Blizzard Entertainment can rightfully be called a living legend in the world of interactive entertainment. Companies that can boast such an extensive list of cult series can be counted on one hand. Loud hits and immortal masterpieces are being removed from developers’ machines with enviable consistency. Therefore the solution Blizzard the entry of MOBA games into the market could not be perceived except with sweet anticipation by all fans of the genre. We recently had the opportunity to preview the alpha version of Heroes of the Storm and now we are in a hurry to share our impressions with you.
Storm warning
MOBA is a genre with established rules and priorities. In terms of mechanics, it’s very difficult to say anything new here. The “setting” and graphic execution of the project comes to the fore. Goodness over the last component Blizzard no need to rack your brains: the characters of the universes WarCraft, StarCraft And Diablo in the gaming world they are known no less than Shakespeare And Pushkin – in literary. Don’t say that you wouldn’t like to witness the battle between the Lord of Darkness Diablo himself and the Queen of Blades Kerrigan.
Of course, it’s not entirely correct to talk about the plot in relation to MOBA games. However, the developers still could not leave such a bizarre fusion of different universes without explanation. But they clearly didn’t want to waste energy on the script. The heroes of three universes were inexplicably drawn into the world of Nexus, in which they found only one thing to do: determine the strongest. Not too original, but nothing more is required.
In total, the game features about twenty-five characters. Common sense should be haunted by doubt: how can, for example, the archangel Tyrael and a mere mortal Raynor fight on equal terms?? No one will give you a plausible explanation, but in terms of balance, you shouldn’t worry about the fate of the people: all the heroes have chips that are different in character, but equal in their competitiveness.
Characters are divided into four groups: warriors, assassins, supports and specialists. The functions of the heroes are canonical: someone fights and takes all the damage, and someone “supports”, healing team members. Each hero has a different role: for example, Raynor is designed for aggressive actions, Abathur should help his team from afar, and Stitches, the local Pudge, is great for starting battles. Each character’s profile contains columns with indicators of health, damage, starting skills and abilities. Also, the heroes are ranked according to the level of difficulty of controlling them, which will help beginners in training and orientation.
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However, the role of the hero is only a general vector for his “pumping”. The fact is that the developers paid great attention to developing the “customization” of characters. Sets of “skills” are not limited to the four standard skills, but represent full-fledged skill trees worthy of an RPG. At every third level we will be given a choice of one of two “talents”. Which development path to take is up to you to decide.
Initially, only five characters are available to us. Heroes of the Storm will be distributed according to the free-to-play model, and for “real money” we can unlock new. However, if you don’t rush, everything can be achieved for free: for victories and for completing daily tasks we receive a reward. Hearthstone showed that Blizzard knows a lot about the art of monetization. An unobtrusive “donation” does not upset the balance at all, but only expands the gameplay possibilities.
Clothes for heroes are also sold for in-game currency. Luckily there is plenty to choose from here. For each character, the developers came up with several unique costumes that radically change his image. In matters of wardrobe, the authors spat on common sense and decided to show off humor and indifference to the rules dictated by the canons of the series. Can anyone imagine Diablo in the skin of… a Morlock?
Dota for dummies
The creators themselves are in no hurry to classify their project as a MOBA genre. Hero Brawler – this is how, in their opinion, the “Heroes of the Storm” should be dubbed. Whatever the developers put into this concept, we must admit that the mechanics Heroes of the Storm noticeably different from Dota-figurative games. From the point of view of MOBA canons, it teeters on the brink of a foul. Let’s face it: in the eyes of veterans Dota And LoL brainchild Blizzard should look like a “casual” and naive, but quite bright show.
Judge for yourself: all the experience acquired by the heroes is divided equally between all characters, there are no shops or items in the game, no gold is given for killing creeps, and the average match duration is twenty minutes. All this puts an end to such traditional concepts as item build and last hit. Forget about couriers and regenerating flasks, about careful behavior on the “line” (health and mana are restored at roadside fountains), about personal responsibility for what is happening. You can sit out for half a match at the base, after which you can go out onto the battlefield with a satisfied look and “swing up” due to the experience acquired by the members of your team. What do “Heroes of the Storm” offer in return??
It can’t be said that Heroes of the Storm faceless, but it’s still difficult to call fresh chips a full replacement for missing mechanical elements. Advanced character customization looks really interesting and offers many options for development. The developers’ approach to “forest” NPCs is also worthy of attention: they can be “recruited” by destroying their lair. After that, they will go with the team to destroy enemy towers. By the way, it is not necessary to do this on your own two feet: the heroes have… a horse in their bosom, which can be saddled to increase the speed of movement.
But the main advantage Heroes of the Storm lies in the variety of game modes. There are currently four cards. The difference between them is not only visual – each of them offers a unique task, completing which you can get a huge advantage over the enemy team. For example, in Haunted Mines there is a dungeon with mobs in which you can move between lines. If you “farm” a certain number of skulls from the skeletons living there, a huge bone golem will appear and easily destroy a couple of enemy towers. There is a twist on all maps, which radically changes the strategic approach in each individual match.
But still, the game looks like a greatly simplified version of the MOBA genre examples. Its mechanics are completely focused on action: “mixes” happen here every half a minute, battles happen quickly. However, to say that contractions in Heroes of the Storm look more spectacular than their competitors, or are more demanding of the players’ skills, it’s also impossible. Yes, additional tasks at levels sometimes force you to resort to cunning team tactics. But at the same time, playing Heroes of the Storm, you feel a strong longing for planning, farming, choosing items and the feeling of satisfaction from buying them.
We find ourselves in a very difficult situation. On the one hand, the main features of the MOBA genre are Heroes of the Storm it is obvious. On the other hand, the developers themselves disown well-known labels. There are many elements of traditional mechanics missing here, but there is humor, excellent animation, dynamic gameplay and an unusual approach to card design and character leveling.
It seems, Heroes of the Storm destined to become a haven for universe fans Blizzard, as well as for “crayfish” and “noobs” who were unable to realize themselves in more serious games. It has a clear interface, minimal text and popular characters. But comparing HotS With Dota 2 And LoL, it is worth admitting its inconsistency. If you follow the lead of the developers and believe in the uniqueness of their creation, then we can say that the game should turn out to be high-quality and fun entertainment that does not require intellectual expenditure.
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