Bullet League brings battle royale gameplay to the 2D platformer

Occasionally, I come across a game that's still in development but available to play in Early Access. Not every Early Access game is worth sharing, but Bullet League feels special. Yes, it's another battle royale game, but this one is unique in that it's also a 2D platformer — and we're not talking Mario and Luigi here.

It would be pretty easy to just call Bullet League a 2D version of Fortnite — and that wouldn't be inaccurate as there's plenty of weapons to loot and a construction element that can be used defensively or simply to reach high-up areas — but in reality there's so much more than a 2D battleground and the platformer genre bring to the table.

To start, the animation is crisp and fluid because there's not as much time spent rendering rich 3D environments or sprites. The controls are about the same as you'd find on any other mobile platformer, and the gameplay itself is pretty fun even though you're probably playing against more bots than human players right now. Battlefield construction is such that there are plentiful places to hide and near limitless ways to escape a dangerous situation or ambush an opponent

I've played my fair share of battle royale games, and they all follow a familiar formula of a big battleground that shrinks into smaller and smaller circles. It's the same thing for Bullet League, except because it's a 2D platformer the circle closes in around you differently than in a 3D space. That means one missed jump in the endgame can toss you well outside the zone where you'll be frantically trying to make it back to safety before you're taken out of the game.

The main mode I've been playing is Solo, which pits you against 29 random opponents. If you got some friends who want to play together, you're also able to create or join your own private matches. A duos mode is also in the works but not currently available to play.

With this game being in Early Access, the developers are looking for players to check it out and leave some feedback. Frankly, I've had a blast so far checking this game out and will be keeping an eye on it to see how things pan out. They've included a Bullet Pass for unlocking new content, and there are in-app purchases for buying more coins or upgrading to a premium Bullet Pass — good opportunities to support the developer if you love their game.

Download: Bullet League (Free w/IAPs)