There are currently two multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) that dominate. One is Defense of The Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) and the other is League of Legends (LoL), your traditional MOBAs. And then Hi-Rez Studios brings us SMITE.
The initial reaction to the game was that it was just going to be a clone; however, no, it totally redefines the genre. While DOTA and LoL are top view free cam based MOBAs, SMITE is Third Person MOBA, which means you are down in the action using the W A S D keys and you control the movement of your selected hero while in game, no more spam clicking to make a move. The gameplay is dynamic, it’s fast paced, and using your abilities takes a degree of skill, which is something I personally feel the other two do not offer.
SMITE is based on the various religions of the world. Pitting gods against gods. Egyptian, Norse, Greek, even Hindu gods are available, and each god has a profile, which gives their Lore, so people who are not familiar with the religion can read up on their chosen gods. However, the formula is the same, four skills per god, each upgradable as you gain levels. While in the other two, players use Q W E R to use their skills, in SMITE your skills are bound to 1 2 3 4, which is perfect for most RPG players. Quick reflexes while working in tandem with your team mates allows for great gameplay. DOTA and LoL have limited variety in terms of maps, you have your traditional three-lane combat system, which all MOBAs have.
What SMITE does that’s interesting is give you several types. First is Arena: 5vs5 no lanes, straight up combat, defeating enemy gods till the score is reached. Assault: you are given a random god, 5v5 single lane. Conquest: traditional 5v5, three lane. Joust: 3v3 single-lane (my personal favourite). Siege: two-lane 4v4, where you need to escort your siege monster to the enemy base and destroy their titan. Then they have the special which they call Match of The Day, every day it’s a new thing – themes, maps, new rules, selecting only specific gods, starting out with Max Money. SMITE is constantly keeping things fresh.
The economy system is based on your wins, the more you win the more ‘Favor’ you gain, this favor can then be used to unlock gods, or Skins. Cheap god doesn’t mean that that god is bad, in fact, some of the cheapest gods are by far the strongest – if you build them right, of course. Gives you a sense of accomplishment. When you have enough wins to get to unlock the god you have been working towards, that gives you a sense of achievement.
Remember how I said it takes a certain degree of skill? It’s quite a steep learning curve. While the game does offer you a chance to play against computer players, their strategy is always the same and that doesn’t simulate a real match against real players, leaving you brutally unprepared for a real match. As I mentioned above, you can use favor to unlock more gods, wins give you more, losses give less. It can be frustrating most times, being that you are forced to use gods you are not proficient with. As you get higher and higher in level the community gets a little more aggressive, to the point where you get cussed out for making a single mistake. I’ve lost count of how many players I have reported for harassment. Which again makes it harder to unlock more gods.
It’s fun, it’s fresh, constant updates giving you new gods to play with, game type variety, multiple gods with unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses, with flushed out Lore pages and religiously appropriate respect given. Best of all, it’s free, it’s a great game, it’s good fun. Download it ASAP, and I will see you on the field of battle.