Twinworld Game Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘BumbleBear Games’

CHICAGO — January 21, 2020 — Killer Queen Black, the strategic eight-player action platformer from Liquid Bit and BumbleBear Games, makes it easier to join the battle with highly requested new features debuting today.

Killer Queen Black’s player base becomes stronger by the day. Liquid Bit has heard their feedback: eight-player local co-op on one machine, Switch or PC, is now available via the latest update, Hydra (Patch 1.60). No internet connection or Nintendo Switch Online account is required; crush friends and enemies while rubbing elbows on the couch.

In addition to the highly requested local play update, new features such as selectable regions on Nintendo Switch are available. Check out the complete feature set of the Hydra patch:

• Eight-player local support for PC and console
• Region selection on Switch
• Custom (online) and local matches can be started by a single player
• Bots can fill out local and custom matches
• Teams in local and custom matches can now be automatically shuffled
• Streamer mode: Choose which names to display in-game and in menus
• Map pools now skew towards more variety and fewer repeats
• Various bug fixes and UI improvements

For cyber cafe and Arcade owners looking to break into the Killer Queen Black scene, a new commercial build is available on Steam. For more information on this build, please visit the commercial version’s Steam Cafe page. This is far from the end of Liquid Bit’s plans for Killer Queen Black: check out the roadmap to see what the team is dreaming up.

“Our community has been behind us the whole way and we are happily providing the most requested additions,” said Matt Tesch, co-founder of Liquid Bit. “Players can now host the ultimate Killer Queen Black tournaments and bring the full experience of the arcade home.”

Killer Queen Black is available now in English and on sale for $9.99 on the Nintendo eShop, Steam, the Humble Store, Discord. A Switch physical edition created by Nighthawk Interactive includes Nintendo Switch controller skins, a cartridge, exclusive game art on the box for $29.99. Killer Queen Black will be available on Xbox One at a later date.

Source: PR Email

CHICAGO — Oct. 11, 2019 — Killer Queen Black, the strategic eight-player action platformer from Liquid Bit and BumbleBear Games, triumphantly soars out of arcades and onto Nintendo Switch and PC via Discord and Steam today. The ultimate arcade eSport with millions of play sessions is finally home.

Combining sports and combat into a thrilling 16-bit competition Killer Queen Black displays on a single screen like the games of the arcade golden era. Each of the six maps are symmetrical to level the playing field. Both teams have their own hive and the maps are filled with berries, upgrade gates, and a single Snail in the center. Matches place two squads of four against one another, each with three Workers and one Queen.

Workers start off defenseless but specialize in adaptability. Fill up the team’s hive with berries to secure an Economic victory or hop onto a saddled Snail to creep into the goalposts and score a sneaky Snail victory. Or take a berry to an upgrade gate and transform into a Warrior capable of flight and wielding weapons including Swords, Morningstars, and Laser Rifles. Kill the opposing Queen three times to win a Military victory. The first to three victories of any variety wins.

Queens can fly and attack from the start, but they only have three lives. Take the fight to the other Queen directly and try to out-duel her. Defend the hive from pesky Workers aiming for Economic or Snail victories. Capture upgrade gates to stop the other team from transforming their Workers into Warriors.

Play locally with up to four players on either PC or Switch and battle teams online. Connect two Switches in Local Wireless Play and have the ultimate eight-player experience, all in one room. Learn the basics in Tutorial mode, then practice in Unranked mode, where AI opponents will help fill out exhibition matches that don’t affect rank. When ready, play Ranked mode either solo or with three friends (online or local) to climb all the way up to Obsidian rank.

Soon after launch, the best team at any given time will become the Black team, replete with coveted glowing outfits. Every Black team match will be streamed so it’s easy to watch the top competition and learn their techniques. Strive for the top with cross-platform play and chat powered by Vivox, leaderboards, and Spectate mode. And if all that isn’t enough, rock out to a soundtrack courtesy of Powerglove.

“We’ve had eager fans asking where Killer Queen Black was all year, and the reason is that it kept growing and growing,” said Matt Tesch, co-founder of Liquid Bit. ”As fans of the original games ourselves, we wanted to make absolutely sure we did it justice!”

Killer Queen Black is available now in English for $19.99 on the Nintendo eShop, Steam, the Humble Store, Discord and is free for Discord Nitro Subscribers*. A Switch physical edition created by Nighthawk Interactive includes Nintendo Switch controller skins, a cartridge, exclusive game art on the box and will be available October 25 for $29.99. Physical pre-orders are available at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. Killer Queen Black will be available on Xbox One at a later date.

*Available for subscribers with the $9.99 Nitro plan while supplies last

Source: PR Email

CHICAGO — Sept. 12, 2019 — Killer Queen Black, the strategic eight-player arcade action platformer from Liquid Bit and BumbleBear Games, launches on Nintendo Switch and PC via Discord and Steam October 11.

Squad up and form a team of four — one Queen, three workers — and battle for the hive. Triumph in three different ways: Economic, Military, and Snail. Score an Economic victory by collecting berries strewn about the level and returning them to the base. Earn Military victories by defeating the opposing Queen three times. Secure a Snail victory right under the other team’s nose by slowly riding a snail back home. The first to three wins emerges victorious.

