Ubisoft’s Hyper Scape is by no means the most creative battle royale to enter the market – in fact, it releases much later than most assumed the studio's first BR would – but it takes advantage of that extra wait to borrow from some of the best. Part Apex Legends, part Warzone, with a little bit of Fortnite’s personality thrown in, Hyper Scape is poised to be the next battle royale sensation, both among players and viewers on Twitch.
Of course, Hyper Scape puts its own twists on the battle royale genre too, including a mode that doesn’t require the winning team to be the last one standing. The changes aren’t going to completely flip the experience on its head, mind you, but they are smart enough to build on what has come before.
Crown Rush is the mode that was available during Game Rant’s preview and it features 3-player squads competing. Like in a typical battle royale, Hyper Scape players can “win” by eliminating every player from every opposing squad. Crown Rush adds a second win condition whereby if a player crabs a crown on the map (that only appears in the late game), they secure victory. It’s a unique twist on a genre that typically only allows one path to a win. In our experience, there was never a situation where the winner claimed a crown while opponents were still alive, but it's still an option.
What Sets Hyper Scape Apart
One of the other big changes Hyper Scape brings to the table is a combination of weapons and abilities. There are no classes in the game, so players can mix and match any weapon loadouts with any of the abilities they pick up from the floor or within breakable crates. It seems like Ubisoft wants loot to be abundant in Hyper Scape so that players have a lot more options when it comes to building up their loadout. During Game Rant’s time with the game, we saw a handful of different weapon types – including some unique options like a grenade launcher and a laser rifle – and abilities.
The abilities in Hyper Scape are helpful and support a variety of play styles, but none of them felt more overpowered than the other. Some, like the heal or the armor boost, fit a traditional mold, while others, like the teleport and slam, were more unique. There’s even an ability that surrounds players with a giant boll and lets them roll around to escape, gain high ground, or deal some damage.
Hyper Scape gives every player access to similar loot so those uneven gunfights are less frequent in the early game. Obviously, luck still plays a factor, but it doesn’t seem like Ubisoft is being stingy with the loot. If players have a favorite weapon, they can typically find it very quickly.
Fleshing out the loadout, however, requires a bit more searching, but its implementation is very smart and likely to be copied by the competition. Instead of RNG versions of existing loot (rare shotguns, legendary snipers, etc.), Hyper Scape doles out upgrades by finding the same loot. For example, if a player finds the same assault rifle they are using, they can “Focus” it into a better version that might have a bigger magazine size or slightly higher damage.
Where many battle royales tend to have a very predictable progression, Hyper Scape encourages continued looting because of that upgrade system. Players can boost a weapon or ability up to 5 times by collecting the same item, and in turn, become more prepared for the late game.
Hyper Scape First Impressions
Hyper Scape is a faster paced battle royale experience with verticality and both indoor and outdoor hot spots. Squads select their landing spot and then begin the looting process. The speed and the feel of Hyper Scape is best compared to Apex Legends. Gun fights have more options when it comes to engaging the enemy, and there is a lot of high ground to pick off unsuspecting foes. Jump pads add even more to the fights, which are rarely just two squads shooting on level ground.
That familiar framework gets blown out by Hyper Scape’s Twitch integration. It's similar to Valorant's integration, but it also features a lot more ways that players can get involved with their favorite streamer's game. But Hyper Scape’s biggest selling point on Twitch is the Battle Pass. Ubisoft is not ready to say everything just yet, but this sure to be a huge selling point for the game. It’s such a genius system that, if Hyper Scape is a success, will keep it towards the top of Twitch regardless of the time of day.
Hyper Scape makes small but smart changes to the battle royale formula to keep its experience familiar but evolved. The pacing fits the more modern BR entries and the ability to upgrade loot and select any ability ensures a less restrictive early game. But it is the Twitch integration that should put Hyper Scape on the map and keep it there. If everything goes according to plan, Hyper Scape should be the next big Battle Royale phenomenon.
Hyper Scape is targeting a PC release.