Awesomenauts Review

                Having loved DOTA, a Warcraft 3 mod, and playing League of Legends for the past year, I was incredibly excited at the news of a 2D MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). Awesomenauts does an incredible job at bringing the MOBA feeling to a 2D sidescroller. Any fan of Megaman should be a fan of Awesomenauts. The game essentially pits two teams against one another, one on the left side of the map and the other on the right side. The goal is to push further into the enemy territory with AI controlled subordinates and destroy the enemy base. Towers block the team’s entrance to the enemy main base and do a large amount of damage to player characters. Translating the simple, yet strategically complex, gameplay of a MOBA game to a 2D environment seems to be a pretty easy transition. The game feels like a MOBA should, rewarding players for the number of enemy AIs destroyed and encouraging strategy and teamwork.

The best and worst part of the game is the fact that teamwork is so essential. Communication is essential in any MOBA and Awesomenauts is no exception. If you are playing the game with strangers, than you are not truly playing the game. Without constant messages about enemy locations, towers under attack, and coordinating assaults on player characters, the game will be unwinnable. Playing with two friends will be a much more rewarding experience than playing with two random players.

Another issue with the game is getting to the point where you have access to stronger characters. The starting characters can be played and mastered, but the unlocked characters have a much lower skill cap. Some of the unlockable characters feel over-powered initially, but if you have MOBA experience then you know once you learn the character’s skills and how they work that they are not unbeatable. Patience is required to deal with these initially stronger characters and the more you play the quicker access you will have to those characters.

Another aspect of Awesomenauts that is nice is the customization you have for your characters. The items you have available to your character are determined by you prior to the game. Unlocking specific buffs for spells or higher levels of current items allow for a player to build one character in a way completely separate from another player. One player may max cooldown on an ability, while someone else maxes damage. This customization opens up diversity in character’s play style and roles in a match. Experimenting with different item sets makes mastering a character take even longer.

While playing the game with only one friend, I found myself joining matches that were already started. Once again this feature is both advantageous and annoying. Joining matches usually means you are at a disadvantage, which the game tries to balance by giving you more starting gold. The starting gold doesn’t account for level differences and typically I find myself fighting an uphill battle. The good part of joining matches is you do not have to be as invested in a match. With any other MOBA game you have to set aside 40 minutes in case the game goes into the late stages,  but with Awesomenauts you do not have to feel locked into a match when you know an AI will pick up your character. The intensity of the game is much lower than a typical MOBA and I found myself enjoying the game without the stress of knowing I have to stay until the end. Granted I do not promote people leaving games, but it is nice to know that I can continue playing even if someone else leaves.

Awesomenauts is an entertaining game and fans of the MOBA genre will enjoy the way the game works in a 2D environment. New players will also have a fun time learning the game, even if they have never played the genre before. Going in on the game and buying the 3-pack is the way to go to save a couple of dollars and know that two other friends have the game. If you are purchasing the game by yourself with no one to play with, than know that you are only experiencing half of what the game has to offer in terms of strategy and teamwork. I enjoyed seeing how one of my favorite games works in a 2D situation and that alone made the game worth the purchase. I am excited to see how other companies manipulate the MOBA genre in the near future.