There used to be a period where game developers wouldn’t try to experiment and stick with what they know. The only thing that could happen was a reinvention of popular game genres. In other words, developers would almost create a whole new world based on a popular mechanic or mode. At first there was the abundance of zombie games and now there’s an abundance of battle royale type of games. With already a couple of BR games on the market like Fortnite, PUBG, Warzone, Apex Legends, … there’s another one that we can add to the table namely Hyper Scape.
Hyper Scape is Ubisoft’s take on the Battle Royale genre, hoping to fit in between the big boys and lure some fans to their game. However, this won’t be an easy task as multiple BR games have their own fanbase due to their uniqueness or take on this beloved genre. What does Hyper Scape have to offer? How does it compare to other Battle Royale games? Let’s talk about it.
In Hyper Scape, you’re placed into this digital world that decays over time. Buildings fall apart which will ultimately result in a small arena forcing players to confront each other. Decayed buildings leave a damaging area behind, so the player has to be aware of his surroundings if he/ she wants to prevent any kind of extra damage. Momentarily there’s only one mode which is called Crown Rush.
Crown Rush gives you the option of 2 win conditions: capturing the crown and hold onto it for a certain amount of time or kill everyone else and be the last one standing. The last win condition is an obvious one but adding the option to capture an object to claim your victory does bring something new to the table. Instead of eliminating one person at a time and securing your victory step by step, the crown will make you a head-target by revealing your position and people will hunt you down until the crown is in their hands. The only thing standing between you and them, are your teammates who will have to defend you until the very end. This battle concept will make every last moment count and will keep everyone on their toes. Even though your squad members may be dead and you’re up against a few squads, this win condition will give you the opportunity to win the game even if you’re outnumbered. In other words, playing hide and seek as best as you can, will get you that win!
“It’s good to know that everyone can use the abilities and there are no class restrictions.”
Gameplay-wise… it’s definitely different than other BR games and feels more like a pimped out version of the older Quake. The different weapons, simplistic arsenal, lengthy health bars, … make the game feel more like an arena shooter than a Battle Royale which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and I can really believe that there’s a market for this. Hyper Scape is a fast-paced arena shooter with some mechanics that are definitely inspired by the Battle Royale genre. There are only a handful of weapons and abilities that can help you with the fight. However, there are no weapon components, classes or grenades. Weapons can be upgraded to legendary status by picking up the same weapon 4 times. With each pick-up, your weapon becomes stronger and will receive a buff to damage or attributes. The same goes for abilities. These abilities allow you to become invisible, teleport, turn into a bouncing ball, leap into the air, … etc. It’s crazy how many different abilities are in the game which can all help out in a difficult situation. It’s good to know that everyone can use the abilities and there are no class restrictions.
The one thing Hyper Scape does very well is the verticality within the city and all of the movement capabilities you have as a player. There is no wall running or wall climbing but there are a lot of options open that can open up ways to get from point A to point B. All around the city are bounce pads that shoot you towards the sky. There’s also no fall damage which makes the choice of a destination a lot easier. Different abilities allow you to reach the tops of different buildings or allow you to create a getaway from scratch. The fact that there’s a double jump that can be used mid-air opens up a lot of ways to get out of the danger zone.
“I also didn’t feel like the world wasn’t giving enough.”
Ledge grabbing and ground slide are all to your disposal and fairly well executed. There’s almost no delay which is a big heckle point in some of these Battle Royale/ Arena shooters. All of these abilities, movement systems, and no fall damage create a very fast-paced shooter.
I also didn’t feel like the world wasn’t giving enough. Almost behind every corner, within every building or crate, there were weapons and skills for me to pick up and build the arsenal I really want to use. There are Battle Royale games that don’t offer great loot capabilities and the fact that this game has an abundance of loot areas, you’re always going to find some type of weapon. Using a small variety of guns fastens the upgrade system which is a very good thing. Only by scouting a few moments, you’re already having a weapon that’s been leveled up several ways.
Something that I personally disliked was the lengthy health bar. Combing the long health bar and the upgraded abilities make up for some difficult battles. Even though the game feels pretty fast-paced, some of these battles can be stretched out to a couple of minutes before someone dies. However, this isn’t always a bad thing because you really have to outsmart your opponent to get the upper hand. It isn’t about cheesy headshots or one-shot kills, it’s more about “how you approach your enemy” that’s important to become victorious.
“They could definitely amp up the diversity in the future.”
Another unique twist about the game is the revival system. When you die, you become an echo. This echo has the same movement abilities and can wander around the map to scout for your teammates. You can ping enemies, weapons, … and eventually, create your own reviving point by searching for an enemy’s corpse. If you find an enemy’s corpse, you’re tethered to that spot until one of your teammates come over and revive you. There doesn’t seem to be a limit on how many times this mechanic can be used but it’s definitely an interesting take on the death system.
The map is fairly big and offers different points of interest. These POI’s offer an abundance of loot and great overview locations. However, the city may be a bit bland for some because of the lack of distinct looking environments and areas. The map is just one big city environment with great verticality. They could definitely amp up the diversity in the future.
Another unique feature within the game is the events. The battle events are alterations of an environment’s vibe. At some locations, these events will occur and will change the setting a bit by implementing happenings. For example, spotting will reveal every enemy in the location, extra jump event will give you an extra jump, infinite ammo, … This is all based on a Twitch integration. People will be able to vote on these different battle events for players in a certain lobby. This can help out the streamer although these changes apply to every player in the same lobby. It’s great for getting more engagement from viewers but how it will turn out, bad or good, is still a grey area.
Conclusion:
From what I’ve played, it definitely seems like a fun game to play with friends. The game still has some tweaking to do when it comes to balancing out the different weapons and abilities but every type of game has to do this at some point. I really hope for some more alternate environments because I do believe the city environment will bore out a lot of players fairly quickly. Momentarily there’s only one mode, I’m interested to see what kind of modes they’ll come up with. The Crown Rush mode is pretty great but it’s already been re-checked: a lot of people take the crown, jump into the decaying part and score their win by running away. This is definitely something that has to be reworked a bit. Overall decent game but how it’ll turn out in the future is a guess for me.
