Fresh Off LawBreakers, Boss Key Has A F2P Battle Royale Going Into Early Access ... Tomorrow!

Well, that didn't take long. When Boss Key Productions said it was ceasing development on LawBreakers last Thursday, the dev team said it was working on another game, "a passion project that we’re in complete control of."

They weren't kidding. That new game is called Radical Heights, an '80s-themed free-to-play battle royale. Boss Key teased it over the weekend with a few retro game posters, and unveiled it to the world today. Oh, and you can play it tomorrow, when it goes into early access on Steam.

At its core, Radical Heights looks like your typical last-man-standing battle royale, though Boss Key has included a few twists to freshen up the formula. Matches are part of a game show in 2023 America, following the "Great Dissolve," and take place in the brightly colored SoCal surbubia of Radical Heights. During a match, you'll acquire in-game cash you can use to buy weapons; your cash also carries over between matches and you can use it to buy cosmetic items. Other props you can use to deadly effect include BMX bikes, trampolines, and inflatable decoys.

As mentioned, early access -- excuse me, that's "X-TREME Early Access" -- starts tomorrow, April 10. You can play for free or purchase a Founder's Pack for $14.99. You can also purchase Rad Gems to buy items with. As expected, Boss Key promises that there will be no pay-to-win and no "gameplay-altering microtransactions." Hopefully, this implementation won't make Cliff Bleszinski feel too "dirty."

If nothing else, you have to give Boss Key credit for finding a vision and sticking with it 100%. And Radical Heights seems a lot more "fun" than LawBreakers, which had a major "git gud lrn2play mf'ers" attitude. That sentiment is expressed in an interview posted on the website with Creative Director Zach Lowery, who says:

"Often times as developers we say, 'Gameplay is King', and while this is true, if a game isn't fun no one will play it. What we neglected is that 'Accessibility is the Kingdom.' If your game isn't accessible, players will be thrown off and never grasp the fun that exists with the gameplay."

Battle Royales aren't generally my thing, but I'll at least give Radical Heights some space on my hard drive to see if it can win me over. (Being a child of the '80s doesn't hurt.) Let us know in the comments below if you're going to check it out!