We’ve got a treat for Heroes of the Storm fans today. If you’ve paying attention to the online gaming trends, you’ve probably noticed that Blizzard is planning to crash the party of Valve’s Dota 2 and Riot’s League of Legends, by releasing a free-to-play MOBA of their own, Heroes of the Storm. Heroes of the Storm is based on legendary characters from Blizzard’s core franchises, such as Diablo, Jim Raynor or Kerrigan. These heroes will battle it out in a 5vs5 competitive multiplayer mode that is both similar to regular MOBA games, and yet different in some aspects.
It makes no sense for me to explain what the game plays like. It’s best if I let the game speak for itself in this regard, and as such, you can find a lengthy gameplay video below:
Based on the gameplay footage (which, mind you, is from the alpha stage of the game), there are a couple of things to consider. First of all, it looks solid, at least in terms of polish. Yes, Blizzard has a lot of work to do on the game still (especially in terms of hero balancement), but based on how stable it runs right now, a beta stage could be imminent. As of right now, a limited number of people have been invited to participate in the Heroes of the Storm alpha, but it’s likely Blizzard will move the game into a beta stage soon. Keep an eye on the official Heroes of the Storm website, sign up for the beta, and of course, follow us for the latest updates, we’ll be sure to let you know when invites are being sent out. Keep in mind that signing up for the Heroes of the Storm beta requires you to upload your system specifications, which can be easily done through Blizzard’s own application.
Secondly, the game looks pretty interesting. The lanes seem to bear a lower importance in Heroes of the Storm, and objectives are plentiful by any standards. The Dragon-Knight mechanic certainly adds some originality to Heroes of the Storm, and looks to be an interesting addition to the standard MOBA gameplay. Animations still need work, and creep farming seems to be less important than team-fighting. While the graphics are not mind-blowing (well, let’s face it, visuals are not the strong side of MOBA games), they do the job fairly well for the most part. The fog of war definitely needs some more polish though. On the other hand, heroes look great, and the skins are interesting enough to warrant spending a few bucks on visual upgrade. Speaking of which, the game will feature micro-transactions similarly to League of Legends, with players getting access to the game freely, but having the option to spend some money on customization options.
Overall, Heroes of the Storm looks promising, and it seems to already be in good shape. You’d best hurry up with the beta registration if you want a fair chance at testing the game early on. What did you think about the gameplay footage and the game in general? Interested in Blizzard’s game?