Hyperdrive Massacre Out Today, Has Space Cars
Local multiplayer madness
Hyperdrive Massacre [official site] is a game that takes a classic deathmatch scenario, adds the gravity-defying physics of Asteroids, fuses it with the playful rivalry/cut-throat hatred wrought by local multiplayer, and frames the explosive array in a Hotline Miami-esque, 80s video nasty-style package.
It's out today, so you've still plenty of time to gather your mates/worst enemies round your PC.
In Deathmatch mode, Team Deathmatch, Space Soccer, Last Man Standing or Space Pong, Hyperdrive Massacre is the latest game to champion local multiplayer. You fire at will as you propel your flying car around the screen whilst dodging space debris and hoovering up collectibles. Machine guns, frag mines, homing missiles, and laser cannons are but a few of the inter-stellar stockpile at your disposal - not to mention pointy-elbows and shoulder-dunts this side of the monitor.
I invited two mates into the mix (making sure they brought controllers as the game can't be played without) and, even although the game's website reckons it's "focused on kinesthetic, tactical and shooting skills," our experience very much boiled down to swearing, shooting, shouting, and swearing. Now, these are activities we'd typically engage in down the boozer of a Friday night, but that's a point not lost on developers 34BigThings as they note: "Hyperdrive Massacre is best played on a couch. Although its content is family-friendly, it also makes for an excellent drinking game." We didn't partake in the latter because, well, I quite like my pals and this would've caused things to turn ugly. It was plenty of fun without anyway.
Once they'd left, I fired up single-player mode and, whilst it was still quite enjoyable, the game definitely excels alongside friends. Here's a look at its launch trailer:
Hyperdrive Massacre is out October 12 on Steam with a week-long 25% discount on its full $9.99 price tag.