But this is a game, so what could I possibly mean by audience engagement? To put it simply, the people watching matches on Twitch aren't just an audience - they can influence the gameplay itself by voting for various special conditions to be introduced in real-time, such as allowing players to triple jump for a short while.

On top of the aesthetics, Hyper Scape is rather innovative in terms of its audience engagement and backup win condition. It's rather refreshing to fight in a full-blown metropolis for once - most of the existing titles tend to feature a combination of urban and natural landscapes, but while I do appreciate the variety, having the same buffet spread all the time is going to get old at some point too. The futuristic vibe is also more prominent here than in its competitors, and I appreciate that Ubisoft is going all-in on this urban concept. It's actually really different from what previous developers have gone for, and I feel the subtly induced claustrophobia (so to speak) from the narrow alleyways and passages does a particularly good job of keeping you on your toes. The latter's gameplay generally feels like an urban version of Apex Legends, and instead of zooming across wide open plains or mountain ranges dotted with the occasional building, you're now ducking and weaving through the city streets and the rooftops of the ultramodern Neo Arcadia. The first is Apex Legends - I felt it was more dynamic and captivating than other titles at the time like Fortnite and PUBG, and the second is as you guessed, Hyper Scape.

When it comes to first impressions, I think there are only two battle royales that have really piqued my interest from the get-go. Of course, that's not the only game they revealed during the recent Ubisoft Forward livestream - Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Watch Dogs Legion took the stage too, but for now, let's keep our crosshairs fixed on Hyper Scape. ICYMI, Ubisoft's upcoming battle royale Hyper Scape recently entered its open beta phase several days ago, and I have to say, I've had a pretty good time with it so far despite it being a somewhat early build.

Hyper scape review