot and begin a blood bath. Some prefer to play it safer and avoid the early game blood bath and go for the less populated areas and grab some loot for the mid game. I would never call the 3rd type a coward, if anything these are often the type to want to win the most. They will land in the middle of no where and grab as much loot as possible and avoid that early conflict, solely aiming for that win.

It begins with the fall, but always remember when falling that you can navigate yourself and land more strategically either inside a house with loot, or if you noticed too many players landing near you perhaps navigate to the side and let me brawl it out and go in for the cleanup. The early game is very important this is when skill rains supreme, before players have a chance to gear up and get rare or epic skills it becomes a 1v1 3 skills each, lets see who comes out on top, for those who are confident, this is the best part of the game. As time passes we have a death vortex that appears, this vortex does constant damage players stuck inside of it, this is to close the map off and force the remaining players to find each other until 1 remains. The only thing to look out for are those who can be referred to as the "cleanup crew" nothing feels worse than clutching out a victory against a worthy opponent just to simply be taken out 5 seconds later before having time to heal.

There are 3 kinds of loot in this game, gear, skills, consumables and gold. All items come in rarities that greatly affect the items bonus stats. In order of strength it goes Green, Blue, Purple, Golden. The gear has effects on the players such as movement speed, life stealing, damage, all sorts of affects, the greater the rarity, the better the item is. Next is skills, as you open loot chests you can find either duplicates of your current skills, or find new or more powerful versions to help you push forward. Consumables are a huge part of this game, the need for potions or usable items really helps survive the long haul. Whether you are coming off a close win or even missing a bit of health, its always good to heal up and top off when you can find the time never knowing if you will have the chance or not.

There are more than simple potions when it comes to consumables, there are items that can make a character fly across the screen, or shoot a rocket that can stun an opponent, perhaps using a fake chest bomb to fool other players and give you an advantage after it blew up in their face!
Lastly there is gold, at first this doesn't seem very useful when you are being attacked by other players, but if you manage pull through there are merchants layed out all over the map. The gold is used to buy either items consumables or even new skills from these vendors. Having the ability to increase your move speed or get some extra damage, or even buy some potions when you have not been lucky enough to find them.

You will never leave a game feeling empty handed, each game will reward you some experience and gold to purchase cosmetic items or characters regardless of your finishing position. There are leagues that you will be placed in depending on how well you have ranked, kills per match, placement, wins. All of these affect your placement and rewards. There is also a built in reward system simply by playing, the achievements list, complete the requirements to earn "free stuff" at the low low price of your spare time!

Battlerite royale is a great take on a hybrid mix of Moba/royale had a baby and made something new. The games unique ideas, and loot system made it a ton of fun trying to figure out which characters I loved playing in this mode. The smooth gameplay and the great fresh feeling through my first or even my 10th drop made it a game worth playing.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Stunlock Studios
Publisher(s):
Stunlock Studios
Genre(s):
Battle Royale
Mode(s):
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Marc L.

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Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball - PS4 Review

Are you ready for a night at the disco? Too 1970's for you? Don't worry because this disco is all about waging good old-fashioned high-school dodgeball war against your opponents in some pretty crazy environments!

First impressions

I don't think I have ever seen a game with as many health warnings that actually deserve it. If you have epilepsy, or any visual sensitivities, you probably want to take it easy with this game. There is a photosensitive option, but we didn't test it. Also, I was definitely expecting disco music given the game's title, so I was a little sad that the entire soundtrack sounds like early 2000s dance music. No Bee-Gees here.

Plot

There isn't a plot. The entire point of this game is to hit robots (on wheels) with balls. And that's awesome.

Gameplay

I definitely recommend playing the tutorial to get the hang of movement and hitting enemies. Unlike most games, you don't stop moving when you let go of the joystick - you glide a little until either you come to a stop or hit an obstacle. You have to hit the brakes if you want to stop quickly. You might also want to practice timing to catch the balls thrown at you by enemies, which counts as a KO in your favour.

Disco Dodgeball Remix offers single player, couch co-op and online multiplayer. From there, you can choose one of several game modes, or have the game pick a random level and mode for you.

In single player Arcade Mode, you can play challenges to unlock cosmetic items and special moves. You play against bots that are either named after your friends (there was seriously a bot named Lauren when my husband played) or named randomly like Vern or Trevor. They are randomly generated and some of the accessories are fun and ridiculous.

You pick up balls by running over them with your bot and then throw with whatever assigned button based on your control set up. You also pick up various perks the same way. These perks, like "boomerang" and "pogo stick" take effect instantly but you can only have one equipped at a time, and you lose it if you are KO'd.

There are over 20 types of game modes - so I won't break it all down for you here. Some of the more basic modes include elimination matches and score battles, which are exactly what they sound like. There is a "hoops" mode where you have to launch a specific type of ball at a giant square and there is a level where you gain points by holding a golden ball for the longest period of time. They also mixed these modes to make Galaxy Jam where you have to use a super ball to hit "hoops" and use jetbacks and pogo stick perks to get an anti-gravity style game. From what we were able to test, this is the only level where you can score a KO by sprinting into an opponent. I really enjoyed the Capture the Cube level, but it would be even better with more than 2 players. For those of you who don't want to be hit by dodgeballs, there is even a mode called Kart Race where you roll around trying to reach all the checkpoints faster than your opponents.
 

