Summary
After three years of development, Theorycraft Games' debut title,Supervive, is nearly ready to take flight. Previously referred to asProject Loki,Superviveis a squad-based MOBA mashed up with the arena-shrinking-storm mechanic that defines most modern Battle Royale titles, promising deep replayability and intense, top-down team fights in a floating, shattered archipelago. Theorycraft Games is anindependent developercomprised of industry veterans like CEO Joe Tung, who has worked on multiplayer juggernaut franchises likeHaloandLeague of Legends.
Supervives' pre-registration site is going live at time of writing, with a large public test planned to be held from Friday, June 27 through Thursday, July 4 in anticipation of an open beta late in 2024. Game Rant recently had the opportunity to try out the high-flying,hero-centric title, riding on the wing of Theorycraft Games' designers in a private hands-on preview, and there is ample reason for fans of competitive multiplayer to get excited.
The Next Step for MOBAs and Battle Royale Titles
Just asOverwatchborrowed elements fromTeam Fortress 2and MOBAs kit-based characters to define the modern Hero Shooter genre,Superviveis at once familiar and refreshingly, distinctively novel.DOTA 2andLoLveterans will feel right at home with the game’s core combat mechanics and character progression, but rather than using mouse clicks to path out movement, directly control their characters with directional inputs. The game map features creeps that players can kill for experience, similar to jungling inLoL, but there is nothing resembling a “laning” phase as the emphasis lies on being the last squad standing rather than defending a heavily fortified location.
The map is a shattered island comprised of dozens of distinctive biomes, similar toFortnite’s expansive battlegrounds, and likeFortnite,players choose where they want their squad to drop at the beginning of matches. To get from islet to islet, players must use a glider governed by stamina and if you suffer a hit from an enemy player mid-flight, it will meteor smash you into the abyss below,Super Smash Bros.style. The map also bringsan impressive degree of verticalityto the MOBA genre. Elevation changes break up the relative monotony of flatter terrain, and provide opportunities for truly satisfying ganks.
Each playable character, or Hunter, has a passive, four active abilities, and a default attack, which all must be leveled up independently. Hunters come in three flavors, or Archetypes. Fighters are DPS with comparatively less utility than the other roles. Protectors do tank things and often deal more damage at close range or slower rates of fire. And Controllers have disruptive tricks and AOE abilities up their sleeves. Since play is not as positionally deterministic as it is inLoLor evenDota 2,the distinctions between Hunter archetypes feel more analogous to those betweenOverwatch’s hero classesrather than designations like “jungler” or “marksman.”
Chaos Theory-Crafting
Superviveis aggressively dynamic. The map is rife with interactivity. Jump pads, speed boosts, random spawns, and portable weaponry abound. A single surviving Hunter from a firefight gone south can plausibly pull off a big damn hero play and resurrect their entire squad with a skillful escape. Mission modifiers with substantial effects—like bullet trains that race across the level, or infinite glider stamina—make each match feel distinctive. And the ever-narrowing arena ensures a steady stream of explosive team fights amidst this exploration.
InSupervive, players can acquire gear from shops and upgrade items along the way, which will undoubtedly be similar to fans of MOBAs. Their squad can also secure camps, cook meals, and secure buffs before engaging with other squads. There is no pet micromanagement perDota 2and no long laps between home base and the front lines as there are inLoL. The generous opportunities to resurrect teammates also helps squads escape extremely early eliminations. In these respects, the game approaches pacing issues that seemed endemic to both MOBA and Battle Royale titles in novel and promising ways.
Theorycraft Games' greatest success withSupervive,however, is that the game is also highly “readable” despite the density of map features and actions. And this is a crucial quality, as it manages to make the game’s intense level of volatility feel fair. It feels like a game that is genuinely chasing fun rather than following a corporate playbook for what market research says fun is supposed to be.
Familiar Faces
The only placeSupervivestumbles slightly is with its roster. Each Hunter was fun and already felt appropriately tuned for serious multiplayer competitions, but so far, none of the available mechanical archetypes felt meaningfully distinct from similar permutations of abilities in other hero-based games. And while the current characters do represent a broad range of evocative designs—enough to suggest this is a universe where anything is possible—most lack immediate gravitas or memorability.
From a design standpoint, it makes sense to start out with a mechanically conservative foundation of hero types in a game that is willing to uproot so many other conventions.Superviveis still in its very early phases, however, and landmark franchises have launched with less promise. It also must be said that little has been revealed about the narrative aspects ofSuperviveso far. When it comes to stage presence, awell-written charactercan make all the difference.
Superviveis expected to enter open beta late in 2024. A pre-registration for a randomly selected play test session is open now.
