''Deathgarden'' was an

asymmetrical multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed and published by

Behaviour Interactive Behaviour Interactive Inc. (stylized as "bEHAVIOUR", sometimes shortened to "BHVR") is a Canadian video game developer and publisher based in Montreal. The studio is best known for the multiplayer horror game '' Dead by Daylight''. History The co ...

with gameplay similar to another of the studio's games, ''

Dead by Daylight ''Dead by Daylight'' is an online asymmetric multiplayer survival horror video game developed and published by Canadian studio Behaviour Interactive. It is a one-versus-four game in which one player takes on the role of a Killer and the other f ...

''. It was initially launched on

Steam Early Access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

in Summer 2018, and was later relaunched as ''Deathgarden: Bloodharvest'' in 2019. However, the same year, it ceased development and went

free-to-play "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...

after failing to maintain a sufficient playerbase. The game pitted a single invincible Hunter against five Scavengers (previously called Runners) who had to try and escape. While praised by critics for its central concept and lore, it was also criticized for unbalanced gameplay caused by its asymmetrical design. On 12 August 2020, the game's servers closed.

Plot

In the story of the relaunched version of the game, the Bloodharvest is the only way for the Scavengers to earn a spot in the rare, high-class Enclaves that are left after a global apocalypse.

Gameplay

Each map was randomized upon the start of every round. The Scavengers had to capture control points that grant them a chance to escape, but could not kill the Hunter. The Hunter, who was the only character who got a gun, had to shoot Scavengers to knock them down and was then able to execute them. If the Hunter killed all of the Scavengers, they would win. If the Hunter did not choose to execute the Scavengers immediately, they earned bonus experience. However, a "mercy" mechanic was added later in development that allowed Runners one knockdown and

respawn Spawning in video games refers to the process by which entities, such as player characters, non-player characters, enemies or items, are generated and placed into the game world. Closely related concepts include respawning, which involves reint ...

before they could be executed because the instant execute was still used too commonly.

Development

The game suffered from a troubled early development, with the playerbase drying up only a few days after it released on Early Access. Rather than cancelling the game, the developers decided to continue developing and relaunch the game as ''Deathgarden: Bloodharvest''.

Reception

Cass Marshall of ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

'' called the game "''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...

'' combined with ''

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of the British weekly anthology Comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977). He is the magazi ...

''", praising the concept of the game, but criticizing the maps as "disappointing" due to their generic nature, and calling Hunters too powerful when played by a skilled player, despite Scavengers being more fun to play.

References

{{Portalbar, Video games 2018 video games 2019 video games 2020 video games Cancelled Windows games Inactive multiplayer online games Products and services discontinued in 2020 First-person shooters Asymmetrical multiplayer video games Post-apocalyptic video games Video games developed in Canada Early access video games Free-to-play video games Dystopian video games Windows games PlayStation 4 games Xbox One games