Naraka: Bladepoint

Naraka: Bladepoint is 24 Entertainment's melee-focused battle royale — a game that reinvents the genre by centering combat on ancient weaponry, martial arts, and grappling hook mobility across gorgeous wuxia-inspired environments. Dropping onto the island of Morus — a mythological land of temples, ruins, and forests — players hunt each other with swords, spears, and bows while using a grappling hook that allows rapid vertical traversal across rooftops and cliff faces. The duel system at the heart of Naraka's combat — where deflecting, focusing, and breaking through guard requires anticipating your opponent's attack intentions — creates combat encounters of remarkable depth and skill expression. The Tae characters add magic abilities that differentiate the 30-player battlefield. The free-to-play conversion in 2023 brought an enormous new player base to what was already one of gaming's most uniquely realized battle royales. Stunning visuals throughout.