We had the chance to play an early Alpha build of Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming Moba (multiplayer online battle arena game), Heroes of the Storm.
Previously known as Blizzard All-Stars when it was first announced at BlizzCon 2011, the game will be populated by heroes and villains from Blizzard’s top franchises such as Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft.
HotS pits two opposing teams against one another with the ultimate objective of destroying the opponent’s base. Yes, there are lanes to control, creeps to kill and towers to destroy but Blizzard has added a few new twists to make it unlike any other Moba game.
The emphasis is on teamwork. Killing enemy heroes and scoring points will level up the entire team so no one will be left out. This makes the game more accessible for new players who have little or no experience playing Mobas.
The RPG (role-playing game) elements have also been stripped away — there will be no items to buy or equip, so players will be left to focus on combat.
The starting lineup will feature 23 characters that include Diablo the Lord of Terror, Jim Raynor from Starcraft II and Arthas the Lich King from Warcraft.
Blizzard promises to keep the characters true to their franchises. Diablo, for example, is a powerful entity that uses hellfire to roast foes while Nova, the Terran Ghost, will have to rely on stealth to kill from a distance.
There are also lesser known supporting characters which make the lineup more colourful, including the guitar playing ETC (Elite Tauren Chieftain), Gazlowe, a goblin with a robot strapped to his back and Sgt Hammer who drives a massive Siege Tank.
Theatre of war
HotS has four maps — or battlegrounds as Blizzard likes to call them — for players to prove their mettle. The four are Blackheart’s Bay, Cursed Hollow, Dragon Shire and Haunted Mines. But rather than rehash the same formula used in other games, Blizzard has gone a step further by offering unique objectives for each battleground.
The Cursed Hollow, for example, allows players to collect tributes to win the favour of the Raven Lords who will then grant them bonuses while the cursing the opposing team.
Blackheart’s Bay, on the other hand, has treasures that can be collected to hire the pirate lord Blackheart to attack enemy towers, so that players can storm the opponent’s base.
It’s crucial to capture or control each battleground’s unique feature, as we found out from our short play session.
Long wait
In typical Blizzard fashion, there is no confirmed release date yet for HotS but even the early Alpha build is polished and presentable, and deep enough for veteran Moba players.
We can’t wait for the it to be released. In the meantime, you should head to www.heroesofthestorm.com to sign up for the beta.
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