Battle arena games (MOBAs) are a very popular genre born out of real-time strategy games. The depth and competitive element attracts millions of players. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is extremely successful on mobile devices.
Chinese developers decided not to reinvent the wheel, but to transfer the working game mechanics of League of Legends and Dota 2 to mobile platforms. At that time the big players from the game industry were not interested in smartphones, the market was free. So Mobile Legends: Bang Bang appeared. On the one hand, the diligent copying of League of Legends did not please Riot Games, on the other hand – players got their favorite gameplay in a handheld format.
If this genre is not new to you, then skip the next few paragraphs. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is in many ways a typical representative of the genre, though with peculiarities.
Battles between teams of 5 heroes take place in the arena. The task of each team is to destroy the enemy’s base and protect their own. The bases are located in two corners of the arena diagonally and are connected by three lines. The bases and lines are guarded by defense towers.
A significant part of the arena is occupied by the “forest” located between the lines. The “forest” is inhabited by monsters, defeating which gives experience to players and bonuses to teams.
At regular intervals, small units consisting of computer-controlled fighters (creeps) move out from the bases. Moving along the lines, they attack enemies that will meet on the way: enemy creeps, heroes, defense towers.
The player controls the hero with parameters and techniques characteristic only for him. Depending on the character’s class and skills, the player will either control a suitable line, or take on the role of a “forester”, gaining experience and resources for the team by fighting neutral monsters, or be a universal fighter, coming to the aid of other players.
Heroes begin battle with a customizable base set of skills. During the match, individual and team victories increase the level of the characters, the hero becomes available new techniques and items that increase the characteristics. The direction of character development is not linear and depends on the preferred nature of gameplay.
The choice of basic techniques, the direction of the hero’s development, the ability to use skills form the individual skill of the player. With a rush to master the subtleties of the game for a particular character will not work, you will have to spend some time practicing. The threshold of entry is high. Developers have provided a training mode, which will allow you to master the basic game mechanics, but you will have to figure out the subtleties on your own. An additional obstacle for some will be a specific game slang: “I will roam”, “farm the forest” and so on.
However, individual skill in battle arenas is an important component, but not the only one.
Mobile Legends is a team game. In the pursuit of an individual score, some players miss out on a team victory. The personal score is high, the team is ahead in points, and the match is won by the better organized “underdogs”. Interaction between fighters, the willingness to put common interests ahead of their own is one of the keys to success. Even in “random”, i.e. in fights with unfamiliar players.
Often matches are held in a tense atmosphere, especially when the opponents are of equal strength. Victory in such confrontations brings little comparable pleasure, and defeat – a real bitterness. For these genuine emotions players love this genre. Mobile Legends developers have preserved this atmosphere while transferring game mechanics to smartphones.
Sometimes emotions overflow so much that some players can not hold in themselves. Few people like to lose, so don’t be surprised by phrases like “the forest ranger is an idiot!” and “delete the game!” in the game chat. Take it condescendingly. This behavior is not only characteristic of Mobile Legends players.
Among the features of Mobile Legends are “emblems”, of which there are nine, which give in-game bonuses to heroes. Two emblems are universal (physical, magic) and one for each class. In theory, the player uses them to customize the gameplay to his preferences, enhancing the characteristics necessary for success.
In practice, emblems are used by developers for additional monetization, as emblems must be pumped. So experienced players get an advantage over beginners. Pumping is slow, using lootboxes (“emblem matrix”). They are sold for in-game currency, obtained in battles. Premium currency allows you to buy the necessary resources without surprise mechanics. So there are two options: suffer and grind (extract resources in battles) or pay money.