BumbleBear Games’ Killer Queen Black is available now for PC and Nintendo Switch, with a release on Xbox One coming a little bit later this year. It’s an esports sensation, an arcade hit that’s amassed a vast audience with its addictive yet straightforward structure. Players can win three matches against a rival team in several ways.
So far, we’ve covered the first two ways – winning with an aggressive kill over the rival team’s Queen and riding a snail to victory across a goal point. But then there’s the third way to win, which relies more on economics.
Mostly, you have twelve open spots on your team’s board, which you fill with berries. The team to fill their board with 12 berries first wins the match. It may not be as aggressive as slashing a rival’s Queen into oblivion, but it is a fun, strategic way to win the game.
Collecting Is Key
Littered throughout each stage are berries. These are small purple items that usually sit in piles, ranging anywhere from two to six. They’re easy to spot.
The Drones can pick up these berries and bring them back to their board. From there, they’ll crawl into it, leaving the berry stored, and then crawl back out, ready to collect another. You’ll be able to keep track very easily as to what berries are there, and how many more you need to win the match.
Picking up these berries is easy. With your Drone, walk over one, and you should be able to snag it. Then just run back to the board, and it’ll automatically crawl its way inside and place it for you. (You can also throw the berries if you think you’re a good shot.) That’s really about it – you have to repeat the process 11 more times.
Now, remember, you won’t be the only one collecting berries. Drones on the enemy team are going after them as well. And they may try to hop on you in an attempt to stop you. Of course, Queens and Warriors can also come along and take your drone out quickly, leaving your berry-carrying process stalled.
While berry collecting may not sound like a fun way to win, it’s quite smart. Killer Queen players are usually too focused on what’s happening with the rival Queen/Warriors and snail to see that the other team’s board is getting filled up with berries. Some may notice this and try to kill off Drones getting to their board later in the round. But for others, it may be too late until they see, “Aww, they got the last berry!” It’s an ideal way to win.
The Best Way To Berry Collect
Depending on the stage layout, there can be an ideal way to pick up berries. With so many scattered throughout each level, the best way to go is to find the piles closest to the board.
That’s because the Drone has the shortest route when it comes to picking these up and adding them. They don’t have to worry too much about opposition if a berry pile is two to three platforms down.
Just understand that these will eventually run out, and force you to scatter more across the stage to get to other berry piles. It can be tricky, primarily as other Drones collect their berries for their board. But the thing is to watch out for piles that have more berries, while also keeping an eye on enemies that may be lurking in the area, like a Queen or Warrior. The goal here is to find the best route from point A to point B to carry your berries, fill the board, and win the match.
For those new to the game, it doesn’t hurt to watch other players in action. They might give you an idea of collecting and what can work right for you. For the most part, being quick and unnoticed by enemies is the best route to take. Grab your berries, get to the goal, and repeat. Don’t monkey around and show off – this is all about economic victory.
With these steps, you’ll fill the board and become a master of Killer Queen Black before you know it – even without a sword!
Killer Queen Black is available now for Nintendo Switch and PC. It’ll release later this year for Xbox One.
