Can VALORANT justify its hype and compete with t🎶he biggest esports franchises? It's one 🎶of the most eagerly awaited games of the year and is setting viewership records on Twitch. Some of esports' biggest stars are already moving over to this new shooter despite it not even being released yet.
VALORANT is the first non-League of Legends game from Riot Games and seems tailor-made for the esports crowd. They've taken two of the most successful esports, CS:GO and Overwatch, and blended them to create a hybrid. It's pretty much ripped most of the elements of CS:GO including 5 vs 5 teams, bomb defusal, money system, spray patterns, and tactical elements. Even the guns are very similar. These have been combined with hero powers and distinct characters from Overwatch.
The mashup is meant to appeal to many different gamers. Some gamers prefer shooters with an emphasis on realism and no hero elements such as Call of Duty and CS:GO. Others enjoy games that focus on the unique powers of the heroes like Overwatch and Apex Legends. By combining t🐈he two, Riot can possibly appeal to players from both worlds.
All the elements mean nothing if the gameplay isn't great. So far the beta testing has been a success and players are enjoying the gameplay. The game is fun with fantastic gunplay and interesting abilities. The graphics aren't the best because the game is designed to play on ancient computers. However, the game has clean lines and a fantastic color selection. Again, it mixes the drab CS:GO colors with the vivid colors of Overwatch.
The Good
The shooting mechanics are easy to learn and each round has enough suspense and thrill to keep it exciting. Some characters have unique movement abilities and can take advantage of the maps to setup sniping positions or ambushes. The map designs are generally well laid out and the walls have decent penetration values. VALORANT will also be free-🍎to-play be able to run on most computers. This means it will be accessible to a huge audience.
The Bad
Some of the characters lack originality and feel like copies of Overwatch characters. Some characters like Sage and Raze feel a bit overpowered but will probably be adjusted closer to release. By having so many characters that can create barriers, t♒he movement can feel stifled at times. Until recently there were many complaints about Riot's new anti-cheat system called Vanguard because it couldn't be disabled. Due to so much negative feedback, Riot made changes and it can now be switched off at will.
When it comes to developing an esport, Riot Games is second to none. They already have a winning template with League of Legends and know what to aim for. So far they haven't announced any official leagues and are relying on community-based tournaments to kick the game off. That will probably change in the future as they take control of VALORANT's ecosystem. Riot Games have been listening to player feedback over the last few weeks and will surely make some changes by the time the game is released. The future looks promising for VALORANT, but time will tell if📖 it can unseat the biggest games in esports.