Free-for-all arena combat with deadly weapons such as katanas, rocket launchers and energy-powered archer bows, with a whole lot of 80’s neon aesthetic. To me, that sounds like a great Friday night.
Hyper Jam, being developed by Bit Dragon, is just that. Coming to Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on February 12th, 2019, Hyper Jam is boasting a “one-two-three punch” with local and online multiplayer matches, up to four players, with something that’s becoming a larger part of the game world thanks to Fortnite: cross-platform play.
We should all appreciate what Hyper Jam is aiming to do with local play, but also including the option for online play. There’s multiple games out there that does this, but some of them are more mature rated, some of them don’t hit the mark with enough gamers, some just never get their traction in the gaming world. But there’s also some that require online-only gaming, such as the most recent Call of Duty Black-Ops 4, or some that require people to be in the same room as each other such as the first Overcooked. Not all gamers have the same situation. Not everyone has high-speed internet, not everyone has a roommate, or has the time to get together with friends enough to make the purchase of a local-only multiplayer game worth it, which is great that Bit Dragon is making this game accessible to all audiences interested.
Now let’s get into what makes Hyper Jam distinct from other games similar to it. It features a top-down viewpoint style similar to that of Diablo; but the various locales burst with color, some with a heavy brush stroke of neon, such as a Neo-Tokyo subway, and one of the locations reminding me of the multiplayer level Beaver Creek from Halo.
The combat is where things get interesting. While Hyper Jam is similar to a game like Super Smash Bros., where you pick your character and fight, Hyper Jam adds an extra layer to the mix. “Prepare for the battles to come by selecting from a range of persistent perks that provide new abilities. A scoreboard at the end of each round determines the order of the perk draft – whoever is coming last gets the first pick of perks and the winner takes whatever’s left. While everyone begins at a level playing field, fighters will enhance their skills the longer matches draw on, stacking and combining powers to create wholly distinct builds. For example, a player with the Pyrogenesis and Vampirism perks can set others ablaze and recover health from the burn wounds.” This perk system is going to make gameplay always evolving, but also rarely the same. Didn’t do as well the previous game? Well, instead of being punished like in Mario Kart and being placed further back in the starting grid on the next race, Hyper Jam gives you a helping hand and lets you pick the perks for the next round first.
Combat is also made similar to that of Super Smash Bros. and Brawlhalla that you can knock opponents off of the levels. Similar also to a personal favorite of mine, Gang Beasts, Hyper Jam includes other environmental hazards. Remember that Neo-Tokyo subway I mentioned earlier? Use the subway to your advantage and push your opponents on to the tracks to meet their untimely demise.
“Our team has had an absolute blast developing and playtesting this game, and we’re just about ready to share it with the world. Look out for it soon!” said Roman Maksymyschyn, Director, Bit Dragon.
Hyper Jam will be available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish for 14.99 USD / 22.45 AUD / 14.99 EUR on Xbox One, 14.99 USD on PlayStation 4 and 12.99 USD / 18.50 AUD / 10.79 EUR on Steam. To learn more, visit Hyper Jam‘s website.
