I’ve played some conflicting games before, but Hyenas might just be the cream of the crop. After briefly getting a taste of the title at Gamescom, I also spoke to Creative Assembly in an interview that will be available on Gamereactor soon, and I sat down and clocked in for a few hours this past weekend, using Closed Beta to check in – I’m left with one impression: confusion. Because on the one hand, Hyenas has a lot going for it, with niche and unusual gameplay backed up by tight mechanics, but on the other hand, I can’t figure out what demographic this game is tailor-made for.
Hyenas’ idea is to fly into a giant spaceship loaded with “merchandise” to blindly rob. The problem is the other Hyenas (aka Bandits) want to do the same, and it ends up coming together as essentially the love child of Payday and Apex Legends. The reason I find this design so unusual is that the PvE and looting systems in Hyenas don’t match up particularly well with the PvP elements, so those who come to the game for one of those two realms will find the other rather difficult Bear.
Hyenas is not an easy game. Like a title like Apex Legends, the PvP element is fast-paced and skill-heavy, and if you’re not a shooter worth your salt, you’ll spend a lot of time in respawn screens, or worse, waiting in line when you’re eliminated new game. As for the PvE side of things, it’s not harsh at all, but forms a large part of Hyenas’ gameplay loop, akin to battle royale, with a theme of looting and becoming stronger to increase value and power. As often as we’ve seen battle royale games try to lean too much into PvPvE, one side of the game is often not as well thought out as the other, and from my experience, this is Hyenas’ biggest failing right now.
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I say this as someone who appreciates character design and the unique abilities designed for each character. I love the art direction and the cartoon shadow theme. Items that buy Sega history and allow you to steal a Sonic plush, or find Out Run and other arcade cabinets on the map are real highlights for fans of retro games. The fact that licensed songs can be “stealed” all adds to the fun. The thing is, though, that the Hyenas heist part isn’t the most engaging part of the game, and I can’t help but feel like Creative Assembly should either just make a Payday heist competitor, or instead buy into the battle royale trend and focus on PvP action. The hybrid nature leaves too much to be desired.
Of course, I’ve only been able to experience the Plunder Riot game and some AI-focused action so far, so maybe the other mods stored by Creative Assembly will greatly affect my impression of the game. But so far, I think Hyenas has a long way to go, and it might face some trouble in attracting players, like Hyper Scape, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, Scavengers, Realm Royale, and many others are now available The extinct battle royale genre failed to overcome in its short life.
