Rather than trying to topple the giants of the genre by competing on the same terms, Petroglyph has opted to evolve the DotA model and test less explored areas of the emerging MOBA market. The game adds a greater than expected level of persistence through player levels, a talent system and minor strategic items that remain between games. To help lower the genre's typically high barrier to entry, RoI also features a three-player co-operative PvE mode in which players can test out immortals and gain persistent levels before engaging in competitive play. It's a necessary gamble if Petroglyph hopes to take on the giants of the industry, and one that might very well pay off.
In this collaborative hands-on impressions piece, Patrick Mackey, Matthew Daniel and I give our verdict on the current state of the RoI open beta.
Brendan Drain's impressionsI'll be the first to admit that while the development direction Petroglyph discusses in its podcasts has been intriguing, I expected Rise of Immortals to be poor quality. The website, concept art and 2D graphics look like they're right out of the 1990's, and I was worried that the same lack of polish may have leaked into game design.
I thought I'd log in to find a clunky, low-quality DotA clone with game-breaking persistent items shoehorned into the cash shop. Following Penny Arcade's recent shot at the game, I also worried that the characters would all be banal gimmicks and any kind of balance would be thrown right out the window. I could not have been more wrong. This game is surprisingly polished, easy to get into and a lot of fun to play with a few friends on voice comms.
Most of the standard DotA gameplay is in the game, including last-hitting creeps to gain gold. Denying your own creeps and towers isn't in, which makes the game easier but removes some of the challenge. The attack animations are also a little sluggish, so you'll require some practice to accurately judge last-hits. There were also clearly some balance issues, as we found out when another player using Balak began critting us with his auto-attack for nearly half our health. I suffered several lag spikes during play, though this isn't entirely unexpected of a game that's just opened the gates on open beta.
The usual game lobby has been replaced with a guild-wars style social district in which players can form groups, modify the persistent elements of their characters and queue for matches. It's a nice change that almost makes RoI part MMO and part MOBA. All these persistent elements that initially had me worried actually worked extremely well. They give a sense of ownership over the character, and the fact that you still gain XP and so progress your character when you lose matches means losing isn't such a big deal. Co-operative PvE matches also function as more than just training for PvP, granting a decent amount of XP for a challenging win.
RoI makes a much bigger point of consumable potions and scrolls than other MOBAs, with two separate potion slots ensuring they remain useful all the way through a match. Item builds have also been simplified, with no complicated build trees or combinations. You choose from a list of base items that each give different stats or effects and then upgrade them with gold later. With simplified mechanics and a lineup of over-the-top cliche immortals, I get the feeling that RoI is a casual MOBA that doesn't take itself seriously at all. This honestly works and helps produce some funny moments. If there's one underdog in the MOBA scene that could do extremely well for itself, it's definitely Rise of Immortals.
Patrick Mackey's impressionsMost of my misgivings with RoI are things that I dislike about MOBA games in general. Ultimately, if you don't like these types of games, RoI isn't going to appeal to you. That said, RoI has a lot of convenience tweaks that improve on the user experience compared to other DotA clones. I love the item system and its upgrade paths; it's easy to understand and makes a lot of sense. The tutorial mode and PvE modes let you test things out and learn the game before getting thrown into PvP content right away. I felt that there was some click inaccuracy wherein my avatar would sit around and not attack when he should have, but other than that I had no real gripes.
RoI does not have anything mega-special to appeal to people tired of the old MOBA formula. All the things that really screw you in MOBA games -- the slippery slope, demoralizing losses and often inexplicable deaths -- they're still there. However, the PvE mode is a lot of fun when you play it with friends. I think the best part is the convenience of the item system and the interface, which are definitely an improvement over other games in the genre and help cater to a more casual audience. I think that's a good thing, because not everyone wants to be burned out by a super-intense PvP experience. RoI is a lot better about letting you relax and have fun killing stuff.
As with any team-based game, I highly recommend playing with friends. Teaming with people you can joke with makes a world of difference compared to teaming with strangers. It's unfortunate that there's no 2vE mode (only a 3vE mode), as 2vE would be an ideal "girlfriend mode."
Matthew Daniel's impressionsMy impressions stand squarely in line with Brendan's and Patrick's. My first thought upon logging into the game was something to the tune of, "What the hell is this, the '90s?" Needless to say, between the '90s-style graphics and the campy Immortals, I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of RoI.
What I found instead was an incredibly polished, rather enjoyable playing experience. Rise of Immortals introduces an item upgrade system to replace other DotA-alikes' item combination system, which I've always found to make the genre's already steep learning curve much worse. That was a brilliant idea that made my day.
Everything else is exactly what you'd expect from a DotA game, and if you're reading this article you probably already know exactly what that is. Last-hitting, laning, creeping, the works.
The bottom line for me is that Rise of Immortals is polished, it's fun, and it's honestly kind of like the Snakes on a Plane of DotA clones. It's just so absurd and campy that it's enjoyable. I mean, one of their Immortals has an alternate costume called "The King of Bling" for Cthulhu's sake. As long as the folks over at Petroglyph don't take themselves too seriously and just embrace the insanity of their Immortals and their straight-out-of-the-'90s graphics, I think they could certainly carve a niche for themselves in the DotA scene.
