Compete in teams or a free-for-all to find the best way to eliminate friends in ‘Bopl Battle,’ a casual party game. It’s an inspiring take off for a game made by only one person, Jahan Gronvall and is currently cruising by as the ninth most active demo on Steam.
Whether players are crushing, exploding or smashing their friends to pieces, ‘Bopl Battle’ offers childlike creativity in finding ways to pummel friends for the low price of $10. With abilities ranging from dashes seen in many other games to the more obscure abilities like summoning black holes, players are given infinite ways to interact with the arenas players fight on, players and other abilities.
Gronvall has designed arenas to encourage player creativity, with anything from ramming platforms into each other, to using swords as a pogostick to push platforms to crush opponents. All these unique interactions result in the maps being just as dangerous as the opposing players. A strategy Gronvall highlighted on his Tiktok account is using the macho man ability along with a thruster on a platform to launch players across the map. The thrusters also open new routes or close any gaps with unsuspecting players.
Gronvall has created an official Discord server for players looking for other people to play with and to give feedback on the game. This server also gives the community a chance to recommend new power ups. For instance, Gronvall was going to remove the macho man ability but the community offered suggestions on how to fix the power-up. Now the ability has become a fan favorite.
Despite ‘Bopl Battle’ being a casual experience, players are unable to drop in and out of the game, because it results in having to halt the game to let new players join. Although the game doesn’t have a set goal, like first to win five rounds wins the game, pausing the action in a game built on momentum leads to a slog in an otherwise exciting experience.
Another slight issue lies with the game relying on other people’s ping to create a good internet connection between players. One player having bad internet leads to a mess, with players teleporting, staying in games that have already ended and even being able to play after they are eliminated. Sadly, there’s no way to fix this problem as the creator lacks the resources to support servers for the game. As detrimental as this is to the game when it occurs, after five hours of playtime this has only transpired once.
Gronvall’s creative control over the game has contributed to the unique hand drawn art style that gives ‘Bopl Battle’ its own personality, which stands out from mainstream games. Animations are hilariously over-exaggerated, giving a comedic flair to each ability while also telegraphing what the other player is about to do. Despite the small rotation of maps, the different environments set the areas apart, with grasslands, glaciers and outer space. This variety prevents the visuals from becoming repetitive as maps change after every round.
Gronvall has gone above and beyond the expectations of an indie developer by building a balanced yet childlike whimsy. With endless combinations of abilities, ‘Bopl Battle’ gives players creative control over how to destroy their friends. Nothing ever gets tiring as the game is always changing, keeping players engaged in fast-paced battles. ‘Bopl Battle’ stands on its own as a unique title, filled with passion from the creator and the community behind it.
The ability that best showcases what ‘Bopl Battle’ has to offer is the growth ray. This ray can enlarge not only platforms, but players too. The growth ray encourages team-work and often leads to betrayal as there can only be one winner in the free-for-all mode. The resulting growth causes chaos, especially when the ability to turn into an indestructible rock is involved.
