Blankos Block Party, one of the most popular open world NFT games on the market, is about to hit the ‘Epic Games Store’. To mark the milestone of reaching 1 million users, Mythical Games, the publisher of Blankos, made the announcement at the ‘NFT.NYC’ conference.
Though an exact launch date was not disclosed, Mythical Games did reveal plans for some major updates to the game before it goes live on Epic. Following Blankos’ launch on the Epic Store, it will be easier than ever for players new and old to download the game.
Major Updates in Early Access Patch 6
Ahead of the launch, Blankos Block Party will be getting an overhaul. The recent patch, released on July 7th, added some new features, tweaked the game’s visuals, and buffed the ‘Blanko Bat’.
Here’s a quick rundown of the new features and tweaks from ‘Early Access Patch 6’:
- First-Time User Experience (FTUE) for ‘Blanko Brawl’: New players have sometimes had difficulty getting the hang of the gameplay. To tackle this, the developers added new tutorials for Blankos, covering Vibe collecting, racing, and shooting.
- Mythical Marketplace: The in-game shop is now connected to the Mythical Marketplace. With this update, players can easily check out new drops.
- New Props: Target (NYSE:TGT) dummies and turrets have been added to the PVE battlefield. These turrets shoot explosives, dealing damage to players.
- New Pins: The devs added new pins for every new challenge.
- Dinner Time (Gold): Bag first place in Brawl Finale;
- Brawl Edictorian (Gold): Complete FTUE;
- The Runner Up (Silver): Finish in the top 50% in the final stage of Blanko Brawl;
- Crowd Controller (Bronze): Strike 3 Blankos a single bat swing;
- Forward Motion (Bronze): Collect 10 vibes.
- Enhanced Gameplay: Drift Jump, Wall Slide, and Ledge Mount all feel smoother following the animation tweaks made by the devs.
- Blanko Bat Buff: Players can perform a 3-swing attack with the Blanko Bat, with each blow causing more damage than the last. Using the newly enhanced bat, players can also hit beach balls, danger balls, and other objects.
Other Updates and Enhancements
In addition to the aforementioned changes, players can now smoothly kick balls and strike them with the Blanko Bat. The Circle Checkpoint has received an aesthetic overhaul. With the new Music Info UI, a pop-up will notify players when the party track changes.
The Snack Attack Party Pass
The Snack Attack Party Pass was released as part of an exciting event. The ongoing event is loaded with rewards, including NFTs, ‘Blankos Bucks’, emotes, XP (NASDAQ:XP) chips, and much more. The art for the event was designed by Mel Chang. The event kicked off on July 20th, and will run until September 14th.
Players can earn two rewards at two tiers: the ‘Base Track’, and the ‘Party Pass’ & associated premium track.
Here’s how they differ:
- The Base Track: All players can earn rewards from this track. It features 1 unique Blanko NFT, and 3 unique NFT accessories.
- The Party Pass + track: The Premium Pass is a purchasable upgrade, costing $24.99, which provides access to additional rewards. It features 2 unique NFT Blankos, 3 unique NFT accessories, and a variety of other rewards.
Epic Games Store and NFT Games: The Story So Far
The video game community has expressed particular resistance to NFTs and their integration into games, with Valve, EA, and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) all outwardly stating their skepticism of non-fungible tokens.
On the other hand, video games giant Epic Games, along with Square Enix, have consistently advocated for NFTs. In fact, Epic seems to be positioning to be at the forefront of video game and NFT integration. Earlier this year, GRIT became the first NFT game on the Epic Store.
As far as Epic’s future plans are concerned, it has quite a few NFT games lined up for release on its store. Gala Games, the creator of GRIT, has hinted that it will be collaborating with Epic for future releases.
Blankos Block Party: What’s It About?
Blankos Block Party, often shortened to “Blankos”, is described by the publisher as a “vibrant, open world, multiplayer game”. It is apparent from the get go, that Blankos places particular emphasis on art, creativity, and lots of color. Of course, it’s all a party, so you can expect good music to boot.
Players can hop into ‘Brawl’ mode, collect cute Blankos (NFTs), invite friends over to party, and so much more.
Before Blankos made its way to the Epic Games Store, it had already passed 1 million active users. At press time, Blankos is still in early access. Following the announcement, It has been listed on the Epic Games store as “coming soon”.
On the Flipside
- Critics have pointed out that Blankos Block Party could be considered an expensive version of Roblox.
- Others have complained that Blankos is probably spending too much on ads.
Why You Should Care
- Blankos Block Party promises a lot, and certainly delivers in terms of gameplay. Players can slay Blankos in Brawl, race to the finish line, and of course, party hard. There are also a range of daily and weekly challenges to keep players engaged.
- Players don’t need to be familiar with NFTs or blockchain to start playing. Just grab a cute Blanko, and join in the party.
- Blankos Block Party is big on visuals – it looks like a fun mix of Fortnite, Roblox, and Fall Guys. Some have even called it a colorful Minecraft with more modern graphics.
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