Review
Fortnite
The best-executed battle royale there is, wrapped in a metaverse pitch that is finally starting to work.
No. 44 in The Noteworthy 50 · Battle Royale
Naraka: Bladepoint
A battle royale built on melee combat and grappling-hook traversal, and the only one where a parry decides the fight.
Every battle royale is a shooter, except this one. Naraka's fights are melee duels with a rock-paper-scissors core: light attacks, charged blue attacks that break defence, and a parry that counters them. Add feints, cancels and weapon-specific movesets and the result is closer to a fighting game than to Apex, and the skill expression is entirely about reading your opponent rather than tracking them.
The traversal is the other pillar. A grappling hook lets players run up walls, swing across ravines and dive onto enemies from above, which makes the maps genuinely three-dimensional in a way most battle royales are not. Escaping a losing fight is possible if you are good with the hook, which changes the risk calculus of engaging at all.
The barrier
This is a hard game. Learning to parry consistently under pressure takes many hours, and until you can, fights against experienced players are one-sided in a way that ranged combat never is — there is nowhere to hide behind luck. That steep curve is why it has a fiercely committed core audience and a high early drop-off.
The other reality is regional. Naraka is enormous in China and healthy across Asia, and considerably thinner in Western matchmaking, which affects queue quality and ranked integrity outside peak hours. Free to try, unlike anything else in the genre, and worth the attempt for anyone who has ever wanted a battle royale decided by a well-timed block.
What works
- Melee combat with real parry, feint and counter mechanics — genuinely deep
- Grappling-hook traversal makes movement fast and vertical
- Distinctive wuxia art direction unlike anything else in the genre
- Free to play with a well-supported competitive scene in Asia
What doesn't
- The melee skill curve is steep and unforgiving for newcomers
- Hero unlocks and cosmetic monetisation are aggressive
- Western matchmaking pools are much thinner than Asian ones
- Ranged weapons feel like an awkward compromise alongside melee
The Catch — what it will cost you
Free since 2023, but NetEase's monetisation is heavy: heroes are unlockable through play at a slow rate or purchasable instantly, and the cosmetic gacha is extensive. No direct combat power is sold, but the hero economy is a soft gate on roster access.
Who it's for: Fighting-game players who want a battle royale that rewards timing over aim.
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