Ubisoft’s latest free-to-play leaves beta and arrives to consoles
Ubisoft is one of the latest to throw their hat into the free-to-play battle royal ring, having just released Hyper Scape on August 11.
Hyper Scape is described as a fast-paced, energetic, and entirely futuristic. It follows the similar formula of other battle royals by dropping either single or teams of players on a sprawling map to fight to the last man (or squad). And just like similar titles, it has its own battle pass.
Unlike Warzone and like Apex Legends, Hyper Scape takes place in a distant future adorned with neon cityscapes, advanced technologies, and worldwide poverty. As Ubisoft themselves put it, “Three decades in the future, life is idyllic … for the 1% that can afford it.”
Hyper Scape is also the name of the immersive online world that many in-universe us an escape from the drudgery of day to day life. Besides learning and work, ‘Hyper Scape’ also serves as a filter for the privileged. If player’s do well enough, then they can be plucked from the jaws of abject-poverty and join the 1% in lavish paradise.
Hyper Scape’s playable map echoes its gameplay philosophy – close-quarter-combat on rooftops, narrow alleys, and winding streets. Players can skip, hop, and jump across buildings as they escape incoming fire and try to find angles against foes.
Most battle royal games focus solely on being the only survivor(s), while Hyper Scape’s ‘Crown Rush’ mode allows players to win simply by holding onto the ‘Crown’ (similar to ‘Oddball’ from Halo). Sounds easy enough, except once in possession of the Crown, all players will immediately converge on your location.
Players can use abilities called ‘Hacks,’ which allow them to become invisible, teleport, or even launch heat-seeking mines. These Hacks, along with weapons themselves, can be upgraded by finding multiple copies throughout the match – most games require players to purchase or find “better” weapons while ignoring the sea of duplicates.
Upon death, players will still be able to participate as ‘Echoes.’ Echoes can still move about, talk to teammates, and call out items. A dead player’s squad can then revive them once using ‘Restore Points’ hidden around the map.
Hyper Scape also features robust Twitch integration with ‘Crowncast’ – allowing viewers to vote on in-game events or flooding streams with visual effects.
Hyper Scape is free to download now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows.
