Parents' Guide to Hyper Scape

If you're looking for big action and big competition in online gaming, it doesn't get much bigger than a battle royale, and these days, there are plenty to choose from. Hyper Scape is Ubisoft's foray into the battle royale genre, bringing with it a virtual reality flavor and a few twists on the formula to stand out from the competition. But although these ideas seem sound and entertaining at first, the novelty quickly wears off and leaves in its place a surprisingly bland and uneventful experience.

One thing Hyper Scape definitely gets right is its streamlined inventory system. Players can carry only two guns and two Hack abilities at any given time. Picking up more of the same item simply upgrades its performance. This keeps players from being left vulnerable while navigating some complex inventory to pull some specific item from a backpack. Other gameplay tweaks are less successful. Hacks, while interesting, are a mixed bag of tricks that range from virtually useless, like the Reveal or Mine, to the sorely overpowered, such as Invisibility. In fact, there are balance issues throughout the game. While it has a robust selection of weapons to find, only a few feel like they pack any real punch. Finally, and probably most frustrating of all, there's no difference whatsoever between characters, outside of cosmetics. Every character plays exactly the same as every other, just with a different coat of paint. So instead of feeling unique among the competition, Hyper Scape makes you feel like you're just another cog in just another battle royale machine.