Arena Of Valor First Impressions - Mobile MOBA Done Right

Published: November 3, 2017 11:00 AM /

By:


Arena of Valor

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a regular League Of Legends or DOTA player.  It's not that I don't appreciate the simple yet deep gameplay mechanics and endless strategy that make these games a phenomenon, I, like most gamers my age, just don't have enough time to really get into a MOBA because I spend most of my time in transit or away from my PC at home.  Arena Of Valor is striving to change that and bring the MOBA experience to busy people like me anywhere and everywhere.

 

AoV Screenshot 21
Weve come a long way from Snake

 

Arena Of Valor is all about bringing the MOBA experience to the mobile platform without sacrificing too much and making it feel like a "gimped" experience. During Alex and my hands on demo of the game we were told about how Arena Of Valor was built from the ground up for western MOBA fans.  While I cant really figure out what that exactly means outside of the licensed DC Comics characters and Hans Zimmer soundtrack, and I didn't play the asian release, I can tell you that the game is extremely intuitive and quick.  As we state in the video below, Alex and I had a difficult time understanding the game at first because it's a lot to take in, but once a rep from Tencent broke down the game's mechanics in a few seconds, it went from a mildly frustrating sensory overload to an incredibly simple and fun experience.  Arena Of Valor didn't feel like it was missing any of the core tenants of any other MOBA and was surprisingly easy to host a game.

Graphically this is one of the games that will set the standard for mobile games to come, and it was running on little data reception with zero hiccups or lag on an iPhone 7.  As someone who plays way too many mobile games, this is something that can make or break a game for me.  The fact that it was running on older hardware without a single hitch and looked almost on par with its PC counterparts is pretty awesome and definitely worth checking out.

 

AoV Screenshot 29
All it takes is a Batman Beyond skin and I'm sold.

 

While I don't know for sure if this is going to take hardcore League of Legends and DOTA players away from their PCs, Arena Of Valor is a game that is going to bring the MOBA experience to many people like me who genuinely want to play those games but cant quite fit it into their busy lives.

Check out the video below for a full discussion between Alex Parker and I on our initial impressions, the inclusion of DC characters, and why this is the perfect game for people who want to play a MOBA but not deal with the community that comes with it.

Arena Of Valor is due for release next year and you can pre-regester here for exclusive in game loot.

What do you think about a mobile MOBA? Would you give up playing a MOBA on the PC for the freedom to play one anywhere? Are you glad its not the Jared Leto Joker thats featured in the game? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Nick Maillet TechRaptor
| Former Lead Video Editor

When im not playing games Im working on TV shows as a colorist. You can find me on twitter posting pictures of my rabbit and other useless junk.

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Arena of Valor
Game Page Arena of Valor
Developer
Timi Studio Group
Publisher
Tencent Games
Release Date
December 19, 2017 (Calendar)
Genre
MOBA