Game Review - Solstice Arena

Another Free to Play MOBA, but is it any good?

A free to Play MOBA for PC and apple mobile devices created by... Zynga, who are known for their Facebook/mobile games. So what's the catch? Big company, cross platform (well kind of). First let me tell you a little about the game.

This is the centre point of the map. I can't show you it all at once from in game images as you are locked to your character, which is ridiculously annoying when you see a fight break out of screen and have no idea what to do. And there is only one map. And only one game mode. So it's a 3v3 game mode with the objective being to destroy the enemy's main base structure. There is 3 towers which stand in the way of you and that base. I'm sensing this game was based around the number 3, as guess what? Each character has 3 abilities. These are 2 standard abilities and one "signature" ability that does more damage. All abilities are unique to the character (but not unique to the game *cough* seen these abilities everywhere *cough*), they are also unusual in ways. Players can level up each character and by levelling, players upgrade 1 ability by 1 point per level. To make it even easier, there is no mana costs for anything. Now obviously a MOBA wouldn't be able to be played on a mobile device without frying it unless it had some qualities lowered (like graphics). However Solstice Arena has no minions. It is known as a "Speed MOBA" which means that basically rather than sitting around farming out lanes, it's solely PvP . So how do players destroy the towers? Well if all enemy characters are in the base to heal/buy items etc. players are able to attack structures without them attacking characters. The alternative is face tanking but that's always risky. Basically this game is a dumbed down MOBA designed for people who want quick games.
  Another problem I encountered was that some characters are "Free trial" so players can purchase them if they go off (I assume it's on a weekly rotor). However others players have to pay for and they aren't cheap. Around $10 for a champion and around $20 for a skin. I call rip-off on that Zynga. Shame on you. As in other MOBAs you can purchase them with favour earned in matches. I've played 10 matches and not even got 10% of what is needed for 1 champion. Another key focus of the game is a chest in the centre (as seen above) that when taken grants gold to the team. Players can also gain buffs strewn around and randomly generated.

So why would you play this game? Well contrary to all that I said, it is genuinely quite fun if you just want to mess around solo or with some mates. The graphics aren't too horrible (although players can't optimize them or anything) and it is quite nice to win a game in 6 minutes rather than 55 (curse you League). However I see no competitive scene for this game in the slightest. And if anyone pumps money into this game I have no respect for you because it is quite frankly pointless. Do not fall into the EA-ish Zynga trap!
  In conclusion I'd say for a bit of fun, and as a free to play title, it's good to just mess around in. 5/10
  -Patrick Lacey

Why League of Legends is Successful

League of Legends - you've all heard of it but what makes it so well known?

League of Legends is a top down MOBA created by Riot Games. It is their only game but it is in a constant phase of changes. It is a free to play game so how do they earn money? Well you can buy the in game champions with either IP (earned by winning matches) or by LP (you have to pay for this). You can also buy champion skins and other non-essential non-beneficial items. This means that it is NOT a pay to win game. The player starts out at summoner level 1 with minimal summoner spells. As you progress you are matched with players of the same (or near) level and you unlock more summoner spells. The experience required to gain a level increases with each level, resulting in a large amount of gameplay required if you want to hit that level 30.

Now this is where most games falter. In League of Legends you cannot play ranked games until you reach level 30 so that you should of gained significant skill levels not to make everyone's life a living hell. Playing ranked steps the challenge of the game up a notch and adds a high stakes factor to the game. The player does 5 challenge games to place them at a point in the Bronze league. There is 5 tiers in each league from 5-1.You gain points for a win and lose points for a loss (obviously). If you reach 100 points you have to win 2/3 (3/5 at tier 1) to progress to the next tier/league. The leagues go up from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum. A lot of players spend a lot of time trying to climb to Platinum 1 and hen progress to the challenger league which is the best of the best. Now to play ranked, it is ridiculously hard  to specialise in one role, as a lot of other players are trying to do the same which means you can't always play it. This requires each summoner to have at least 1 champion for each role (money for Riot). Then there is people who like to buy skins to look better than the rest (more money). 

What makes the real difference is that Riot doesn't just sit on this income and think "I'll just keep all this", they use it to create more champions and skins (more income), to make the game look better and play more fairly (happy players) and also to keep the competitive scene up. Recently was the League of Legends World Championship Series which puts the best teams from each region against each other for a money (a total of around $2 million spread between teams). The amount of competitive tournaments there is across the world pumps not only money but interest into the game, provide a target for any player - to become a pro. 

In conclusion, a mixture of challenge, additional content and competitive interest and careers makes this free to play game not only a success, but a fan favourite for years to come.

 Patrick Lacey