Blast Zone! Tournament, a Bomberman-style competitive game, is free to keep on Steam at the moment
The Early Access title launches proper in February, and it has high esports aspirations.
Blast Zone! Tournament is a Bomberman-style competitive game which, although it does boast a single-player component, makes no secret of its esports aspirations. It's been in Early Access for a while, and the studio Victory Lap Games writes that the stint was designed to help gain feedback "to help us turn Blast Zone! Tournament into the next big esport."
Presumably in aid of that goal, Blast Zone! Tournament is currently free-to-keep on Steam. So long as you add the game to your inventory before January 16, you won't have to pay the US$19.99 asking price. Then, on February 28, the game will exit Early Access. The game will boast crossplay with PS4 and Xbox One (though if I understand correctly, not between all three at the same time – PS4 and Xbox don't play nicely, yet).
The game supports 32-player multiplayer across a whopping 283 multiplayer maps, while the single-player component has "240 challenges". Modes include the game's take on battle royale, as well as team knockout and free-for-all. Studio Victory Lap Games boasts talent who worked on Ratchet & Clank, God of War 3 and Twisted Metal, among others.
Here's the Steam page. There's an appetite-whetting trailer below.
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Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.