PikaRoyale – Battle Royale In the Pikaverse

BATTLE ROYALE is coming to Dreva…introducing PikaRoyale!

What better way to introduce this landmark announcement than a behind-the-scenes internal meeting between Orbit Cosmos game devs and Founder Kanto (Luke Appleton) himself. 

Watch the 50-minute meeting below…

Or for those with not enough time, continue reading for a breakdown into how our devs have architected PikaRoyale to be one of the most unique Battle Royale concepts in gaming (let alone Web3)…

We’re talking free-roam exploration, looting, capturing, and Player-versus-Player/ Player-versus-Environment (PvP/PvE) combat, combined with completely unique industry-first gaming elements such as Companion Pikamoons, interactive ‘Procedural Surfaces,’ and dynamic weather systems.

Behind the Scenes – Exclusive Meeting Insight

Check out this 50-minute internal #Pikamoon meeting where the team discusses exciting game development plans… including the upcoming $PIKA Battle Royale!

The first playable version is expected in Q4 2025.

We’re committed to… pic.twitter.com/lyzA1XYEXH

— PIKA ARMY (@Pikamoonarmy) September 12, 2024

PikaRoyale – The Exposition

Players enter PikaRoyale as Pikamoon Tamers that are on the brink of complete corruption due to the natural forces of Dreva. 

The game takes place in an area of Dreva known as the Nexus, a vast, largely untouched region that touches base with the natural wonders and native Pikamoons of all six elemental regions. 

In centuries gone by, Pikamoon Tamers have avoided this volatile and corruptible region at all costs. However, their newfound desperation to acquire the ‘Remedium’ leaves them with no choice but to venture into this treacherous territory, as this sacred potion is said to possess a cure for purging darkness and restoring strength in human Pikamoon Tamers.

PikaRoyale – The Objective

Becoming the ‘last player standing’ and acquiring the ‘Remedium’ is the ultimate goal of PikaRoyale…

Per the image below, this can be acheived (and therefore the ‘Remedium’ can be obtained) through a proficient mix of exploration, looting, capturing, and combat:

Let’s look into these key gaming elements further…

PikaRoyale – Combat

Combat dynamics are a crucial element of any Battle Royale game. In the context of PikaRoyale, Orbit Cosmos devs are ensuring a fast-paced, melee focused, and tactical combat system that facilitates an endless array of mechanics, strategies, and outcomes:

Weapons

Now for everyone’s favourite part…weapons. 

PikaRoyale has 12 weapon types in total, with each being ‘Ranged’ or ‘Melee’ in nature:

Armor

Although some will claim not to need it (they’re just too good…), armor is another integral part of players’ inventory within PikaRoyale. 

The below images show how ‘armor slots’ for characters’ ‘Head,’ ‘Upper Body,’ and ‘Lower Body’ help curate varied and intricate ‘damage’ dynamics when it comes to PvP and PvE combat situations:

Loot

And now for loot in across the Nexus, which comes from three different sources:

Environmental Loot: Scattered items found in structures and/or crates.

Player Loot: Dropped inventory items of defeated opponents.

AI Enemies: Defeat AI Bosses to receive valuable items in return.

Wild Pikamoon Capturing & Companionship – A Battle Royale First!

In offering a completely new gaming experience to the Battle Royale scene, PikaRoyale is geared towards players capturing wild Pikamoons for the purpose of survival, combat, and ultimately, acquiring the ‘Remedium’. 

Here are some key features of Pikamoon involvement within PikaRoyale:

• Pikamoons spawn in scattered fashion across the Nexus, and are there to be captured and used as survival companions.
• Pikamoons offer capturers a variety of in-game buffs and utilities, all of which helping players defeat the threats of the Nexus to become the last player standing. 
• The Nexus spreads across all six elemental regions, meaning Pikamoons of all varieties can be discovered and captured. This encourages players to capture a clan of diverse Pikamoons, as each will offer distinct powers depending on their region.
• Pikamoons are untamed – and often radical creatures – meaning only a limited number can be captured at one moment in time.  

Below is an illustration of the different abilities of Pikamoons within PikaRoyale:

Player Progression

Per the images below, player achievement and engagement in PikaRoyale is achieved through a cycle of gameplay, leveling-up, and rewards. The exact format of PikaRoyale rewards will be released at a later date:

Game Modes

PikaRoyale takes place across three types of game modes; ‘Solo’s,’ ‘Duo’s,’ and ‘Squad’s’:

Other PikaRoyale Game Mechanics

Now we’ve covered the fundamentals, let’s go through some more intricate PikaRoyale gaming mechanics…

Movement: Players navigate the Nexus’s treacherous terrain by sprinting, sliding, climbing, and dodging. These elements also involve advanced mechanics that enhance mobility and combat prowess, such as quick-turn, vaulting, gliding, and tactical rolls. 

The Nexus Weather System: PikaRoyale’s dynamic weather system subjects the Nexus to constant climate changes. This is designed to add even more unpredictability and strategy to gameplay, as with the climate randomly changing over the course of a game, the intricacies of game mechanics and the effectiveness of particular Pikamoons can change in an instant. By design, this urges players to prepare for a volatile survival climate by diversifying their captured Pikamoons and inventory items, as what’s of value in one moment could become redundant in the next.   

Below are six different weather types of the Nexus, along with their associated effects on the map:

Procedural Surfaces: The Nexus features randomly spawned surfaces that enhance the unpredictability and variation of the game by offering status effects, buffs/debuffs, and other gameplay-altering impacts when interacted with. Below are ten examples of Procedural Surfaces in PikaRoyale:

Corruption Zone: The ‘Corruption Zone’ is the area outside of the ‘Safe Zone’ that players must stay clear of to avoid damage and/or elimination. In following typical Battle Royale dynamics, the ‘Safe Zone’ shrinks over time, forcing more frequent PvP conflicts as players must occupy the same areas of the map as a game progresses.

Map Design: The Nexus includes purposely-placed vantage points, clear lines of sight, height variability, and other points of interest, all of which helping curate a vast and varied battle arena that’s both engaging and challenging. 

So, there we have it…the first introduction into PikaRoyale! Stay tuned for more game development updates, and feel free to use the timestamps in the below video for more information on each PikaRoyale element.

PikaRoyal Gameplay (Internal Video)

One for our dedicated gamers, not a light watch! @PikaMoonCoin team cover the new PikaRoyal gameplay system at a high level. A lot of alpha dropped and hints of PS5 / Xbox integrations 👀

Timestamps
0:06 – Introduction
1:24 – Game Overview… pic.twitter.com/SityQg4nXw

— Luke Appleton (@lukeyapples) September 12, 2024