Overstep is a new action game that seems to have found a sweet middle ground we never knew we needed between the Tony Hawk franchise and arena shooters. When it releases later this year following its currently ongoing closed beta period, it will be free-to-play.
Each game of Overstep involves two teams of players, each of whom are controlling their own robot, known in-game as an Overbot, performing actions within a closed arena. While third-person shooting mechanics make it possible to kill enemy Overbots, that's merely one way to score points; performing tricks like grinding on rails or even just jumping will reward players with an increase in a score multiplier. The first team to reach a designated amount of points will win the match.
Lore-wise, these matches are the big sporting events of the sci-fi future in which the game takes place. Each robot is sponsored by a different large corporation, each with its own personality. The player is taking on the role of the pilot of one of these robots.
While Overstep will be free-to-play and available through the Steam store upon its release, it will unsurprisingly also feature in-game cosmetic purchases, like skins and different animations for some of the various in-game actions. Following its release, modular parts that can be used to customize your Overbot will be added to the game as well, but whether or not these will require payment and/or affect gameplay has yet to be confirmed.
Players can progress within the game through a number of different systems. Prestige is a record purely of win and loss rate, and represents the player's standing in the eyes of the corporations that control the world of Overstep. Fans can be earned simply through performing the actions needed to win, and act as a leveling up mechanic, as certain items will require a set number of fans before becoming available to unlock. Credits are the in-game currency, and can be earned by completing Challenges, which are smaller tasks achievable within individual matches.
More information on joining the game's Closed Beta as well as its eventual release are available through the game's official Twitter account.