The world is not short on MOBAs. The number of people competing to gain the success of League of Legend and DOTA are never nill. The problem is too many try to do what the others are doing without changing enough mechanics to separate themselves from the competition and just feel like the same game. While Battlerite on the face looks like just another MOBA what you are getting is a different experience. Battlerite is now on Steam so I wanted to try it out. Being a LoL fan I was coming into it not expecting much. I set my clock for an hour and played Battlerite by Stunlock Studios.
The Experience:
First off I can not appreciate more how the tutorials were set up in this game. I did spend a lot, about half, of my hour play going through them but it is more than necessary. Each one takes you through a mechanic of the game till the final battle where you can put everything together. This ultimately made it so when I stepped into the first arena I didn't feel completely lost. It did enough to prepare me for battle. A system like this is more than inviting and I am very happy they took the time to put it together.
Let's cover the familiar parts of the MOBAs first. You will have a hero with abilities. Each ability has a cool down after you use it.(standard) Your left mouse button is your main attack and has the smallest cool down timer. (standard) You also have a space bar that is a jump ability you can use to close on enemies or avoid them.(flash on different key) There is a mount that you can use to move faster but being hit on it will dismount you and cause you to slow down.(Heroes of the Storm)
Now let's talk about what is different. There are no levels, there are no items, and there are no towers. When you enter into battle you have all your abilities. You will gain charge through attacking enemies that you can use to either shoot off an ultimate or another one of your secondary abilities. Your easy secondary is the R key while pressing shift will allow you to use other secondary abilities that are from the other abilities you have. These secondary abilities only use one of the 4 charges you can carry.
The health system is also very unique. When you do damage to enemy their health drops and their overall health drops. You can only heal back up to your overall health. This was really cool. If I was winning a duel my opponent could only heal so much of their health back. It makes each fight and flurry really matter. If they want to run they can but it also gives you the advantage. This really shines in the newest mode, Battleground.
Battleground takes Battlerite closer to the MOBA genre we know. You are defending your guardian from the enemies. In order to do damage to a guardian, you must complete objectives that pop up on the map. None of these maps are any bigger than the regular arena so combat is a constant. Some objectives will have you focusing your damage on mobs while in others you will need to hold ground. While taking out the NPCs that pop up is important a good range shot to an enemy to kill or stun them can change the tide. There is a lot to be said about situational awareness here and the game invites more strategy than the regular arena.
The art style is your cartoon on the edge of cell shaded and is pretty clean. The sounds assets are good and the music is alright as well. Nothing stands out but I was so involved in the battles that most of my attention was not directed on them. The currency is pretty fair as well as you can unlock heroes through in-game gold and premium currency. The going rate on premium is about five bucks per hero, or you can get a thirty dollar pack that locks you in for all future heroes. There are also loot crates, which seems to just be aesthetic. I hate look crates but if it doesn't affect the game, I am all for it.
I liked this game a lot. The rounds weren't too long, the battle was constant and I feel there is a lot of variety in the fighters. I only had time for two champions but they were so different it didn't feel like I was playing a different skin of the same character. With each set of champions, you will get a different dynamic and a different fight. This game appears to have a high ceiling and one I desire to try and get to. Battlerite did something different and in my opinion, it works and I plan on putting some time into this game.
TL;DR:
Battlerite is a MOBA that takes the towers and the lanes out and pits heroes against heroes. It's quick and smooth combat brings you right into the fight and they have a game mode in beta called Battleground that adds a whole level of dynamics to an already great system. This game is free to play on steam and I would highly recommend giving it a try.
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