’80s nostalgia is a wealthy vein of fabric, however few video games have dug as near bedrock as Radical Heights, the following recreation from LawBreakers studio Boss Key Productions. Tapping right into a second supply of zeitgeist, it’s a free-to-play battle royale shooter, however with a hyper-capitalist twist and extra luridly neon-painted BMX bikes than ever really existed. It’s additionally out tomorrow.
So, it’s the ’80s by the use of Robocop and Smash TV, the place clashing colors have been the mark of excessive fashion, lycra shorts have been completely modern and mullets have been the best, manliest factor round. In quick, it’s a world that by no means existed, fabricated fully previously decade or so to faucet into nostalgic and irony-driven crowds. Doesn’t cease it being enjoyable, although, and a hell of lots higher than the grim, grey-brown and desaturated fashion that used to rule the roost.
Just from watching the trailer, I’ve two issues. First is the proliferation of scoped or in any other case very lethal assault or sniper rifles. All the pseudo-cartoon aesthetics on this planet can’t disguise this being one other high-lethality shooter, irrespective of what number of trampolines and BMX bikes you stuff it with. My second concern is with the central mechanical twist of the sport: You have a persistent checking account that carries between matches.
The recent addition of vending machines to Fortnite could have appeared initially unusual, nevertheless it supplied a logical sink so that you can pour extra supplies into. Radical Heights’ implementation appears like a possible balancing nightmare. Rich gamers can money in from an ATM and seize a highly effective weapon from the primary store terminal they see, whereas much less lucky people are going to need to seize their weapons the quaint manner.
I respect that they’re taking pictures for a really ’80s ‘Greed is Good’ message, but when it finally ends up undermining the steadiness of the sport and driving a wedge between gamers, Radical Heights may find yourself being remembered as an inadvertent critique of unchecked capitalism. At the very least, I can see gamers deliberately going into matches to not win, however to grind cash and money it out as shortly as attainable with the intention to give them an edge in future rounds.
Radical Heights launches as free-to-play tomorrow via Steam Early Access.
