Free to Play of the Month: Smite

 

 

Readers won’t be surprised to see Smite featuring in our free-to-play section this month. Due to the rampant success of League of Legends, which pioneered top down MOBA mechanics and a free-to-play model, the raft of copycats was to be expected. Needless to say, most of these failed, save for a handful of the best which managed to improve on the formula and add their own unique twists. Smite is one such game. Firstly, the game changes the camera perspective to an ‘over the shoulder’ third-person style. With this minor tweak, the game comes closer to an ‘Action-RPG’ rhythm than a strategy one. This blends well with the dynamic powers and abilities the heroes exhibit.

 
The heroes of Smite’s pantheon are picked from several existing pantheons. Mythical figures from ancient Asia to South America are lifted from their respective mythos and tweaked. This helps players get to grips with the game a lot quicker. You are familiar with the names, so it’s easy to guess their roles. Thor wields a mighty hammer, Cupid flutters around with a bow and arrow whilst Hercules is your straight forward melee fighter. One of Smite’s most appealing features is the fact it’s truly free-to-play. Every hero and item can be unlocked purely through playing. When you start, you are given a roster of five heroes, then access to a secondary roster which rotates every Tuesday. Naturally, you can buy ‘Gems’, the in-game currency, using real money but the game possesses no pay walls. In short, Smite is a quirky take on the MOBA game style which doesn’t abuse the free-to-play model. It’s definitely worth a download once the essays are handed in.

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