Gif: Digital Cybercherries / Kotaku
Over the past week, the video game world has been obsessed with the arrival of an independent shooting game on Xbox, treating it with the fervor (and social media metrics) of an upcoming AAA store. But here’s the weird part: this game is already out. It has been possible to play on various platforms for years.
You may have heard of Hypercharge: Unboxed, a wave-based shooter that turns you into an action figure versus a bunch of other action figures – great Toy Story vibes here. Developed and self-published by Digital Cybercherries, Hypercharge does a lot with a bit, combining first- and third-person shooting with base-building elements in childhood-inspired environments. It is also multiplayer, sporting both online and, on a sadly rare but much appreciated, local cooperative opportunity.
For most accounts, Hypercharge is very good, with a “very positive” rating (91%) on Steam. Here is a brief summary through Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen, who wrote positively about the game two years ago:
The basic game loop takes you out of the toy packaging and then looking for tokens around a map, which you use to buy defenses and upgrades to help protect your power stations. After a few minutes, a wave of enemies attacks. The fights and then you have a few more minutes to look for more loot and build more defenses. It’s not a terribly new or fresh twist in this type of game, but what’s here is solid. The weapons feel good, the enemies react when you shoot them and the movement is fast and quick.
Screenshot: Digital Cybercherries
Although it was first released in early access five years ago, Hypercharge saw a full release for Switch and PC in 2020. But you wouldn’t know that immediately from the game’s official sources, which a casual observer could easily read to indicate the the game has not yet come out. Specifically on Twitter, Hypercharge has taken the kind of buzz that is normally reserved for big-budget games, thanks to what appears to be a cleverly designed digital marketing strategy.
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Right now, Hypercharge’s Twitter page is focusing on Xbox with the exclusion of other platforms where it can be played. The photo on the current banner specifically calls for “Xbox gamers,” and asks potential gamers to vaguely “sign up” for … something. (Click through and you’ll learn it’s a newsletter.) Fixed tweet, a post that stays at the top of a Twitter account’s feed, regardless of the chronological order of posts, refers only to the “Xbox Series S “. The biography is a call to action for “Xbox players” not to mention other platforms, as is the textbook for almost every other game with a presence on social media; if you want links to Hypercharge’s Steam or Nintendo eShop showcase pages, you’ll need to click a Linktree first.
Video clips about the Hypercharge game have gone mega-viral a few times over the past few months as a result of a marketing push, apparently released in the spring, to generate news for a potential Xbox release. This weekend, one of those clips garnered more than 13 million views, thanks in part to the cross-feed actions of popular game personalities with big fans, such as sports commentator Jake Lucky. (Lucky’s attached text could also be read as if Hypercharge was an unreleased game: “These 5 guys are trying to make a standalone game where you play as an action figure in a toy store … and is ill. “)
This strategy, basically treating Hypercharge as if it were a whole new game, makes sense, as the game hasn’t come out exactly on existing platforms. According to Steam Steamcharts ’tracking database, Hypercharge’s all-time maximum competitors are less than a thousand players. And while the official metrics aren’t publicly available for Nintendo storefronts, come on.
It is unclear to what extent the study anticipated the recent uproar. Digital Cybercherries representatives did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Screenshot: Digital Cybercherries
But intentionally or not, dividends are obvious. Digital Cybercherries says more than 20,000 people signed up for the newsletter last week. This adds to the videos that garner millions of views and the relatively high level of interaction in their posts on social media, which regularly get thousands of Likes. Of course, this level of attention unfortunately has drawbacks. Last week, the study released a statement denouncing the toxicity it received regarding the lack of a specific release date.
Personally speaking, and maybe I’m just a fool, but the last few weeks of rumors are … totally working with me? Hypercharge is not the type of game I would play on Switch (not enough technical power) or PC (there is no gaming platform for me). But I would totally play it on Xbox, where I usually play local co-op games, which they are, and I’m just reiterating how nasty that is, few and far between these days.
A week ago, I thought Hypercharge was just another shooter. Now, it’s loaded at the top of my “gimme gimme gimme” list. The hyperload is scheduled for launch on Xbox early next year, according to Tom Warren of The Verge, with the window open for launch on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s hugely popular on-demand gaming service. Let’s see if the buzz lasts until then.