When I was at E3 2018, I saw a compelling looking game tucked into a corner of the massive Nintendo booth. It was called Killer Queen Black, and it seemed to involve insectoids facing against each other in team based combat. While at PAX West 2018, I got the opportunity to check the game out, and since I was drawn by the visual style, I gave it a shot.
I was paired up with a few other gamers onto one team, and was randomly selected to be the Queen. This powerful character came at a trade off, since unlike the Drones she has limited lives, but can fly and sting in a sweeping motion in front of her. In fact, one way you can win games is by killing the opponent’s Queen 3 times. But that’s not all to the game. There are plenty of other ways it keeps things interesting. The Drones have unlimited lives and can get different weapons, such as a mace that circles around them, lances, swords and more. Weapons are acquired by bringing Berries to Gates after they have been activated by their Queen.
Berries can also win you games if you collect enough of them and return them to your Hive. There’s also Snails you can mount and ride for another type of victory. It’s a lot of chaotic fun, and the physics felt just right to make it a challenge but with a low threshold of entry. Better yet, with 2 Switches you can play against other teams online with friends, or go for random online team match ups. Though I’m not normally a huge fan of team based gaming, Killer Queen Black is a lot of fun. Best of all, the developers plan on supporting the game after launch with more maps to keep things interesting.
If you are a fan of the classic Joust and want something a bit more modern to play with friends, you should check out Killer Queen Black when it hits PC and Switch in Q1 of 2019.
