Do you want to be a god? That’s what Smite, the new game by High Rez Studios is offering you. Whilst still in beta stage (and a rocky one at that, more on that later) Smite is giving players the chance to suit up as heavyweights from a variety of mythologies, including Odin, Zeus, Ra and Ymir, and smite (sorry) opposing players in a no holds barred arena style death match.
MOBA ( Multiplayer online battle arena) exploded onto the mainstream in 2009, pioneered by games like League of Legends and has since gained more and more of a following, with free-to-play models of many varieties holding bloodthirsty players attention.
Smite takes no chances with inexperience, however, and as soon as you log in there is a extensive video tutorial, and a very simplified menu ( This may change when the game is actually released.)
Veterans of MOBA’s will be right at home here, with the objective of each match being to destroy the enemies towers, then defeating their phoenix, before being able to reach and destroy their Minotaur, winning you the match, whilst simultaneously defending your own bases. The overall fluidity and speed of combat seems faster and harder hitting than similar games, with an emphasis placed on teamwork. Players can opt to have complete control over levelling and item purchases from gold earned in game, or set it to automatically advance, and just get on with the action.
Then we come to the main selling point of Smite: The gods themselves. Each god has been recreated in high definition caricature form, and at a glance you can tell who they are supposed to be. Playing Ymir or Ra will give you a vastly different play style, as all of the gods have their own unique powers and upgrades, such as Ymir’s Wall, which provides temporary protection to yourself an allies. The variety makes you want to try all the different combinations and choose a favorite, or switch between them depending on how you feel.
The game is not very graphically intensive, being cartoony, but still looks pretty, and the models/ environments are sharp and colourful. As a result of this, the game runs smoothly on even low end PC’s, at relatively high settings.
Whilst I can’t speak for the connectivity or server status, as the game is still in Beta, I was disconnected/ lagged out on more than a couple occasions, and even after taking the game to another internet connection point, the problems persisted. Again, this is all on BETA servers and I’m sure it’ll be cleared up when the game goes live.
Approach this game knowing the genre and what to expect, and you will have a blast, but if you come after being spoilt by customization and objectives in recent games, you may find yourself disappointed. This game made no promises of such things! Stop complaining!
You can get on the Smite beta right now by pre-ordering on their website. https://account.hirezstudios.com/smitegame/
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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