Not A MOBA: Bethesda Announce F2P BattleCry
32-player third-person action
Oh splendid here comes another conventional publisher announcing a new free-to-play game, let's all look forward to pushing some lanes and levelling up some wizar- hang on. Bethesda's BattleCry isn't a Dote 'em up. No, it's not even a FPS or TBS or RPG or CCG Dote 'em up hybrid. BattleCry's a melee-focused third-person multiplayer game, with up to 32 stylish soldiers murdering each other. And they are quite stylish, as the art direction is by Dishonored visual designer Viktor Antonov.
Developed by Bethesda's own BattleCry Studios, no, it's definitely not a Dote 'em up. Sorry, I'm still processing that surprise. What a novelty in this day and age. The website explains:
Responsive, smooth controls unleash violent, high-impact, and stunning combo attacks previously reserved for modern brawlers. Dynamic movement allows you to seamlessly grapple, evade and mantle to quickly cover distances and evade the other team. Engage in combat and use the game's Adrenaline system to unlock special powers for a short time or conserve Adrenaline to unleash your lethal Ultimate ability when the time is right. In BattleCry, your skill, timing, and teamwork create a diverse gameplay experience.
It's class-based, with the likes of cybernetic Brawlers, arrow-flinging Archers, and high-tech Gadgeteers. Well, high-tech-ish. Like Dishonored, it goes down in an alternate history sort of setting, one where gunpowder was banned by treaty so everyone now plays around with perfectly harmless zappy energy.
BattleCry will have a touch of persistent progression, with skill trees and perks and all that. Shacknews say the same 'Iron' virtual currency used for those also buys cosmetic items, so one imagines monetisation will lie in buying that in bulk.
IGN have played a little and report back that players can salute their enemies and give them a medal at the end of rounds, which all sounds very friendly. Multiplayer-only games, and especially free-to-play ones, are prone to being ruined by toxic communities so it's nice that BattleCry Studios are thinking about this from the start. Sensible, that.
Here, have a peek at some swords-and-zapguns action in the cinematic announcement trailer: