Yep, it gets that crazy.
'Heroes of the Storm' is a Blizzard-made MOBA (or Hero Brawler, as some people like to say) that cross promotes and plays with characters from across Blizzard's library. This includes Warcraft (fantasy adventure), Starcraft (sci-fi strategy), Diablo (dark fantasy adventure) and a variety of Classic Blizzard games (which, as of this posting, only includes the Lost Vikings). It recently launched in June of 2015, having gone through several months of beta testing.
At the start, you can choose from a selection of heroes (despite some clearly being villains) from a simplified set of classes: Assassins for lots of damage, Warriors that can take that damage with dying as much, Supports that help benefit the team, and Specialists that help taking objectives. Once you select a hero, you can jump into a game through the matchmaking system and be put into a team with other players. Nobody can have the same hero on the same team, so don't worry about an entire team deciding to play as one hero. Once two teams have been selected, they are dropped into a random map where the goal is to destroy the opposing team's nexus point to claim victory. Certain objectives on each map, like mercenaries and watchtowers, can be captured to help gain an edge. Each battleground also has a certain, unique objective that can also help, but often requires the whole team to even complete. After a game, you gain experience (for both your profile and chosen hero) and some ingame currency to buy new heroes and the like based on your performance and standings.
Seems pretty straight forward now, doesn't it? Well, nothing is without faults and I could point some out without too much difficulty. Especially considering all the time I've played the game. I'll start with what it does wrong before going into what its doing right.
The Bad
Matchmaking in any kind of MOBA and/or Hero Brawler is always going to be flawed. It is hard to accurately gauge a fair balance despite so many trying to do so. It is a human element that can't exactly be fixed in a computer. With 'Heroes of the Storm', that flaw seems to be amplified. Thanks to being randomly placed in a set team, often times you'll end up with an imbalanced force. You might end up with too many Warriors, too few Assassins, or nothing but Supports and Specialists. Unless you call your friends and allies to form your own teams, chances are you'll get a team that seems unfair regardless of winning or losing.
On the top of heroes, despite being organized into simpler groupings, it is pretty clear that all don't play like their class description says. For example, there are mages in the 'Assassins' grouping, a paladin playing 'Support' that could easily go 'Warrior', as with another 'Assassin' and there is also a 'Warrior' who plays more like an 'Assassin' despite what they are grouped in. Really, it throws the newer players off moreso than the experienced, but it does come off as an annoyance.
Speaking of annoyances...
The bug in the room, as it were.
For those unfamiliar with 'Starcraft', Abathur is a space bug from the Zerg alien raise that functions like a doctor/blacksmith that upgrades the Swarm with DNA sequences and augmentations. In HOTS (Heroes of the Storm), he is a specialist who spends most of his time sitting in base that helps their own team without too much fear of being killed. Even compared to other games like 'League of Legends' and 'Smite', he is a unique character in gameplay that has caused more frustrations for both teams whenever brought into a game. Really should've let this hero on the cutting room floor before releasing him.
Whoo, glad to get that out of my system. Now, lets move onto the positives.
The Good
The different battlegrounds is probably one of my favorite functions of the game. While each one has the same set up with matching lanes, towers, forts and minions, the theming and helpful objectives in each place help make each match intense in its own way. For example, in the 'Cursed Hollow' map, your team needs to collect three raven tributes to curse the opposing team why weakening their structures and minions. In 'Blackheart's Bay', your team needs to collect doubloons to donate to Captain Blackheart himself, so that he can bombard the enemy's defenses with his cannons. The latest battleground, 'Battlefield for Eternity', requires heroes to fight an immortal of the opposing team while defending their own, as having an immortal still standing helps push a lane. Really, each battleground has an objective that shouldn't be underestimated and ignored. It really helps in making the game go faster too.
With battlefields like this, it certainly doesn't get boring.
Actually, the speed on completing each match is a big plus too. Part of the development of the game was to make matches not last too long, with the most go for about 20 to 30 minutes at max. That way, you'd be able to finish up multiple matches in a day without feeling too tired or can quickly squeeze a match in before needing to head off somewhere. The goal of making this game seems to be simplifying things.
Speaking of that, their heroes are simplified but also radically different. Teams of character gain experience and levels at the same time, but instead of just upgrading a single ability each level, the focus is instead upgrading or acquiring abilities to use in a match. Some of these abilities are specific to certain characters, like 'Promote', which can buff an ally minion, is usually set to Specialists. This makes the heroes easier to play with and build, sometimes switching up a bit when a character is capable of being more than just their given role.
Final Verdict
At the very least, 'Heroes of the Storm' shows how the MOBA/Hero Brawler genre isn't going away anytime soon. The main thing to do is to make sure to stand apart from the competition and HOTS has done a good job of that. If you are looking for a faster take on the genre with Blizzard characters with simpler build and unique battlegrounds, I certainly suggest giving the game a look-see.
Until next time...
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