Getting up close: Battle Crush

Battle Crush is a free action PvP (player versus player) game that carries different elements of MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) and battle royale, putting you to battle against other players using different types of Calixers (characters). The game was developed by NCSOFT and will also be published by them on June 27, 2024, for Nintendo Switch and PC (Windows) platforms.

Before we start, we would like to thank NCSOFT for allowing us to have access to the 'Pre-Experience' of the Battle Crush launch, where we were able to test the game shortly before it was officially released and produce this content for you.

It is also important to mention that there was no availability of a Brazilian server in the Pre-Experience to have enough players for the game test. Therefore, we could not have the complete gameplay experience.

Mythological Characters and Playful Scenario

Battle Crush is a game that brings elements from different genres that you can recognize in the most renowned games. It is a 2.5D (combines 2D objects with a 3D space) PvP game that features different combat modes, from 1v1 to a 30-player Battle Royale. You can choose from 15 different Calixers, each with its own function and unique mechanics/gameplay, and you, alone or in a team, must defeat opponents to achieve victory.

The Calixers in Battle Crush are heroes based, for the most part, on mythological figures from different cultures, ranging from Greco-Roman gods to British folkloric characters. They are: Poseidon, Nyx, Diana, Lops – a cute reinterpretation of a cyclops, if I'm not mistaken –, Hercules, Freyja, Arthur, Medusa, Lancelot, Ares, Dandi and Seri (baseball-playing dinosaurs, one a pitcher, and the other a batter), Urus, Hades, and Hermes.

Since the game has a very playful aesthetic, bordering on childish, I believe the developers did a good job in reproducing the characters' aesthetics, which are very cute and make a good allusion in their features to their references. If you expect to see a Hades all cadaverous, "reeking of death," and a Poseidon all bearded looking like he drowned some sailors and sunk some ships, you better deconstruct that image and go with other expectations.

Unique Mechanics and Diversified Strategies

Still on the Calixters, I found it very interesting that each character has a different gameplay. And no, I'm not talking about just attacks with different animations, but the actual combo mechanics, associated with their function. In general, each hero has a light attack combo, a heavy attack, and an ultimate ability, with all attack hits causing stagger, which is like a mini-stun on opponents. Thus, each character has different damage and group control potentials, allowing for different compositions and playstyles.

A key point in Battle Crush combat is that to eliminate enemies, first, you need to reduce the opponent's health to zero, leaving them "downed," with reduced mobility and unable to attack, and second, perform some attack that pushes them, effectively finishing off the adversary. In general, all characters can push rivals with the third light attack or with one of their abilities (strong attack or ultimate).

In this sense, characters with higher damage usually have more unique attack damages, while those with more area control deal a little less damage but perform bigger pushes, which ends up being a very important factor in getting kills. This is balanced with resistance, health, and support abilities. In summary, just like in other MOBAs, each hero enables a style of play, whether more support/healing, area control, tank, or damage-focused.

I played with the four Calixters that have ranged attacks – you can already tell what type of gameplay I prefer in battles – and they are: Poseidon, Diana, Medusa, and Seri. In short, only Poseidon has a different gameplay in his attacks, as his shots drop and are slower, requiring you to predict where your enemy is to hit them. The rest have a similar shooting mechanic. Remember, we are talking about mechanics here, not animations and visuals or skill functions.

As for the melee combat Calixters, I couldn't play with most of them, as there are many, but I could notice that several have different mechanics. Ares, for example, being one of the assassins with the highest damage per second, has a combo with high mobility, being able to move from side to side and making it difficult for enemies to hit him. As for Urus, although I didn't play with him, I saw that he has the ability to block ranged attacks, even reflecting them.

Despite experiencing some lag in the game's combat due to being on the North American server during testing, I really liked the mechanics and how each Calixter works. I confess I can't give my honest opinion about the combat's fun factor and whether the mechanics have any technical errors that hinder gameplay, as I had connection problems for a large part of my game. What I can say is that I am really excited and willing to try the game again as soon as it is released on the Brazilian server!

Maps and Items

Now, addressing another important aspect of Battle Crush that brings elements of Battle Royale, it's the map and the availability and function of items. I don't have information yet if there will be different maps for the different game modes, but what I know is that, so far, there is a map available for the 30-player Battle Royale mode in trios.

Shown in the image below, it is a map with different islands interconnected by bridges. At the start of the match, you can select with your teammates where you would like to spawn. And, like other battle royales out there, as time goes by, the map starts to shrink, forcing players to converge in a single region, and as this happens, the ground in the unavailable regions starts to fall. In this context, another way to eliminate opponents is by pushing them off the map when they are downed or out of stamina (energy you use to attack or dodge).

Additionally, there are items that we can loot to help us win battles. They can be equipment that increases your character's stats, as well as consumables like magic scrolls and potions.

One important thing to mention is that as long as you have stamina, you don't die if you fall into the gaps on the map. In this case, I wish this was a bit more punitive for those who fell into the holes. Also, another point that I believe doesn't add much are the buildings in the middle of the map that end up hindering combat and movement. It might just be my feeling, as I'm not used to dueling in 2.5D games that have structures and where you can use buildings to hide and protect yourself from abilities. However, at first, I felt that it more hindered the dynamism of the gameplay than anything else.

Audiovisual Art

To conclude, I would like to talk a bit about the game's art, both visual and sound. Starting with the presentation, as I mentioned earlier in the text, I feel that the game has a playful/childish aesthetic, similar to Fortnite and other big titles, and in this context, I feel the developers did a good job. The graphics are simple, but very cute and pleasant that will surely run on the vast majority of devices, which is great since it is a free game that can include as many people as possible.

The animations of the attacks and abilities are very cool and well done, while the visual effects add a lot and give a characteristic identity to each Calixter's moves. Although they are very colorful effects, which usually tend to clutter the screen more, I never felt lost at any point.

As for the audio of Battle Crush, the music is very playful, once again, reminiscent of products aimed at a younger audience. I confess that it can get on my nerves a bit after a while, but nothing that we can't turn off in the settings, right? The sound effects are well done and bring the right impact to the attacks and abilities, fulfilling their functions well. The voiceovers of the attacks and the Calixters' small lines resemble the voiceovers of mobile games, simple but fulfilling their function. They are not standout performances that grab your attention, but they are there and fill the audio as expected, after all, characters fighting without any noise made by them leaves a void and loses a lot of excitement.

In summary, Battle Crush is a free action game with elements of MOBA and Battle Royale that, in my view, has the resources to please and include a wide range of players, from children due to its aesthetic and simplicity, to adults due to its dynamic fun that doesn't require dozens of hours of gameplay to master. Despite some technical issues during the tests in the Pre-Experience phase due to the absence of a Brazilian server, Battle Crush has the potential to be a fun and engaging addition to the PvP genre, especially when released on local servers.

In conclusion, Battle Crush offers an engaging experience that combines elements from various popular genres, providing exciting and dynamic battles in a 2.5D setting. With a variety of mythological heroes, each with unique mechanics and distinct playstyles, the game ensures diversity and strategic depth. The playful aesthetic and charming graphics contribute to an attractive visual presentation, while the sound effects and simple voiceovers complement the gameplay. Battle Crush is an addition to the PvP genre that will surely include players from different niches and age groups.