Heroes of The Storm: A Majestic MOBA Game

How does the game Heroes of the Storm fair against its peers? Well, the MOBA genre is a crowded market, inundated with a slew of games, all vowing to stamp their claim as a true-genre great. Many have shone brightly, albeit, temporary. All the while, others have petered out into obscurity. In truth, Blizzard has a Stirling track-record in the video games industry. True to form, Heroes of The Storm exhibits all the hallmark traits that have catapulted the team to stardom over the years.

 

Besides, Heroes of The Storm comes blessed with high-production values, an eye-catching art style, and a solid character roster. Rarely, matched in terms of depth. On that note, there is much to admire about Heroes of The Storm and the content within. Not only was the core model sufficient. But, Blizzard’s devotion to prop-up the game with constant updates ensures longevity and keeps fans content. For the time being at least. Besides, game communities can be a demanding bunch.

Unlike other MOBA games, Heroes of The Storm has the luxury of being able to fall back on its cult characters for inspiration. Heroes, iconic in stature that have existed at some point or other, in the Blizzard universe. Think of it as the MOBA equivalent to Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers.

 

The concept will be all but familiar to genre novices. Two teams of five compete on a wide variety of maps with stand-out objectives designed to stimulate team battles. Heroes of the Storm is not free from error. That said, its focus on team-orientated mechanics and the seamlessly integrated talent system keep the action intense and exciting.

 

As a member of the five-person strong team, you’ll have free reign over your choice of character. And trust me when I say this, Blizzard spoils you for selection from the get-go. For decades, Blizzard has conjured up some of the most magical characters across headline franchises. The long list of talent includes heroes from industry powerhouses: Overwatch, Diablo, and Warcraft to name a few. Overall, there are a total of 77 to choose from, each of which possesses a sturdy set of skills and abilities.

As if that wasn’t enough, new characters roll out, almost every month. Better still, the ever-expanding lore of games belonging to Blizzard, means there is a neverending supply of source code to utilize. Thus, ensuring the character roster never gets stale. In short, this level of flexibility when it comes to player choice opens-up the playing field. Ultimately, this ocean of options gives each firefight a unique edge. And, inspires high-stakes competitive play.

 

Aside from the three primary skills, there’s a scalable talent system, that coincides with your characters level. Instead of banking on the item shop to buy upgrades, players can stay locked in on the action, and upgrade during the heat of battle. Equally, you can switch out and assign abilities on a whim, keeping you never too far away from the battlegrounds.

In truth, the relevance of this tool doesn’t come into play, until much later. Or, at least, once you’ve adapted to the systems. When you start to consider the map layout and battle strategies, then this on-the-fly system acts as a godsend.

 

Another feature that sets Heroes of The Storm apart is in the map design. Simply put, each of the 14 areas is thematically different and host varying objectives. But more importantly, they promote tactical versatility and give players more than one option to reach the end goal.

 

Typically, arena-based games tend to offer a narrow-minded theatre upon which to wreak havoc. In contrast, all but every area in Heroes of the Storm contains, in some form or other, a unique facet that acts as the driving motivator for each map.

Conversely, to most MOBA games Heroes of the Storm switches up the dynamic of each fight. Instead of monotonous lane-on-lane exchanges, specialized tasks, like adding demons to your ranks, or planting herbs to summon a monster that fights by your side ensure that not one game is the same.

 

Not only does each map play differently, but each varies on a visual level too. In truth, this depth of variety, especially concerning aspects of level mechanics, will keep you hooked on the hamster wheel for many hours to come. On that note, don’t be surprised if you exceed 100 hours playing this magical MOBA hybrid.

 

All in all, Heroes of the Storm makes use of its densely iconic player roster and a copious shipload of content to deliver a fun and addictive experience. Elsewhere, the innovative map design and the themed layouts within pay decent fan service. All the while, adding immense replay value. Finally, the intense battles cook up plenty of high-stakes, match-ups, giving plenty of reason to revisit the game later down the line. In short, fans of the genre will want to check out this MOBA maestro.

 

That concludes our review of Heroes of The Storm. What did you think of the game? Is it Blizzards most exceptional piece of artistry? Or does it pale in significance to other genre-greats? Perhaps Blizzards greatest masterwork is in the pipeline? Let us know in the comments. As always, we welcome your views.