Smite

It’s well known that a lot of gamers find the idea of getting into your average MOBA game a pretty daunting concept. A strategy game where you only control one unit? I can understand why the concept as a whole could be scary. There is still hope for them though, as Hi-Rez continue to spruce up their upcoming MOBA game Smite.

The biggest difference between Smite and your average MOBA is that it’s played from a third-person, World of Warcraft style camera angle. Thanks to this shift in perspective the game feels more responsive and action-packed than, say, League of Legends, from the start.

Smite’s lore is based around creating a scenario where a ton of gods from various religions/mythologies can go toe to toe. Humans are losing faith in the gods and in return the gods want to smash them up to restore it, or destroy them all as punishment. To be honest I couldn’t really make head nor tail of the premise, but really that’s not important. What is important is that it gives us an excuse to make deities lock horns, and we’ll finally get to find out whose god is REALLY the best.

Thanatos and Hades put the hurt on Athena.
Thanatos and Hades put the hurt on Athena shortly after butchering Cupid.

Probably the biggest thing I’ve taken away from my time with Smite is that, in stark contrast to many other MOBAs, it’s very rare that you’ll find a single player carrying their entire team. Of course the traditional roles still exist to some degree. You have tanks and supports and ADCs and junglers, but players have to be more flexible in their play styles to survive and prosper.

Travel times between lanes are shorter too so information really is power, as losing track of an enemy and not signalling that they’ve gone missing can be very bad very quickly for players in your other lanes.

If you can’t be arsed with the effort of full on traditional 5v5 lane-based mayhem you can always just opt for the Arena, a mode based around trying to stop enemy minions (little human dudes) from entering a portal just outside your base while trying to ensure your little minion dudes get into your enemy’s portal safely.

Smite 2013-10-13 14-03-44-154
The queen of the Valkyries goes toe-to-toe with the god of thunder.

It’s braindead fun, but, like I say, it’s fun. There’s no grand strategy, you just be violent for a while and hope your violence beats the other deities’ violence.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, you can head over and download the Open Beta of Smite right now so get on it. Take your chosen deity and smash up all those other puny gods!


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