SMITE

by Paul Fiander

Format previewed on PC
Developers; Hi-Rez Studios
Formats; Available PC
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Love them or hate them MOBA’s are one of the biggest gaming genre’s in the current climate. The reason some will hate is that joining the scene is usually very difficult and the majority of the players are pretty hardcore. Some of the behaviour towards new unskilled cold be considered hostile or just downright (insert your expletive of choice). The other difficulty in joining the game type can be the controls mixed with the somewhat old fashioned field of view. Now though we have a new kid on the block that goes by the name of SMITE.
The game started out life built around a whole other universe but it has now become a celebration of Mythology from all around the world. From Greek to Norse, from Mayan to Hindu most of the major civilisations are represented in the player roster. These mostly represent Gods but there are also some hero’s thrown in for good measure. There is already a great deal of choice available and the developers have said new characters will be added as the game grows. The most remarkable thing about the characters is the way they have been Klai, from the fun animation of Scylla to the brutally depicted Hades each character appears like their personality has been used to craft their appearance. I make’s each match a visual spectacle and gives the whole game a huge level of depth.

Each character is split into one of five classes and then they are given roles within the class. It’s a simple way of giving players more opportunity to impose their own style of play on a game and hopefully reel as many people in as possible.
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In terms of Gameplay Smite is novel ground for many MOBA players as the whole game is operated from the third person view. It allows a new player as in players like me a natural feel to the gameplay thus removing one of the barriers to entry. It’s a good move to help bring a new crowd and should still be appealing to MOBA stalwarts. You also are in direct control of your player in Smite. By utilising the WASD keys instead of the point and click style of other MOBA’s you feel more immersed in the gameplay and this is perfectly complemented by the camera position. There is basic controller support thrown in as well but you still need a mouse to level your character up from the in game shop. This is not that much of a problem but a more cohesive experience would make the game feel tighter.
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Neith is my Player of choice due to her ease of use.
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The fun side of the animation with Scylla
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Hades shows it's not all fun and games in SMITE
One of the big pluses for Smite is the variety of game modes available. The basic is the Arena which is pretty much a slug fest on an open field. It lacks some of the tactical nuances of other game types but is great for fast action and for learning about a characters battle prowess. Of course you do get the more lane orientated modes as well in the one and three lane varieties, but it’s great to have a faster mode for quick gameplay when time is short. All of this can be confusing but thankfully there is a pretty comprehensive tutorial mode and this is complimented by a number of YouTube videos. It seems the developers have thought of most FAQ’s and tried to give you a resource to get the answer fully and in an entertaining way.
Now for the White Elephant in the room how Free to play is Smite? That depends on how flexible you are, if you are okay with base characters that rotate in a weekly pattern and not really enhancing your character aesthetic then it’s pretty free. You earn gold while playing games and so can buy items in game and as long as you can hit a player or AI controlled minion then your gold will increase. However to buy skins and vocal upgrades you need gems and these are hard to come by so you may need to drop some cash. Overall though I feel the demand for payment is fair if you like a character then you can pay for them or just rely on the rotation, developers have to make money but thankfully SMITE does not appear to do this at the expense of balance.
I have focused on entry level players to the game do not be fooled in to thinking this game is a walk in the park. Instead it is deeply complex and needs a keen eye for a tactical opportunity. The better players will destroy you if you are not careful and it can become frustrating when you suck in the beginning. However even after a loss where I went 11 and 0 I still did not get abuse from the other players. It sounds odd but this made me more willing to come back and play as the experience was made less sore. I usually average within the + or – one kill but thanks to the minions I do feel I can contribute to my teams success.

SMITE makes no apologies for its ambitions and you will see the game being touted for eSports events all over the place. The game also has built in Twitch functionality which is a little iffy but it’s still in Beta so we will have to give this a go in the future to truly review it.

My score for this game is a little different from usual as it reflects entry to this game for a non-MOBA player. This game has grabbed me so much that I have played it more than Titanfall in the past week. If you are a hardcore MOBA player then I would say to look for more information in other reviews but for those like me I say give the game a go after all it is Free to Play.