Battleborn

MOBA is a pretty hot genre at the moment, given the fact that there are many different games competing for supremacy, and more are released every year. Besides ancient names like Dota and League of Legends, players can now opt for slightly more exotic names as well, such as Smite, Heroes of the Storm or Overwatch. The latter is actually a shooter with MOBA elements designed by Blizzard, and this is exactly what Gearbox Software aims to do with Battleborn as well.

Battleborn is a first-person shooter that can be enjoyed in many different ways, depending on what you like and what the situation calls for. Although it is primarily designed for multiplayer and co-op, you can also go at it alone and match your wits against the AI. Obviously, there’s a Borderlands aroma floating in the wind at all times, given the fact that the game is designed by the same studio. Despite that, the two games are very different in certain regards, especially in the gameplay department.

The MOBA elements come into play when you decide to join public servers and participate in 5v5 matches, which are more or less the classic way to enjoy the genre.  Each team has a base and some mobs to serve as cannon fodder, with the only difference from Dota being that you are on an alien planet and you play from a first-person perspective. You even have to choose a hero before each match, a hero that can level up and use special abilities in battle.

Whatever you may wish to call Battleborn, you can’t deny that it’s incredibly addictive and engaging. There’s always something to shoot at, each hero has unique powers and abilities, and the career mode missions are full of epic battles. It’s very easy to figure out how everything works as well, especially if you are familiar with Borderlands or any of the popular MOBAs. Actually, the genre mashup is surprisingly flexible and fluid, not to mention fast-paced and fun.

The developers promise a few other modes as well, such as Incursion, Capture and Meltdown. Whether you have to defend your base from endless hordes of minions or guide mobs to their death, it’s nice to know that you can mix things up when you become bored with the classic 5v5 matches. Moreover, the graphics are stunning, especially when it comes to level design and the attention to detail.

All things considered, Battleborn is on the right track at the moment, because the game offers a sweet mixture of gameplay elements that go wonderfully together, even if you might be skeptical at first. Each hero is unique, which means that it can take a while for players to familiarize themselves with all of them and exhaust the huge amounts of content delivered with the game.