Everything we know about highly-hyped battle royale game High Energy Heroes

Tencent is set to debut a new battle royale, and while there are more than a few on the market, High Energy Heroes may be the one that stands out. So, here’s what the hype is about, and everything we know about this enigmatic new title so far.

What IS High Energy Heroes?

High Energy Heroes is Tencent’s latest battle royale entry, and has already drawn comparisons to heavy-hitter Apex Legends Mobile - which was unfortunately shut down earlier this year. Although yet to see an announcement for a global launch, the game’s already piqued the interest of competitive and casual players alike.

High Energy Heroes follows the format any battle royale fan will be familiar with; battle it out with other players, eliminating them as you go. But High Energy Heroes offers smoother-looking movement with sliding, mantling and more, as well as ultimate abilities with a variety of uses, from shields to movement and simple raw damage.

Trailers and Social Media

Although it doesn’t have any official social media in the West as of yet, a YouTube channel dedicated to the title has emerged. It isn’t clear if it’s official, but it certainly has a wealth of videos featuring characters, gameplay and cinematics. We can also get a look at the individual characters themselves - and we can’t help but notice an eerie similarity between Apex Legends’ Pathfinder and High Energy Heroes’ robotic soldier “Empty”.

The character roster is certainly interesting, even with a few odd names that stand out. You’d be forgiven for thinking this game has a crossover with a Ubisoft franchise going on. But High Energy Heroes’ Rayman isn’t the same polymorphic mascot we’re used to.

It’s easy to see why people are pointing out the similarities between High Energy Heroes and Apex Legends. After all, the UI and gameplay look to be extremely similar, but the colourful roster of heroes are a touch more “Overwatch” than Apex Legends’ slightly grittier cast.

So it’s just like Apex Legends?

Not exactly…well, at least not enough that EA’s copyright lawyers are going to be calling up Tencent anytime soon, we reckon. But if you played the game before, players who have taken the plunge are reporting you’ll be more than able to take your skills from Apex Legends Mobile and do pretty much the same in High Energy Heroes.

In fact, one of the original accounts reporting on the release of High Energy Heroes - and tracking its progress - TheLeakerbot, a popular account on X (formerly Twitter) has been lamenting Apex Mobile being axed when it was, and extolling the virtues of this new title. It could just be fanboy enthusiasm, but there’s clearly a demand that EA simply didn’t, or couldn’t, meet for a fast-paced, fast-moving battle royale experience on mobile. The game’s even seen a fan news account pop up to track information about its performance - and periodically giving Tencent a prod for an official international release.

Considering the state of mobile gaming right now, Apex Mobile would 100 percent be one of the more popular games today, they were on the right track with Season 4. Launched at the perfect time but the devs messed things up and left it too late ?? pic.twitter.com/smUFlWn3mo — TheLeakerBot (@theleakerrbot) October 17, 2023

And the game really is growing quickly, with reports that the title has already hit 20 million players. Although this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to China’s massive mobile playerbase, it’s still nothing to be sniffed at.

Give the people what they want

So, depending on your point of view, High Energy Heroes is either a shameless rip-off, an inspired clone or simply taking what’s been put down by another company and running with it.

Do these similarities mean it’s a bad game? Far from it, and you’d be hard-pressed to find Apex Legends Mobile players who had a complaint about the gameplay when that was shuttered. And there’s nothing stupid about copying what works. Tencent looks to simply be stepping into the gap left behind, and with the only hope of Apex Legends Mobile returning being a vague mention by EA higher-ups, there’s no reason not to give it a chance.

Certainly, Tencent hasn't been shy about trying to bring Western titles to China before. High Energy Heroes was originally in development before Apex Mobile was shuttered, and it could very well be that with the way clear, a full global launch isn’t far behind.

Tencent themselves are developing a bespoke, fully licenced version of Valorant Mobile for China. Riot Games’ big move to bring their 5v5 hero shooter to smartphones could very well undercut EA’s chickening out with what is arguably their biggest multiplayer title, aside from heavy heaters like EA Sports FC 23.

Where can I download High Energy Heroes?

At the moment, High Energy Heroes is only available in China, and although sideloading the APK is possible, virtually all the text is in Chinese - and you’ll be playing through Chinese servers. So if you’re a competitive player looking to make your mark, an official global launch may well be worth waiting for. And it goes without saying that dodgy APKs can also be a risk factor, so be careful what sites you’re downloading from, if any.

You’ll also need an account with WeChat, Tencent’s super-popular messaging and social media app. And while it’s mostly straightforward it’s another hurdle that’s part and parcel of trying to join a game not officially released in the West yet.

So how far away IS an official release? Well, don’t hold your breath. China still has plenty of domestic games that simply haven’t made the jump to the West despite their seismic popularity in their home country. Honor of Kings, a MOBA that actually eclipses current market leader League of Legends, has only just made its way to Brazil, with nothing yet in sight for Europe or North America.

Yet, as we just mentioned, High Energy Heroes won’t need to compete with any peers. Could Tencent take the plunge? We’ll keep our eyes open, because soon, Electronic Arts might regret stepping back from smartphones…