Hyper Universe: There’s No I In Hyper

With LoL and DotA 2 in the limelight when it comes to MOBAs, it can be hard for new games to try to pave their own path to success. Most of the time, this happens because they stick to what is tried and true, without realizing that people won’t switch games if they’re getting the same either way. All their countless hours spent yelling, clicking and hoping for the placement they think they deserve will be for naught if the game they’re switching to isn’t at least different. Thankfully, Hyper Universe seems to do this well.

The main striking difference that you may or may not have noticed already is that Hyper Universe nixed the third dimension. However, they still kept the multiple lane structure, with monsters to kill if the enemy is boring you or you need a power-up, and your typical laser-targeting turrets. In removing the third dimension and making the whole game take place from left to right, and top to bottom, there is a lot more clarity, but at the same time, more chaos.

On the one hand you have more clarity, thanks to the fact that there is a much more rigid structure of lanes. Each of the usually more than five lanes is filled with ladders, chutes and springs, enabling you to easily traverse from one lane to another in pursuit or in escape. It makes for a very fun, but at times frustrating experience. Frustrating, in this sense, not from a design perspective, but because no one wants to be the first death of a match because they were repeatedly knocked down a ladder. Thankfully, there’s a quick, universal answer to that problem, along with a less universal one. “git gud” and “use less ladders”. One of the two is obviously more helpful than the other.

Now, no MOBA is complete without its share of toxic players, but in Hyper Universe, the community seems to be more or less civil, believe it or not. This could possibly be to a streak of good luck, but all-in-all the people I’ve played with have all been respectful. Not only that, but Hyper Universe almost forces people to work together, as there are two turret lanes and four players on each team. Of course it’s possible for players to split up, having two of them take a turret lane each and the other two a monster lane each, but that doesn’t work in the grander scheme of the game.

There are several types available, with each type having several so-called Hypers to choose from. Tanks are good at taking damage, Bruisers are good at dealing it, both in close-quarters, Strikers hit hard and from affair, Support buffs and heals, and Assassins are fast and hit hard, but can’t take much damage. Depending on which type of Hyper you choose, you’ll have a completely different playstyle, and that choice often also determines which teammate you’ll be playing with, etc.

In the first four account levels, you’re aided by a bit of a “beginner’s boost”, upping your attack and defence by more than 5% (depending on the level). Once you hit level five you’re back out on your own, working to get the best out of every game, trying not to die as the enemies suddenly are doing more damage, and you’re suddenly doing less.

At the beginning of every game, you have to choose an item loadout, and as you gain money, you can choose which item you want to purchase or upgrade, which is quite different from other MOBAs where you usually have to actively choose which item out of a whole assortment you need at that time, which is limiting, but also gives you freedom from items being as essential as they usually are. However, since all the items only give you passive buffs, even if these are considerable ones at times, the attacks you have at level 6 (which is when you get your ultimate) are the attacks you have for the rest of the game, obviously with buffs when you level up, but otherwise the same.

One thing I’ve noticed, however, is that the game has a fairly small playerbase, and even those who are in it have complained about several issues, like censorship, a developer team that doesn’t listen to the game community in any way, and a general lack of trust in Nexon. Although the game is fun, I must say that these complaints coming from the core community are not a good sign of the stability. Not only that, but the game has already been out officially for a year and been tested already in Korea, whereas the western community has only just gotten the game, labelled as Early Access. What the game needs first and foremost, because otherwise the rest will not change, judging by Nexon, is more players, and then the developers might listen. One can only hope.

Hyper Universe is a fun MOBA that dares to take the road less travelled by and change up the formula that was previously set in stone, but a small playerbase and a developer team that has a reputation for shooting themselves in the foot means that the future of this game isn’t as bright as one might hope.

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