There is a new dawn coming for MOBA fans as a game is on the horizon that seems to encompass everything a player wants. Smite is a game that is taking what we know and love about the DoTA style games already on the market (League of Legends, DoTA itself) and giving the playstyle a remake by putting the view of the player into a classic MMO feel.

Hi-Rez Studios is putting out a brand new style of MOBA by the name of Smite, and while the influence of DoTA is apparent this game feels more like MMO-esque pvp than it does an RTS. This is because the game is played with a close-to-the-character third person camera and the WASD keys for movement. This gives the game the feel of first person pvp sat in the typical Defense style map (laning creeps, lane towers, and what can only be described as neutral monsters are all visible in the trailer).

Characters

Hi-Rez Studios is claiming Smite as an online battleground between the Gods; as the characters of Smite are lifted directly from mythology. Want to sling lightning as Zeus, run people through on Odin’s Spear, or burn through people with fire as Ra? Smite lets you do all of this and more.

Characters have been lifted from ever well-known mythology with playable characters hailing from Norse, Greek, Hindu, Egyptian, and Chinese origins. Hi-Rez seems like they will continue to add playable gods to the game at a reasonable rate and have added two gods to the Closed Beta alone since it started this past June.

Some of the more popular Gods of lore are apparent in the list of Gods that have been revealed already. The current God list has been gathered on a public database that is updated with patch notes as they happen, and can be found here.

Game Play

The game is basically typical MOBA play set into a third-person MMO-pvp. (Think League of Legends and WoW had an illegitimate gaming love child.) Even with this description thought, words do not truly do justice to what Hi-Rez is accomplishing with this game. Watching the trailer and seeing the gameplay itself is probably the best way to explain what players can expect to be doing inside of Smite.

Moving around the map with WASD and having a strafe option instead of the ability to turn seems like it will make for interesting gameplay, as this typical FPS set-up of controls will take some getting used to for many MOBA players. The trailer also reveals a large display of AOE / conal abilities that have their target areas revealed on the map. This seems like an excellent idea to combat the sight-loss that occurs when switching from top-down view to over-the-shoulder in games.

Example of targeting an ability. Take that creeps!

Thoughts

While there was no confirmation in the trailer of items, or a visible hud, the database website has an items and an abilities tab (both currently blank), leading me to believe that both will be in the game. We, of course, can’t have too much revealed to us yet as many players are unwilling to break the strict NDA placed on closed beta testers but it seems likely from browsing the patch notes on database that this game will have abilities and a shop just the same as other MOBA’s.

All in all I think Smite looks like a promising addition to the gaming family, as a hybrid MOBA / third person pvp game fills a niche gameplay style that had no other fillings. Constant updates and good feedback by players are making it look like Hi-Rez Studios have created a product that will soon be smiting players everywhere.

Oh? That Minotaur at the end? That’s the enemy nexus. Smite lets it fight back. Good luck killing it easily.

UPDATE: Smite God Reveal – Bakasura, The Great Devourer (Snowball or solid?)

.......................................................

•