Have you played… ZombsRoyale.io?

You'll possibly have guessed from the general leaning of the guides I write that I rather enjoy playing Battle Royales. PUBG, Fortnite, Apex Legends, CSGO: Danger Zone... But if you've played any of them for any stretch of time, you'll inevitably have encountered what I consider to be the biggest problem with the genre as a whole: third-partying. There's no feeling so hollow as having your epic 1v1 duel cut short by a third party coming in while you're both distracted, and killing you before you even notice that player three has entered the fight. It's the most frustrating part of games like this, because it always feels like you weren't given a fighting chance. You didn't see them coming.

I think that's partially why I was so taken with ZombsRoyale.io. Its refreshing top down and 2D-ness meant I could always see the third man coming, and prepare for them. It allowed me to feel more like John Wick steadily overcoming insurmountable odds, and less like some guy in an honest tavern brawl getting suplexed by an irate bouncer with forearms the size of tree trunks.

In almost every other respect, ZombsRoyale.io is pretty much exactly like any other Battle Royale out there. You parachute in, populate your hotbar with weapons and Shield Potions and whatever else you can find, then go around shooting folks and getting shot at. Avoid the ever-shrinking border until just one player is left standing. The only real difference is that the matches are marvellously quick, lasting 5 minutes at the very most. Less satisfying than winning a 45-minute PUBG match, for sure - but also far, far less frustrating.

But honestly, I just loved playing a 2D Battle Royale where you could actually see enemies coming. Of course, they could see you coming too, but that meant the fights were so much more tactical. It became more about actually outplaying your opponent, rather than just catching them unawares and killing them in one hit with a sniper rifle. That's not to say that there was no element of surprise involved: if you equipped, say, a Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle, your screen would be zoomed out more than if you had an Assault Rifle or SMG equipped, allowing you to see enemies before they saw you. But the advantage was fairly minor, and easily squandered by missing with your crucial first shot. And then it was back to a level playing field, which in my mind is what Battle Royales are all about.

ZombsRoyale.io is the Battle Royale that I became best at, especially relative to the playerbase. I knew all the useful little tricks, and I knew each of the weapons inside and out. Being able to see all around me at all times gave me a confidence I'd never felt in any other Battle Royale (even the ones I was pretty good at), and it made my time with ZombsRoyale.io so much more enjoyable and satisfying that I ever thought it could be.