The kings of the battle royale genre are undoubtedly Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, but Babble Royale and other games like it give these a run for their money. Shooters feel like a natural fit for battle royale, as elimination and cover mechanics lend themselves well to a game about taking out 99 other players. However, with battle royales being as much of a success as they have been, there are also games that surpass shooters for players looking for less violent alternatives.
At their core, the success of battle royales like Fortnite and Apex Legends seem to be rooted in its mix of solo or team-based survival gameplay and action-based shootouts. All of these games focus on gathering resources (whether that be cash, weapons, or building materials) and using them in spread-out close-quarters battles, perhaps even in procedural generation in future battle royales. Since the maps are usually quite large, there’s enough time for players to explore and find better resources between these skirmishes.
Fortunately, there have been a few games that have captured this same push and pull of these game’s designs while also providing a better experience than their shooter counterparts. Fall Guys, Babble Royale and Tetris 99 are the best at capturing this spirit of survival with unique personalities. Their quick arcade-like nature makes them more enjoyable and competitive while rewarding different skillsets than traditional battle royales.
Babble Royale and Tetris 99 Are Accessible BR Games
The game that truly opened up the space for non-shooter-based battle royales was Tetris 99, a free Nintendo Switch Online exclusive that found a way to blow up the arcade game to epic proportions, using a targeting system to simulate close-quarter battles while still allowing players to build up possible combos at the drop of a T-piece. For players unfamiliar with battle-style Tetris, there are often better ways to set up combos than using two line pieces in a row. With the introduction of T-spins and other fancy attack moves, players can set up double and triple line clears in rapid succession to eliminate opponents quickly. The “build battles” are more accessible than Fortnite’s and are exciting no matter who the opponent is.
Babble Royale follows in the footsteps of Tetris 99 by adapting Scrabble to the battle royale format. While the future of the battle royale genre might focus on Among Us-like Impostor modes, Babble Royale actually plays similarly to the shooters, with players building words towards the center of the board and gaining upgrades along the way. Once players are within close quarters, they have to spell a word using both the opponent’s letters and their own to score a “kill.” The game not only requires quick reaction time to help combat other players - general knowledge of vocabulary and Scrabble words will also let players with quick wits succeed.
Fall Guys Matches Is A Chaotic Battle Royale Platformer
Fall Guys is different than both of the other games, as it tests the player’s wacky platforming skills without allowing them to really “upgrade” themselves between challenges. However, the overwhelming feeling of being part of the pack and the struggle to complete each challenge means that there’s never downtime compared to scouting out opponents in Apex Legends or Fortnite. By eliminating downtime through a constant barrage of hectic challenges even Genshin Impact is copying, Fall Guys manages to still be fun despite only being a mini-game gauntlet.
The battle royale genre both boasts competitive possibilities as well as fun casual ones and all of these games - shooters and non-shooters alike - deserve their spot in the marketplace. Games like Babble Royale have proven to be surprisingly nuanced and strategic, and with most being free, they are all time-sinks that the developers are constantly adding content to, even years after their release. With other games like Pac-Man 99 and Civilization 6: Red Death also adding to the genre, the future for battle royales looks more varied and exciting for players with different skills.