Heroes of the Storm Reviews
The most any studio has done to open up a complex genre to a new audience. Inviting, entertaining, and deceptively deep.
'Heroes of the Storm' steals the best parts of existing MOBAs, adds some new tricks, and throws in a recognizable cast of Blizzard characters to make an insanely fun and addicting PC arena brawler.
It's hard to find as fun and fresh a package as this one in the free-to-play MOBA genre. I think it'll pay to stick around, because I'm never quite sure what they'll cook up next.
Put like that it almost sounds sinister, like this was made by a committee of scientists in lab conditions. Really it's been made by people who understand the joy of play and, much more crucially, that it's not just about the numbers. In the end it doesn't matter that Heroes of the Storm has 37 heroes, and the competition has hundreds. It doesn't matter that it has more maps, or no items, or shorter games. It doesn't even matter how many players it has. All that matters is it's more fun.
Heroes of the Storm is like a MOBA highlight reel, cutting right to the best moments and doing away with all the boring bits. It's a fast, lean, and relentlessly fun 5v5 experience.
The focus is on the fun, and it shows. Whether you're just looking to revisit your favorite characters from Blizzard franchises in new ways or looking for a more competitive experience, various gameplay modes allow players to enjoy things at any level of engagement
Lots of colorful Blizzard characters cross paths in the sensational Heroes of the Storm.
A Blizzard-themed MOBA that's easy to get into and increasingly fun to play as you improve.
It's a game that dearly wants you to have fun, and fast. It's quick, colourful and without pretension. The map-specific gimmicks inject dynamism into matches that, given its relatively reduced hero complexity, might otherwise risk strategic stagnation.
Heroes of the Storm has plenty of room to grow, but even with its numerous deficiencies, we're simply not having as much fun with any other MOBA. At this point, we've overdosed on so many would-be competitors to League of Legends. Heroes of the Storm is a revitalizing and largely successful attempt at looking at the genre in a different way. Blizzard refused to say "me too" and we're all better off for it.
Heroes of the Storm has taken huge risk by being an action RTS with an emphasis on team-play and early action, but it's all paid off.
Heroes of the Storm has unfairly been branded as a "just a casual game" due to the removal of many tried and true MOBA mechanics. With over 100 hours of play under my belt, I can say with authority that those claims are untrue. Heroes has a ton of depth, it's very well balanced (though not perfect), and nearly every cast member is a blast to play. It achieves almost everything it sets out to accomplish, so I really hope it catches on with the non-believers and continues to grow.
Heroes of the Storm proves to be one of the deepest MOBA experiences out there, with ample strategies, a simplified meta-game, and more than enough representation from Blizzard's finest.
Will it replace DOTA or LoL? Not likely, as the depth of combat is not there. What it is however is a fantastic alternative for looking to get away from the toxicity of other MOBAs. Heroes of the Storm is a welcome experience to the genre and will hopefully inspire more innovation to MOBAs in the future.
If you're both a fan of the MOBA genre and Blizzard's various properties, there's no reason you shouldn't check Heroes of the Storm out. It may seem like Blizzard's just got another "me too" on its hands at first glance, but there's enough to set this MOBA apart from the rest and it all combines together to make for a distinct and thoroughly fun experience that no fan of the genre should miss.
Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard's attempt to bring multiplayer online battle arenas to the masses, and it succeeds, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
THE LOWDOWN, YO
Blizzard has finally released its official take on the genre it inadvertently created in the form of Heroes of the Storm, and let's just say that League and Dota have finally found a worthy competitor in the multiplayer online battle arena.
Heroes of the Storm is the perfect place for newcomers to experience the MOBA genre. It's simple and easy to get into. It shouldn't be dismissed by veterans either. There is a layer of complexity that even the most hardcore of MOBA gamers can appreciate.
In the meantime, in spite of its drawbacks and streamlining we would cautiously recommend Heroes of the Storm. You may not find it comes up to snuff if you're an League of Legends or Dota 2 veteran, but if you've never played a MOBA and you want to know what all of the fuss is about, Blizzard's new game may be your best introduction.