Radical Heights Review

Radical Heights is Boss Key Productions’ take on the battle royale genre launching in “X-TREME Early Access”. It’s a fast-paced tactical shooter featuring collectible weapons, munitions, utility items, etc., randomly scattered across a large map. The players are airdropped into action and given the goal to be the last survivor. The playable part of the map constantly shrinks, making the confrontation with others inevitable.

It advertises itself as “an 80s-fueled battle royale game show where cash is king”. It is in fact, heavily inspired by last century’s game shows, with obnoxiously loud and cringey commentary, flashy lights, bright colors, slot machines, and horrid hairstyles. Needless to say that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Such a presentation bonds nicely with its Free-to-Play model, since comic skins and cosmetics, as well as over-the-top customs, just fit its world and make for great purchases in the in-game cash shop.

Furthermore, the game is well optimized: the gameplay feels smooth enough, the shooting mechanics are good, the models look well and everything moves and behaves fluidly. This last point is even more wonderous when considered that the titles has only six months of development time. It is indeed the studio’s desperation project, since their previous title, Lawbreakers, flopped.

The game brings physics-based BMX bikes, ziplines, and an innovative cash deposit system that allows you to withdraw cash from ATMs or deposit it for further games. Not to mention that the map doesn’t reduce in size in an uniformed fashion, but is rather made by different grids, some of which safe and others not, that connect to each other in random ways.

Thus it does try to bring some innovation, but it is a thoroughly unfinished product. What makes things worse is that, at the moment of this review, the gaming company, directed by Cliff Bleszinski, is shutting down. Radical Heights will be supported, but not developed upon in the future. This comes on top of, or as a result of, its mostly absent playerbase.