BATS: Battle Arena Tournament Special, a 5v5 hero video game starring Lapu-Lapu, Lolo and Lola, is now available for Android. Versions for iPhone and PC are on the way.
It is built as much for players who grew up feeding quarters into arcade machines as it is for newcomers who have never stepped into a team battle game before.
“It’s this blend of cultural pride and pure, unapologetic fun that gives BATS its distinct soul,” says Jessy Daing of Over A Glass Or Two, a digital entertainment team creating podcasts, content and now games. It is based in Bayonne, New Jersey.
“It stands as proof and testament to the belief that Filipino stories, and the everyday characters who raised us, belong on every stage, including the digital arena.”
In BATS, heroes from history, from home, and from imagination are the protagonists.
“We wanted a hero lineup where a lola (grandmother) and a legend can stand in the same arena, and both of them are the coolest persons,” says Jessy.
At the center of the fight is a true Filipino icon, Lapu-Lapu, standing shoulder to shoulder with the everyday heroes every family knows by heart. There is Lola, armed with the legendary household arsenal every Filipino kid learned to respect, and Lolo (grandfather), charging into the fray on his trusty tricycle. Keeping the squad standing in the heat of battle are the dedicated healers, Miss Nurse and Doctor Patel.
Yet the world of BATS expands beyond memory and into pure imagination, introducing characters nobody has seen before. Players can step into the shoes of Pigeonman, a daylight detective whose eyes and ears are the city’s pigeons, or unleash Moonfang, a werewolf whose strikes grow deadlier when the moon rises.
“We built this for us: for every kid who grew up with a lola who never missed with a tsinelas,” Jessy reflects.
Step into a match, teaming up with AI companions across three lanes to take down the formidable “King Crab,” and the game immediately feels like a big-night spectacle. Every battle plays out like a full-scale tournament broadcast. Two casters call the play-by-play action, another host takes over at halftime, and a post-match ceremony crowns the MVP.
Even the arena itself refuses to sit still. Where most 5v5 games keep the map static, BATS lets nature reshape the fight. Seasons turn, daylight gives way to night, and shifting weather forces players to adapt on the fly. Designed to work seamlessly offline against AI, the game launches with 10 free heroes and many more waiting to be unlocked. True to the team’s player-first spirit, hero tokens can be earned through victories or purchased in-game, and nothing for sale ever alters a character’s stats.
A small team, a big swing
Perhaps the most inspiring story behind BATS is how it was built at all. Coming from the creators of podcasts and digital media, Over A Glass Or Two didn’t wait for a massive studio budget to bring their vision to the screen.
“This isn’t even our field. We make podcasts and content,” Jessy shares candidly. “Advances in AI made it possible for a small team like ours to bring this world to life: the art, the voices, the music. Every hero was chosen and shaped by us, and the team is still adding to it every week.”
It is a labor of love driven by the gaming community, the team is continuously polishing the experience, new heroes, and more ways to play. Its biggest dream is to one day let players compete against each other. Players who want to help can do it the simple way: play, share, and
if they love a hero, unlock them with hero tokens in the game. Every purchase goes straight into making BATS better.
For now, the team is passing the controller to the global community, inviting Filipinoseverywhere to rally behind a project made by one of their own.
“From Filipinos across the sea to Filipinos around the world: download it, play it, tell us what you think, and help us make this the best 5v5 game out there,” Jessy says. “Kaya natin ’to.”
