Ooze up for a round, then?

If you feel sorely in need of a ray of sunshine, you enjoy same-screen multiplayer games such asTowerfall, and you’re unfussed about murdering slimes, considerBopl Battle. Out today, it’s a jolly 2D arena brawler in which each player is a smiling ball of gloop, equipped with pre-selected special abilities that cover an amusing range.

You can affix rocket engines to floating platforms, for example, so as to launch them at other players. Or you can summon a black hole. Or you can turn yourself into a bow-and-arrow. I’ve had a quick go of the demo, and it seems like a laugh, though being a remote worker I don’t have anybody around to cosy up around the monitor with. Boo hoo.

Steam user reviewers seem to like Bopl Battle - it’s got a Positive consensus at the time of writing. I’m personally undecided whether it’s a brisk 15 minutes of fun or a lunchtimemultiplayerregular, but I have a soft spot for same-screen experiences, especially when they let me supersize myself and transform into a boulder. New abilities drop from the top of the stage at intervals, allowing you to expand your arsenal and perform combos, so as to wreak havoc on other mucus-based lifeforms.

Getting knocked into the water beneath each stage is a KO, but being a slime, you can stick to surfaces and ooze around the undersides of platforms. Just watch out for the pop-up swords.

There’s online multiplayer support, but no servers as regards the demo at least. Bear in mind that you’ll need controllers if you’re playing a local session, as only one player can use the keyboard. Here’s theSteam page.