Thoughts on Strife

Sounds pretty philosophical doesn't it?  Well, if you take in the context as my mother always says, you'll probably guess that I'm not going to explore the meaning of suffering.  Instead, we're here to talk about Heroes of Newerth creator, S2 Games' quirky and (despite its name) decidedly more lighthearted new MOBA.  Bear in mind, I've played League for about the last 4 years with only the occasional DotA foray so my comparisons may be skewed towards the former.  For those of you who haven't walked away in contempt- read on.


Anyone who has played a MOBA before will find familiar elements, be it skills, items or character themes, especially if you're coming from either League or DotA 2.  By now though, I think we've all come to realize that there will always be similar mechanics within the genre.  It's the way a developer will use (or not use) those mechanics and how they're put together that will set a game apart.  Below is an overview from S2 this past summer on what makes their offering unique.

A unique twist is the pet system.  On starting an account you get to choose a pet - one of seven initially small (and cute) creatures to accompany your hero into battle.  Each pet has its own specialty, be it boosting attack, defense, magic, etc, and can be leveled up by feeding it special food you get through playing matches.  As it grows, it gains more abilities and changes in appearance, growing steadily more fierce looking.  What pets you choose depend on your play style and what type of characters you like, as the game clearly encourages you to pick one and stick with it, since you use the same currency to purchase new pets as you do to level up existing ones.  So you can either have a variety of cuddly looking critters, including kittens, baby dinosaurs and ferrets, with basic (and barely effective) abilities or one to two bad-ass companions like a panther or triceratops.

Bounder - a mountain goat inspired pet from Strife. Courtesy of 2p.com

Strife does a good job of refining and simplifying basic concepts, such as last hitting and purchasing items.  However, if Strife is to be a "second generation MOBA" then that makes its competitors something like parents - and there is a very strong family resemblance.

Whenever a player character kills an enemy creep, each of their teammates also gets the gold reward - a change that will make the laning phase less of a headache for returning MOBA players and easier to learn for new ones without the constant refrain of "stop stealing my CS!"  Support players will find enjoy not having to perform as much of a balancing act between trying to let their lane partner take most of the creep kills and farming just enough experience and gold to stay relevant in fights.  League of Legends approached the issue of gold income similarly by trying to diminish the importance of last hitting, like giving a small gold reward for nearby allied creep kills, through items and their mastery system.  However, what I like about Strife's version is that it was implemented from the beginning and feels much more intuitive because of it.

Caprice - a gun toting hero from Strife. League players, remind you of anyone?

Strife also uses the courier system from DotA 2 - purchasing items from anywhere on the map and having them delivered to the player by a (usually adorable) courier.  In essence, it's the same but streamlined.  The interface makes it easier to navigate the shop and send for the courier, though it also probably helps that everyone has their own from the start of the game so you don't have to buy one then share with any members of your team who don't feel like buying their own.

Bastion, a dragon riding hero from Strife.

Where the simplification may have gone too far is the hero pool.  The logic is sound - a smaller group of characters to choose from means less of a learning curve in playing as or against them.  Just that 14 seems a little too few, though this may be just coming from a game with over 160 characters...Well, it's probably more now.  Way more.  So I suppose any number under 70 would seem a little small to my mind.  While their ideal number is unknown, S2 Games has officially posted on Reddit that they will be adding more heroes in the near future.

As a whole, I'm enjoying my time in the Strife Closed Beta (you can sign up on their website).  It's a colorful and beginner friendly game, both of which bode well for attracting players both familiar with and new to the genre.  Minor touches throughout, like voice overs in character select or preview in-game models of character skins add to the general polish that come together to make a game an engaging experience.  If you're looking to get into MOBAs to see what all the fuss is about, or just looking for a new one that brings some twists while keeping you in solidly familiar territory, give Strife a try.