The embedded flash advertisement on the webpage I was browsing advertised "Smite: the free-to-play battleground of the gods". I didn't give it a second look, expecting it to be yet another Facebook game that I would no doubt see spamming my timeline soon enough.
Maybe it was divine intervention, then, when one of my close friends checked it out after reading an article on Massively about the game's latest patch. A month later, I've come to appreciate the game's fresh new take on a genre that has thus far, with few exceptions, been most successful when sticking to the time-tested DotA formula.
And Smite is, undoubtedly, one of DotA's many offspring. They don't attempt to deny it; in fact, the official Twitter account for the game describes it as "DotA-inspired but (with) 3rd person camera and action combat". But what it brings to the table is a unique gameplay experience that many of its siblings lack.
I've been having a blast with Smite. Here's why.
Gameplay
You'll quickly recognize the three-lane setup of Smite's conquest mode from pretty much any ARTS or MOBA.
It isn't trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the game modes it offers: domination mode is reminiscent of MMO PvP maps like WoW's Arathi Basin, assault mode is LOL's "All random, all mid" mode, and arena is pretty much what you'd expect.
Likewise, common MOBA ideas like supports, carries and bruisers remain very much intact in Smite's gameplay. Each god has three normal abilities, an ultimate ability and a passive.
But while the concepts may be familiar, the gameplay is different.
There are (with a select few exceptions) no attacks that "lock on". Basically every attack in Smite is what MOBA players normally call a "skill shot" - that is, you have to aim it manually and anticipate movement and lead time.
The result: combat that feels a lot more like an action-oriented MMORPG than an RTS. It feels tightly tuned and the results are rewarding.
It also means that the physical environment becomes a huge factor. A lot of abilties give you the option of modifying the terrain, like Ymir's ice wall or Odin's Ring of Spears. Likewise, some characters have movement abilities designed to allow them to ignore terrain.
Collision is enabled for gods and minions, as well. Body-blocking is a viable strategy to prevent someone from escaping or to absorb hits for a fleeing ally.
The transition to third-person brings with it some unexpected joys, too. Not being able to see behind you without turning around means that being chased while at low health your escape is never certain. It also makes dodging your opponents' abilities harder, though you can listen for audio cues. You can turn around, if you like... but backpedalling is a lot slower than running forward, unless you buy a particular item that lets you backpedal at full speed.
Since a character's view distance is a lot farther than the fog of war visibility on the minimap, the third person perspective makes communication with teammates extremely important. You might be able to see someone that your teammates can't see using only their minimap.
Some modifications to standard MOBA systems also exist, but they are mostly welcome changes. One in particular I found helpful was that items don't combine into other items like in LoL and Dota 2 - instead, each item has three ranks, with most only offering a unique benefit after purchasing the final rank.
New players can also benefit from a system which will automatically buy items and/or abilities based on a premade list of recommended items. The recommended items aren't amazing - they seem to be standardized by archetype, so all physical tanks get the same items for example - but they offer new players the option to just focus on the gameplay instead of on their inventory. Advanced players can set up favourite items, which appear on their own tab in the item purchase screen.
Theme
As someone who has always held a fascination for both mythology and religion, the game's theme was instantly attractive.
In Smite, you assume the role of a god (or powerful being) drawn from one of several religious pantheons. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, Chinese and Mayan deities all make an appearance.
If you've ever wanted to see Thor try to call down the thunder on Hades, god of the Underworld, you'll get your wish in Smite.
The characters are depicted colourfully and each has a unique silhouette, making it easy to distinguish them on the battlefield. The abilities given to each god are consistent with the domain of the god in question. For example, Loki's reputation as a trickster is embodied in his ability to turn invisible, create decoys, and teleport to foes.
The environments are similarly (and excellently) styled. The assault game mode takes place in the snowy mountains of Midgard, while players in the domination mode fight over obelisks in the desert of Egypt.
The developers are also slowly overhauling the general visual theme of the game, making it somewhat darker and more realistic than it is now. They recently changed the Joust (1v1) map to this new style and are apparently working on the others.
I will note that the depiction of the female deities has been the source of some controversy, especially on Reddit. All of the female deities (with the exception of Freya) take to the battlefield in high heels and all have wildly-varying degrees of bodily coverage. It's definitely not the most forward-thinking depiction of women in video games.
The gods all come with lore about the deity in question, too. You can tell that Hi-Rez Studios really did their homework.
Pricing Model
I've always held a cetain admiration for ARTS and MOBA games. I did play some DotA on Warcraft III, but League of Legends failed to grab me the way it grabbed so many others: the prospect of purchasing all those heroes quickly dampened any enthusiasm I had for the game.
Smite is currently in open beta and is free-to-play, but with some restrictions. Thankfully, they offer some solid options for getting around those restrictions.
Smite has some gods that are always free, while a rotating selection from the remaining gods is free on a monthly-ish basis. Also, you can try any god for free in any of the practice modes, where you play against computer opponents but can bring along some friends for your team if you want.
All gods in the game can be purchased using a currency called favor. Favor is earned from playing the game, and you also receive bonus favor via goodwill, which is earned if you consistently stay in games without quitting and aren't reported constantly by your teammates.
What this means is that you could try out all the gods in practice modes, and then save up your favor to buy the one you like best. Theoretically, you could eventually buy every god using favor, though this would take a really long time.
The game also offers the Ultimate God Pack, which costs $29.99. You get all current and future gods when you buy it. You also get a refund of any favor you spent on gods before buying the pack. This is basically the "full version" of the game right now, but is supposedly a limited-time offer while the game remains in beta.
Favor can also be spent on some alternate skins, mostly recoloured versions of the initial skins.
For premium skins and for voice packs, you'll need to fork over some real cash to get gems. The premium skins are all pretty creative, with many of them coming with custom sound effects and/or animations. My favourite turns He Bo, a Chinese river spirit, into He Bro, a surfer dude.
| Surf's up. |
Smite has a lot to offer fans of the MOBA genre, and I anticipate it will continue to pick up steam. Many gamers now start by cutting their teeth on MMORPGs instead of on the RTS games of yore, and this refreshing take on the genre will appeal to them since the controls are instantly intuitive.
If you like MOBAs, you owe it to yourself to at least give Smite a try... but if my guess is right, you'll love the new approach to MOBA combat that it offers.
Pros
- Keeps a lot of what is good about MOBAs while simplifying some things (like building items)
- Great integration of theme into the game with beautiful art and skins
- Hard to argue with free
- Good selection of gameplay modes
- Goodwill system tends to curtail "dodging" or leaving games early in non-ranked play
- "Try before you buy" for gods using practice modes
- Matchmaking seems off at times (I've been matched a few times against max-level players when I'm barely 20)
- Time or money investment required if you want to play with all gods
- Some additions and changes needed for competitive scene to really take off
