A multiplayer twin-stick shooter from Gnomic Studios, Square Heroes is releasing on March 1 in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4.
Featuring local multiplayer, online multiplayer, cross-platform play with PC, LAN support, and a single-player tournament, Square Heroes is designed to work in high-ping conditions. “Lag is rarely a problem and playing against people in different continents is entirely possible… no mean feat for a fast-paced, real-time action game,” Developer Aranda Morrison said. All maps support six players including bots.
Morrison also discussed the PS4/PC cross-platform play, confirming that there’s an option to restrict matches to PS4 only. Additionally, matches can be password protected, players can be kicked, and Square Heroes offers a level playing field because it’s a “twin-stick shooter with no insta-bullets.”
Here’s what to expect from Square Heroes’ gameplay:
Matches begin by choosing your loadout from the 30 weapons:
- A melee weapon such as baseball bat, battle axe or chicken.
- A light weapon such as pistol or crossbow.
- A medium weapon such as shotgun or flamethrower.
- An explosive weapon such as grenade launcher or sticky bomb.
- A special item such as a nuke bomb or health bag
Initially, only the 1st tier melee weapon is available. Hunting (or “farming”) aliens and collecting their bounties pays for the next weapon you choose, culminating in destructive, explosive guns in tier 4 and bag weapons in tier 5. This unique mechanic causes a mini arms-race in each round and ensures gameplay changes throughout the match.
Square Heroes features a levelling system where you earn XP to level up and unlock 15 new guns and 15 melee weapons. Earning any of the 30 Trophies also earns you a bonus hat, which buffs certain stats and de-buffs others to balance. You can strategically choose your hat, melee and loadout to suit your play style and cause maximum carnage.
In terms of modes you’ll find Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, Last Alive and Team Last Live (limited amount of lives), Gnome Hunt and Team Gnome Hunt (similar to King of the Hill), Survival (survival co-op mode), and Kingslayer (survival co-op mode with powerful bot).
[Source: PS Blog (1), (2), PlayStation]
