Streamline (PC) Preview

Streamline is a multiplayer brawl-for-all that combines parkour and tag. It’s also designed with the streaming community in mind. Everyone from the broadcaster to the players to the viewers can participate. They all do their part to make every match as chaotic and fun as possible. There’s only a slight learning curve, so anyone that has some familiarity with video games can pick it up and start playing.

Basically, the goal of the game is to score the most points. Every map is dotted with several orbs, each worth a set amount of points. The more valuable the orb, the more likely it’s going to be in a hard to reach location. Using everything from wall runs to double jumps, the runner attempts to grab as much loot as possible. Collecting lightning bolts awards boost, which increases speed and adds a multiplier bonus to orbs. Needless to say, the smartest runners are going to utilise boost whenever there’s a prime opportunity to cash in.

Things get a little more complicated when up to fifteen other players are added to the mix. The other runners are going to be gunning for those same orbs, and if need be, they’ll throw a punch or two to slow their opponents down. A number of maps take place in precarious locations, such as high-rise buildings and piers. Getting knocked off of a ledge can be heart-breaking. Waiting several seconds just to respawn can equate to thousands of lost points. Runners also have to avoid getting smacked in the face while holding a few orbs, as that causes them to scatter, and then anyone can run by and scoop them up.

Then there’s the hunter. The sole purpose of the hunter is to inflict pain and misery on the runners. With their trusty stop sign, they chase down anyone nearby. In Elimination mode, this results in the runner getting permanently knocked out for the round. While they come back as ghosts, all these undead runners are capable of doing is making things difficult for the survivors. In Tag mode, whoever gets hit with the stop sign becomes the hunter. Hunters can’t collect orbs, so they’re going to focus on anyone who is nearby. A runner that was just stunned by a punch makes for the perfect bait. By the way, the hunter laughs at puny punches, not that there isn’t an incentive to try. Landing a hit on them is worth a ton of points.

While all of this is going on, the Twitch viewers are making their own contributions to the chaos. At the beginning of every match, viewers can make bets and purchase power-ups. The power-ups affect the map or the participants. Beware the possibility of a blinding sandstorm, a change in gravity, or everyone shrinking to action figure size. Further complicating matters is the fact that the active playfield becomes smaller with every passing minute. Running out of bounds for a prolonged period of time can result in death. Needless to say, there isn’t going to be anywhere to hide when sudden death approaches. At this point, everyone is given a stop sign, and each kill is worth an easy 1,000 points. This just might be an opportunity to get the lead, or lose it.

The winner tends to be the one runner that avoids getting tangled up in the skirmish. While everyone else is beating the living daylights out of each other, the runner that gets away will have all the orbs to themselves. This isn’t so much a strategy as it is a blessing, so take advantage of the situation if it presents itself. Alternatively, being whacked by a hunter as soon as the match begins is just plain bad luck. This can make the Elimination mode rather frustrating. Anyone who is ghosted early on doesn’t have any chance at making a comeback. The Tag mode keeps things a little more even, though it might also make it more difficult for exceptional players to stand out.