I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Arena-Shooter genre would try something as crazy as removing the "ground" from "battleground", which - for better or worse - is exactly what Tidal Shock has done.
In what sounds like a reimagining of the classic King of the Hill game type, Tidal Shock pits up to 8 players against one another in a deadly race to charge an ever-moving reactor that, once fully charged, will presumably wipe out all opponents with a game-ending shockwave. It also takes place in a neon-lit aquarium, which if I'm being honest sounds pretty bonkers.
As one might imagine, Tidal Shock's underwater battlefield bears the unique distinction of lacking gravity, which means that death can come from literally all angles. I'm willing to bet that things become increasingly more complicated when enemies can ambush you from above and below. Amidst all the chaos, players are also trying to scavenge for items called "energy capsules", which are used to charge the reactor.
Despite its aquatic setting, the gameplay - at least when it comes to shooting - looks to be similar to that of Fortnite, but then again it could just be the trailer making it seem like that. According to the game's press release, players will find that Tidal Shock is "easy to pick up, hard to master." While respawn will be a thing to contend with, there won't be any loadouts and dying means the loss of your inventory, which likely puts players at a significant disadvantage while they try to recover their items.
Lastly, developer Moonray Studios claims that there is more to be revealed about Tidal Shock's long-term plans once it leaves early access, including what players actually have to gain by winning a match (other than bragging rights or whatever). Something about a "Charge cube". It's not entirely clear.
Anyway, check out the gameplay teaser below for a look at some underwater furries blowing each other away. Wait, that came out wrong.