Whoa whoa whoa. Queens? Workers? SNAILS? If Killer Queen’s jargon is overwhelming, start off with the Tutorial mode, which slowly introduces mechanics and adds AI opponents as it ramps up. Then take those new skills into either Quickplay or Ranked. Quickplay replicates the feeling of walking up to an arcade cabinet: immediate access to a game, no ranks, and AI fills in the gaps if there isn’t a full match available.

Ranked Play has skill-based matchmaking and requires 8 human players. After 10 placement matches, players are placed into a league (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Obsidian) most befitting of their talents. Each league comes with a new icon so other players can measure one another’s skills at a glance. Ascend the ranks and reach the tops of various Leaderboards including Friends, Leagues, and the top 100 in the world.

Killer Queen Black relies on communication and coordination, so Liquid Bit included tools to help teams thrive. Cross-platform voice chat, powered by Vivox, lets teams on PC and Nintendo Switch talk to one another directly. For non-verbal communication, emotes and a dedicated objective callout system ensure teams are on the same page. Connecting two Nintendo Switch consoles via local wireless mode enables 4v4 games for a full local party experience.

“Bringing Killer Queen home has been a long journey but we can finally show our efforts,” said Matt Tesch, co-founder of Liquid Bit. ”Soon players around the world can scream and shout ‘SNAIL, WATCH THE SNAIL!’ at home or the arcades.”

Killer Queen Black is available for pre-order with a 15% discount on the Nintendo eShop and will launch digitally October 11 in English for $19.99. A Switch physical edition created by Nighthawk Interactive includes Nintendo Switch controller skins, a cartridge, exclusive game art on the box and will be available October 25 for $29.99. Physical pre-orders are available at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop.

For PC players, Killer Queen Black is available for $19.99 on the official Discord server, or free for Discord Nitro subscribers* starting October 11. The game will also be available on Steam and the Humble Store with an additional Killer Queen Black Four Pack for $59.99, so a full team can form for the price of three copies. Killer Queen Black will be available on Xbox One at a later date.

Source: PR Email

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – June 12, 2018 – Killer Queen Black, the strategic eight-player arcade action platformer from Liquid Bit and BumbleBear Games, buzzes onto Nintendo Switch and PC this winter, marking the first time players can take the fun home.

After millions of play sessions upon its explosion onto the arcade scene in 2013, Killer Queen is back in black with a new Glam Rock-inspired 16-bit pixel art-style and similarly-themed ‘80s metal tunes. BumbleBear’s Nik Mikros and Joshua DeBonis, the original creators of Killer Queen, have fine-tuned the experience with new mechanics suited for home play. Up to eight players split off onto blue and gold teams ready to fight for their hive.

One player on each side takes on the role of the Queen, and the others play as drones. Cunning reflexes and keen tactical planning are the key to reigning supreme over opponents. Each team’s Queen starts armed with a stinger to defend herself and attack the contending team. Be wary when controlling her, as her dangerous attacks and heightened agility come with the trade-off of limited lives.

Drones are the best units for the job when it comes to completing non-violent, game-winning objectives. Though drones begin unarmed, they don’t have to remain defenseless for long. Gates on the map empower drones in exchange for berries, transforming them into warriors with flight capabilities. Depending on which gate the drone enters, they gain powerful upgrades such as speed boosts and new weapons, including maces, lances, swords, shields, and laser rifles. But bee careful, as the Queen simply needs to fly over these gates to claim them for her team.

Three types of victory and a sky-scraping skill ceiling mean each match offers near-infinite permutations to persevere and complications to conquer. Economic Victories require drones to scoop up berries on the battlefield and bring them back to their base faster than the other team. Snail Victories involve slowly riding the snail on the bottom of the screen into a goal post, hoping that other team members ward enemies away. To earn a Military Victory, the adversary’s Queen has to be slain three times, making warriors highly sought-after.

Killer Queen Black has four game types: Quick Matches for those eager to leap into the fray, Ranked for those who want to rise to the top, Custom games with adjustable rule sets, and Arena. Arena requires a ticket to enter, earned through victory or purchased via in-game currency, and tasks players with going for victory streaks that earn awesome rewards. A notch is added to players’ swords for every victory, and reaching 100 earns them a fancy sword to brag about. Liquid Bit plans to continue supporting the game with additional maps post-release.

At any given time, there is one single “Black” team. Any team that defeats the Black team dethrones them and becomes the Black team themselves. Liquid Bit hopes to broadcast these fierce competitions and encourage the Black team to remain a constantly-shifting, coveted position.

“As lifelong arcade-goers, the phenomena that Killer Queen has become has been incredible to experience,” said Matt Tesch, co-founder of Liquid Bit. “Bringing the game to Nintendo Switch and PC is surreal and we’re eagerly anticipating watching new competitors battle for the Black team.”

Killer Queen Black will bee available digitally Q1 2019 in English.

To learn more, please visit the game’s official site, or follow the game on Twitter.

Source: PR Email