A Filipino American team known for podcasts and digital content has released an Android battle game that puts Lapu-Lapu, a tricycle-riding grandfather and a slipper-wielding grandmother in the same arena.
Over A Glass Or Two announced the launch of BATS: Battle Arena Tournament Special, a free game built around five-on-five matches. The Bayonne-based team said iPhone and PC versions are in development.
For Jessy Daing of Over A Glass Or Two, the character lineup grew out of a simple idea: Filipino history and everyday family life could share space in a game.
“We wanted a hero lineup where a lola and a legend can stand in the same arena, and both of them are the coolest person there,” Daing said in the team’s announcement.
Familiar faces in a fantasy arena
Alongside Lapu-Lapu, players can choose Lola, whose weapons draw on familiar household objects, and Lolo, who enters the fight on a tricycle. Their names are Filipino terms for grandmother and grandfather.
The roster also includes healers Miss Nurse and Doctor Patel, a detective called Pigeonman who relies on the city’s pigeons, and Moonfang, a werewolf whose attacks become stronger at night, according to the developers.
“We built this for us: for every kid who grew up with a lola who never missed with a tsinelas,” Daing said, referring to the slipper familiar in many Filipino households.
Offline battles, not online multiplayer
Despite its five-on-five format, BATS currently centers on offline play with computer-controlled teammates and opponents, rather than competition between human players. A gameplay listing also describes the Android release as an offline game in which the player teams up with four bots across three lanes. [3282]
Players work their way through those lanes toward an objective called the King Crab. The developers said matches include two commentators calling the action, a halftime host and a postgame ceremony recognizing the most valuable player.
The arena also changes during play, with shifting weather, seasons and a day-night cycle designed to affect how battles unfold.
The game launches with 10 free heroes, according to the team. Additional characters can be unlocked with tokens earned through victories or bought in the game. The developers said purchases do not increase a character’s statistics.
Human-versus-human competition is a longer-term goal, not a feature announced as available at launch.
From podcasts to game development
The project marks a move into games for a team whose previous work focused on podcasts and digital storytelling.
“This isn’t even our field. We make podcasts and content,” Daing said.
The team said it used artificial intelligence tools to help create artwork, voices and music, while its members chose and developed the characters.
“Advances in AI made it possible for a small team like ours to bring this world to life: the art, the voices, the music,” Daing said. “Every hero was chosen and shaped by us, and the team is still adding to it every week.”
The developers said they are continuing to refine the game and add characters. They are asking players to download it, share feedback and help support further development.
“From Filipinos across the sea to Filipinos around the world: download it, play it, tell us what you think,” Daing said.
BATS is available through Google Play, according to the team. Updates are posted on Facebook and Instagram under Battle Arena Tournament Special — BATS.