Overall

Although I initially found the movement and aiming to be a little frustrating, the game was a heck of a lot of fun once I got used to it. There are so many different modes and arenas that we didn't find it repetitive at all and there truly is a mode that should appeal to every style of gamer. I can't wait to play it online with more people once it becomes available.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 4
Developer(s):
Erik Asmussen
Publisher(s):
82 Apps
Genre(s):
Sports
Arena Shooter
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
Microsoft Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Lauren

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Aftercharge - PC Alpha Preview

For one day only, Chainsawesome Games, a Canadian company, hosted a closed Alpha test of their new Battle Royale game After Charge. It's a 3v3 game with two types of classes, for lack of a better term. One class is the Workonics which remain perma stealthed until seen by the Enforcers who have the benefit of tracking technology on their weapons.

General Concept

The premise of this game is simple. The Enforcers are tasked with protecting the extractors on the map, while the Workonics want to destroy the very objects being protected. The catch is, the Enforcers cannot be destroyed and use extractors as a recharging source for their weapons.

To win the game, either the extractors are destroyed by the Workonics or the Enforcers successfully kill their opposition.

Either way, because the maps are not large, individual matches are short. There is no need to hunt for ammo or weapons in this game, which levels the playing field for those who are not typically FPS players.

That said, the game is still in the alpha phase and requires trials to prepare it for launch.

Features of the Game

Currently, there are two maps in the cycle which will hopefully be added to. Additionally, the roles of players are switched between matches, so there is equal opportunity to play the two types of classes. When a match begins, a player chooses one of four skins, and only one of each skin can be used per match. No two characters are alike in any game although, they can be customized with some colour options. This is not extensive but it gives players a little bit of control with their character.

Another feature in the game is the ability to use voice. In the options screen, a player is automatically set to push to talk, but this was not a feature I had the opportunity to test. When watching one of the streamers late in the day, someone used the voice feature. It seemed to work well and was quite loud but I don't think most people realized the option was there.

At the start of Alpha Charge, a player begins with 2500 MMR, a system used to rank players by their abilities. It adjusts based on different factors within the matches themselves like wins and kills, although players often aren't made aware of what comprises its calculation. Don't worry, if you played in the Alpha stage and were concerned with the developers crushing you, veterans were given a higher starting MMR. Only the newbies had to work their way up before facing the professionals!

Overall Impressions

Real talk. I am not really big into Battle Royale games because I get bored of them, so take my opinion with whatever grains of salt you may, but I actually enjoyed Alpha Charge. It requires players to be a bit more strategic and stealthy as opposed to employing common run and gun strategies.

I also liked the idea that the Enforcers are invincible, meaning that winning the game is reliant on observation and tactics, as opposed to lucky shots or dirty kills. It's a game that is purely focused on the objective, to either kill the Workonics or destroy the extractors. Alpha Charge does not rely on players who have the biggest guns or the best aimed sniper shot. 

This game is fairly balanced because each character has only two abilities, meaning that Alpha Charge is not like CS:GO with many weapon options. This indicates to me that players can be judged fairly on their game play strategies, instead of weapons and gear. If players want options for that sort of thing, this is not the game for you. I find that games are often hinged upon a person's ability to be a crack shot which doesn't suit everyone's style. Skill over kills is what I say, and this game gives people a chance to be a decent player, no matter the starting skill.

Because I played the Alpha build, I was hit with some interesting and minor bugs like a straight black screen after a match finished. It was sad because I didn't get to see my epic and low score. A nice addition to the game would be an overall stat screen. Perhaps not something that's over technical, but something that shows total kills, total extractors destroyed, and other basic stats. It's not a necessary feature by any means and right now it has the Overwatch model with a stat screen at the end of each match.

I like the look of the game. It is cartoony a little like The Darwin Project, which is another Battle Royale game that I enjoy, but it clearly is designed to be a game that a player can load and go. It's not complicated by any means and will not be for everyone.

The two maps are different enough and yet small enough to facilitate short and sweet matches. I was able to get in a few good games before I had to leave, which added to my personal appeal of After Charge. I don't want long drawn out games and no one has to agree on that point. Players that want something more complex have many options when it comes to this genre, so have at 'em.

Final Thoughts

I do hope that more maps will be added to the rotation and I think this game has some great potential.

I look forward to playing more of this game as development progresses. At this point, I'll give the game a 7 out of 10. It's light weight, it's fun, it has an interesting premise, and I think Chainsawesome Games has a future with the game. If nothing else, the developers will learn from this experience and take that knowledge into future titles.

More information about After Charge can be found here: http://afterchargegame.com/ Don't forget to follow the game on Twitter for future Alpha test dates or chances to get a key (https://twitter.com/aftercharge). This isn't the only chance we'll have to play the game, so keep your eyes peeled!

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Chainsawesome Games
Publisher(s):
Chainsawesome Games
Genre(s):

First Person Shooter
Mode(s):
3v3 Versus
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Susan N.

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