- System: PC
- Publisher: Nexon America Inc.
- Developer: CWAVESOFT, Inc.
- Release Date: Jan. 17th, 2018 (Official Launch)
- Pricing: Free to Play
- Genre: MOBA, Action, Strategy, Side-scrolling
- Rating: NR
- Official Website: http://hyperuniverse.nexon.net/en
Processor: Intel Dual Core or better
Memory: 3 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce 9600 or better AMD Radeon HD 4830 or better
DirectX: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 3 GB available space
Sound Card: 1-8 Online
Initial Review & Impressions
Aaron, one of our writers, wrote a great review that goes very in-depth on the game's style, character archetypes, MOBA-style gameplay, and other features. Our thoughts haven't changed much since then. We've spent more time playing the game and it's been growing on us over time. The game is extremely fun and inviting to new players. Unfortunately, the player base has not grown greatly since it's pre-release days. So, the lack of players has caused growing pains for Hyper Universe. Hopefully, that turns around now that the game received it's official release last week.
You can check out our initial review of Hyper Universe here or towards the end of this review: https://honeysanime.com/hyper-universe-pc-review/
We still love the fact that Hyper Universe's design choices are full of satirical energy and the game isn't afraid to poke fun at itself through in-game dialogue. This game knows what its place is in the MOBA genre and it executes the necessary humor and absurdity so well.
As far as gameplay, the player base has done a great job of making character guides, explaining game mechanics through the Discord channel, and providing educational videos and streams through Twitch and YouTube.
Hyper Universe's meta has deepened as players have taken the time to study neutral minions, item customization, lane allocation, and team synergy. As time goes by, gameplay becomes deeper, more rewarding, and more exciting to watch.
Those are our current thoughts on the state of Hyper Universe. We'll talk about what's changed, since our review in September, down below.
Hyper Universe Official Launch Trailer
What’s Changed?
Second, a variety of patches have come out to improve the game's AI, character adjustments, a brand new mission system, item balancing, and general improvements to Hyper Universe's QOL (quality of life). We're most excited about the mission system because it allows new players to accumulate rewards through completing daily and weekly missions. Those rewards are in-game currency and Hyper Cubes. Both of which give you access to new Hypers, emotes, and unique items.
The F2P change didn't happen overnight. Nexon had promotions where they gave the game away for free to dedicated players. Beginning on October 17th, Nexon ran Free Weekend events, which by the way were Thursday to Monday evening, so more like 5 day long events. At that time anyone could log into the game and try it out for free. If they managed to raise their account to level 7, they were granted permanent access to the game!
Better yet, reach level 15 and unlock the Founder's Pack, which contained the original 25 Hypers plus their unique gear. We've never heard of another company running such an amazing promotional event. As for returning players, if they played enough matches they could unlock new skins for their Hypers. Free Weekends became monthly events up until the official launch of the game.
Fans have generally been very accepting of the model change, mostly because they received so much with their initial purchase. Add to that the multiple free skin opportunities presented to them throughout the events, and all players were pleased with the transition into free to play. Nexon did a great job of accommodating to new and old players.
Censorship
While the game was still in its alpha stage of development, apparently a heated debate took place within the game's forum thread. Some people were expressing their concern over the game's art style. They felt that the proportions of some of the women made them feel uncomfortable and unwilling to try out the game because of that. Not wanting to dissuade people from trying out their new game, Nexon America Inc., the publisher bringing the game over to the West, took this valuable feedback and began making adjustments to character artwork and in-game physics.
Nexon wanted to keep the game visually pleasing (in line with the artists' original designs) while not offending anyone. They wanted the game to be enjoyable to play as well as spectate. Mainly, bust size was slightly reduced on female characters and physics was altered to appear a bit more realistic. Gameplay was not affected whatsoever, they were merely a few cosmetic changes applied to Hyper Universe.
It looked as if the Korean version of the game would remain uncensored. However, an update on September 8th, 2017 from CWAVESOFT's CEO, Eundo Chae, confirmed that the censored changes would affect all versions of Hyper Universe. For people looking to play with the original design, there are fan-made mods that restore the game back to its original state. However, these type of mods will have to be continually updated if they are to keep up with the release of new characters and skins.
While some fans were put off by this new censored version of the game, it also brought attention to Hyper Universe and introduced it to a new audience. People who hadn't heard of the game were suddenly curious over what all the fuss was about. Though it was unfortunate that a small portion of the player base quit the game soon after censorship, new players also tried out the game and stuck with it. In the end, censorship didn't kill the game and it still has a shot of reaching a wide audience and becoming a mainstay of the MOBA community.
Honey's Gameplay Consensus:
That being the case, Hyper Universe delivers on so many points. The game is extremely fun and worthwhile with its new Mission System. The biggest issue with this title is the character balance. Some are just inherently more powerful than others. Generally, the Strikers (ranged Hypers) deal so much damage and have multiple ways of escaping Assassins, Tanks, and Bruisers (all close combat Hypers), that it's very likely close range Hypers will ever kill off a Striker in a 1v1 situation.
Honey's Pros:
- Character Variety
- Humor
- Great Artwork
- Addictive Gameplay
- Rewarding Mission System
Honey's Cons:
- Character Imbalance
- Long Queue Times
- Lack of promotional content
- Lack of advanced mechanics tutorial
Honey's Final Verdict:
If you guys have played this game we would love to hear your impressions! We thoroughly enjoyed this game and hope you did as well. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Author: Javier Garcia
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