PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale developer shows off level mash-ups
Uncharted and BioShock sitting in a tree
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PASBR) is shaping up to be just the kind of full-blown triple-A console title we bought our PS Vitas for.
As you no doubt know by now, PASBR brings together a bunch of famous console characters synonymous with the PlayStation brand (Solid Snake, Nathan Drake, Jak, Fat Princess, etc.) and pitches them into frenetic side-on arena combat.
If you've ever played a Smash Bros. game on a Nintendo platform, you'll understand the kind of light-hearted mash-up action you'll be getting here.
And speaking of mash-ups, the developer of PASBR, SuperBot, has been speaking to the US PlayStation Blog about PASBR's level design and stage mash-ups.
2 Become 1In keeping with the fantastical commingling of otherwise-unrelated IP in PASBR, each of the game's stages combines two very different elements.
So, for example, one stage mixes up the cargo plane environment from Uncharted 3 on PS3 with the ornate blimp from the forthcoming BioShock Infinite game.
Another combines the bright and bouncy Ape Escape universe with the grim and gritty Resistance franchise. Then, there's the stage in which God of War's Hades gets overrun by a load of characters from Patapon. Check out the concept art for the latter below.
Some might label this approach 'canny fan service', while others might just consider it a good way to keep players on their toes.
Whatever your opinion, these stage mash-ups do ensure that no one character holds an overwhelming advantage, as PASBR game director Omar Kendall explains:
"Some characters excel against enemies that are in front of them, others directly above and below them, so we create playspaces that leverage those advantages and disadvantages."
It's worth noting that these disparate elements aren't thrown at you simultaneously - the levels develop and expand as the fights rage on, requiring you to adapt your tactics on the fly.
You'll be able to experience the full thrill of these level mash-ups when PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale hits PS Vita in November. In the meantime, grab a taster by watching the following video.
