Radical Heights enters the Battle Royale genre as the new challenger to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite. However, it remains to be seen whether this newcomer has what it takes to keep up.
The new Battle Royale game for the PC is now in early access on Steam, apparently following the same path as PUBG. The studio behind Radical Heights, Boss Key Productions, is certainly hoping to reach a similar level of success.
'Radical Heights' vs. 'PUBG' vs. 'Fortnite'
Radical Heights by Boss Key is a free-to-play Battle Royale game for the PC. For the uninitiated, the Battle Royale genre basically places solo players or teams against one another, and the way to win is to be the last man or team standing.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds features realistic environments and Fortnite offers world-building elements with cartoonlike graphics. In Radical Heights, the setting is in 2023, but the aesthetics are totally 80s, leaning more towards the casual gamers.
Radical Heights players battle it out in an over-the-top game show, seeking fame, prizes, and most important of all, cash. Unlike in PUBG and Fortnite, cash collected in Radical Heights may be carried over to succeeding matches, and players can use the cash to buy cosmetic upgrades, weapons, and equipment.
All matches start with everyone having no cash, giving players the option of looking for weapons or withdrawing cash from their accounts to purchase their equipment.
Boss Key claimed that players who spend real money on in-game purchases will only be able to acquire cosmetic upgrades. It follows the same principle in PUBG and Fortnite of avoiding "pay-to-win" scenarios, where players who spend lots of money have significant advantages over other players.
However, Radical Heights is offering a Founder's Pack for $14.99 that includes in-game currency of $10,000 and a 10 percent boost in earning cash on all matches, which goes against this promise. Boss Key has responded to the backlash by taking down the $10,000 bonus, but the 10 percent boost remains.
Will Boss Key Productions Succeed This Time?
Boss Key is hoping to succeed this time after the failure of LawBreakers. The hero-based shooter launched in mid-2017, but it failed because it went head-to-head with the massively popular Overwatch.
With Radical Heights, Boss Key is once again trying to enter a crowded genre with established games. It remains to be seen if Radical Heights has enough to attract players away from PUBG and Fortnite. Given the track record of Boss Key so far, however, things are not looking good for the studio.
