SpellKnights

Although it’s difficult to get accepted on the MOBA scene, a spark of genius is all that’s needed in order to attract a large enough audience to make the game relevant. Granted, that spark of genius is not something that happens every day, which is why the genre is still controlled by ancients like Dota 2 and League of Legends. Some have carved their own piece in the meantime, on the other hand, and others have this opportunity as well.

SpellKnights is a third-person arena game with shooter and MOBA concepts rolled into one, in which your role is to defeat the other players by making use of four magical elements. Although the action feels like a third-person shooter, you really need to make use of your abilities and combine them as efficiently as possible, much like you would in a classic MOBA.

Speaking of which, it all revolves around the four elements you can switch between, namely fire, wind, earth and water. Besides the fact that you can shoot projectiles made out of these elements, you can also create shields and protect yourself from enemy fire. Obviously, these shields can only counter a couple of shots from certain elements, but the idea is pretty neat overall.

The action takes place on a couple of interesting maps, but they seem to be far too small sometimes. Unfortunately, this annoyance is canceled by the fact that there never seem to be any players around to fill the maps. You can also use a few jump pads to move quicker, not to mention the fact that some of the map areas are deadly and you should avoid falling into them.

There are also a few bugs to watch out for, some of which can even crash you to desktop, which is obviously enraging. However, the gameplay itself is a bit glitchy and unfinished, which is especially visible when you are trying to make rapid combinations and exchanges. These issues can be fixed in the future, but there might not be enough players to enjoy the improvements by then.

All things considered, SpellKnights stepped on itself from the first steps, so the start was entirely botched. However, there’s still hope if the developers put enough effort into it, although it might be difficult to attract a decent audience again after this.