When Milky Tea Studios were founded back in 2005, their sole goal was to make it in the mobile and browser scene. But that changed in 2014 when they decided to hit the big time and take a chance in the console and PC scene, before pushing out the rather fun Coffin Dodgers to Xbox One in 2016. Since then though they’ve been working on one game – HyperBrawl Tournament.
HyperBrawl Tournament is set to release on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC come Fall 2020, after previously arriving on Apple Arcade as a platform launch title. The one due to hit mainstream consoles and PC though promises to be an altogether different beast, with Milky Tea having learnt from the Apple masses to add enhanced visuals, multiplayer improvements and leaderboards, amongst other things. And judging from our time at a recent developer presentation, it’s most certainly one to keep an eye on.
HyperBrawl Tournament can best be described as a high-adrenaline, 2v2 arena-based sports brawler, one that has been inspired by games like the iconic Speedball, the much loved NFL Blitz, the modern day masterpiece Rocket League and the classic Rollerball film. But if truth be told, the initial idea came to Milky Tea Studios when they stumbled upon an absolutely nuts sport – the ancient Italian offering of Calcio. And once you bear witness to the 16th century brutality behind this combination of football and rugby, you fast begin to understand how HyperBrawl Tournament came to be.
The basic premise sees a group of ancient druids battling it out in order to find a new protector of the universe, taking part in a secret tournament in which the winner is acclaimed throughout the galaxy. Basically, this setup means that in HyperBrawl Tournament you’ll be left to try and outscore your opponent – in any way you can – with little in the way of any rules to worry about.
Smashing, bashing, scoring and brawling is the name of the game as you take your team of tried and trusted guardians up against others, either across a solo campaign to prove your worth, over global online activities where the best in the world are found, or as a local affair – putting the beatdown on your friends and family from the comfort of your own sofa. With 12 hero types spread across three classes – Swift, Core and Tank – and eight weapons all thrown in for good measure, HyperBrawl promises to let you find your own style, working your way with the arenas in place as you do so. And with a pretty deep training mode which comes with multiple mini-games to let you become one with the Brawl, there is no reason to ever consider failure.
Punching and kicking both your own team and any opponents, throwing and passing the ball between teammates, and diving all over the place in the hope you can become a saviour may all be present in HyperBrawl Tournament, but at the end of the day, scoring goals is all that really counts. But with a host of obstacles in your way, doing that won’t be easy. In fact, it’ll call for the mastering of the HyperCurve if you wish to become the best out there.
This special ability is the USP of HyperBrawl Tournament, allowing you to bend the ball you throw or kick at will, curving past arena objects and members of the opposition’s team. Mastering this and whizzing it around stages like a pinball is key to any success, but you’ll need to be aware that the more power you put into the HyperCurve, the trickier it is to pull off a shot. With opportunities arising for master players to score from pretty much anywhere in the arena, and each and every goal having the potential to be a winner, getting a grip on the HyperCurve should be an ultimate goal.
Each of the matches in HyperBrawl Tournament plays out over 90 seconds, with the winner being those who find triumph from a best of 3 scenario, moving on to further rounds in order to make it as the best in the universe. Yet becoming the best will also mean making the most of the HyperForce. This additional special will see your team’s players become faster and stronger for just 10 seconds, with every hit dished out by your opponents found building your HyperForce meter until it can be deployed. It is this which could well be the difference between taking home the galactic crown, or being left to rue missed chances forevermore, as you use it’s power to force opponents from the arena.
It must be said that it will be the fast-paced, high-intensity action that will draw most gamers to HyperBrawl Tournament, but it will also come with some high quality visuals and a rather nifty soundtrack alongside it. In fact, pushing the action along will be an 80’s retro synthwave masterpiece that has picked up so much traction since its creation that it’ll be found releasing as a standalone listen as the game hits Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC this fall.
Only time will tell whether Milky Tea Studios are on to a winner with HyperBrawl Tournament, but from what we’re seeing this could well be a game to reignite the old-skool Speedball passion from years gone by – just with the added twist of the power of the HyperCurve. We’ll certainly be attempting to master it as soon as we can. Will you?
Massive thanks go out to Milky Tea Studios for providing us with their developer presentation for HyperBrawl Tournament. As soon as a confirmed Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC launch date is known, we’ll bring you it.
